'War Of The Worlds', live radio play, to debut soon in Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Just in time for Halloween, a show is debuting in Southampton that once left audiences terrified.

Center Stage at Southampton Arts Center is set to present the Long Island premiere of Joe Landry's War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, A Live Radio Play. The show will run for one weekend only, on October 21st and 22nd at the Southampton Arts Centre, located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton.

Show times are Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Michael Disher will direct the live radio adaptation of HG Wells' classic novel.

War of the Worlds was so popular — as it had never been released — and influential, it spawned numerous feature films, radio dramas, a record album, comic book adaptations, TV series and sequels or spin-offs by other writers, Disher said. .

The play was memorably dramatized in a 1938 pre-Halloween radio program directed by and starring Orson Wells, which reportedly panicked listeners who didn't know the news reports — about a Martian invasion — were fictional, Disher explained.

Landry's radio play, War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, A Live Radio Play highlights the day leading up to the infamous 1938 Halloween broadcast — and its unforeseen consequences, Disher said.

“Landry's adaptation of Wells' classic is especially relevant and relevant. The persuasive and often pervasive power of print and broadcast journalism has never been more evident,” Disher said. “The responsibility of presenting facts without conjecture or opinion lies where the undisputed truth lies.”

The cast of the series includes Richard Adler, Daniel Becker, Richard Browning, Susan Cincotta, Joey Giovingo, Vincenzo Harty, Jenifer Maxson, Matthew O'Connor, Franco Pistritto and Michaal Lyn Schepps.

Speaking with Patch, Disher explained why he believes the show speaks to the critical role of media in society.

“First of all, I'm a firm believer that truth is actually someone's opinion or perspective, while fact is indisputable and indisputable,” he said. “Too often, I watch and/or read news reports and I literally have to stop myself and think, 'Now, is this someone's opinion or is this really fact?' And while I'm curiously interested in many points of view, much of the news we receive on a daily, nay, hourly basis is either conjecture, hyperbole, or hype. However, I can't imagine news that is only real. Right, yes. Dry and pierce, no doubt.'

Unlike in his youth, Disher said today, the public has access to news from hundreds of print outlets and “too many stations 24/7 to avoid a reasonable amount of, shall I say, colorful journalism. It's important, though, to be able to separate the two — that which is fact, from that which is potentially fictitious.'

The War of the Worlds is history, he said.

“A seemingly harmless adaptation of HG Wells' novel was first presented on radio on October 30, 1938. 85 years ago, this literary adaptation still lives on as perhaps the scariest radio program ever broadcast. And because it was delivered convincingly through a Communication outlet, many believed it to be true. Fiction masquerading as fact is dangerous. I'm really surprised more people haven't thought of offering this title as a Halloween alternative. In my opinion, it's both enlightening and terrifying.”

Disher said the space for the production is simply wonderful.

“In my opinion, theater needs to adapt to today's embrace of directness and immediacy,” he said. “Southampton Arts Center offered Center Stage, a beautiful space in a historic building with one initial stipulation: that our theater events run for one weekend only. And I have to admit, so far, I like the format. I like the radio plays. I love the active readings. I love the workshops. The venue at Southampton Arts Center offers an intimate space and setting that easily adapts to the requirements of any production.”

Christina Strassfield, executive director, and her staff were “kind and welcoming,” she said. “From a performer's point of view, I think the brevity of the rehearsal schedule is appealing to many. So few people have the time available to spend four to five nights a week rehearsing for six to eight weeks – and a three-weekend show. Times have changed. Theatrically, we must learn to adapt — without compromising integrity or excellence.”

Each production leaves its mark on Disher, a man whose deep passion for bringing introspective and innovative theater to the East End is legendary.

“I know this sounds like a cliché, but I'm still learning from this experience,” he said of War of the Worlds. “Yes, from the material. Yes, from the process. Yes, hopefully, from its potential. The end result remains to be seen. Time will tell – it usually does.”

War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, A Live Radio Play is funded in part by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

General admission tickets are $20 and SAC member admission is $15. All tickets are available here or by calling 631 283-0967. Tickets are also available at the door. Reservations are recommended.