Off-Broadway Players Adapt with Radio Theater Productions
11/05/2020
By David Perry
Two years ago, Emma Valentine arrived on campus with a love of theater cultivated during four years of acting at Woburn High School. She was far from alone. The business major found UML鈥檚 student-run theater group, the (OBP), and climbed onstage.
Last year, as a sophomore, she acted in and directed 鈥淪he Kills Monsters,鈥� a play by Qui Nguyen. Valentine was also elected the group鈥檚 vice president.
And then, during spring break, the COVID-19 pandemic flipped the script on Valentine and the nearly two dozen other Off-Broadway Players. The spring show, an adaptation of the 鈥淒racula鈥� story, would not go on.
鈥淲hen we heard we weren鈥檛 going back to campus last spring, we decided just not to do it at all,鈥� says Valentine. 鈥淏ut we continued to meet online over Zoom.鈥�
In April, OBP President Devin Provencher suggested the group try a new venue for its talents in the time of pandemic 鈥� radio theater. Everyone agreed.
This month, the students will present three productions on the university鈥檚 student-run station, . The productions, 鈥淩etail Therapy,鈥� 鈥淪herlock Holmes鈥� and 鈥淪now White,鈥� will also be streamed on .
Radio theater is an all-acoustic form that dates back nearly a century, and thrived until television grabbed leisure time. In America, one radio drama stands above all others in reputation, 1938鈥檚 鈥淲ar of the Worlds,鈥� a production of H.G. Wells鈥� story that had some listeners believing an invasion from space was really happening.
The ease of distribution on the internet, relatively low production costs and the rising popularity of podcasts have led to a radio drama mini-revival in recent years.
OBP Treasurer Andrew Termini, who also works at WUML, helped the group find time slots at the radio station to broadcast pre-recorded plays. The students got to work and chose three scripts. Typically, the group produces one play a semester.
Business major Patrick Woods, OBP鈥檚 membership coordinator, says the radio productions are a welcomed alternative during a time of social distancing.
鈥淲e are trying out radio theater this year as a way to still give our members a creative outlet and keep our momentum going, despite our inability to meet in person,鈥� he says.
The group rehearses twice a week on Zoom.
Zoom is 鈥減retty interesting,鈥� says Valentine. 鈥淭he actors don鈥檛 have to worry as much about memorizing lines,鈥� as pre-recording productions allows for editing.
It can be harder to develop a sense of ensemble when the actors are never in the same place, she says.
鈥淵ou can still play off one another to a certain degree, but if there are technical difficulties, timing might not always be there. Both comedic and dramatic timing can be affected,鈥� Valentine says.
But Valentine says there are advantages.
鈥淓veryone gets there on time pretty much, since they鈥檙e at home and don鈥檛 have to worry about traffic or classes running over,鈥� she says.
And, while radio theater wasn鈥檛 something they anticipated, they are taking away lessons from the experience.
鈥淲e鈥檙e sort of learning along with everyone else how to best put this on. It鈥檚 definitely a very different experience from our typical in-person performances,鈥� says Woods.
鈥淩etail Therapy鈥� airs Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.; 鈥淪herlock Holmes鈥� airs Nov. 9, 11 and 13 at 4 p.m.; and 鈥淪now White鈥� airs Nov. 16, 18 and 20 at 6 p.m.
