WRW joins the 4th annual UFO Festival to produce a live re-creation of radio’s most famous broadcast.
Sponsored by McMenamins Theatres and Pubs
When & Where:
Saturday, May 10th – 1:00pm
Mack Theater in McMinnville, OR
Friday, May 9th – 7:00pm
The historic White Eagle Saloon in Portland, OR.
All performances are free and open to the public.
WRW presents Orson Welles� production of H. G. Wells� War of the Worlds. This is a live recreation of the original 1938 �Panic Broadcast� that shook a nation on the brink of war. The script, a loose adaptation of H.G. Wells’ Sci-Fi classic by Howard Koch (who went on to write Casablanca) tells the story of Martians invading the Earth.
The program was presented as a series of live news feeds that created a touch of realism by breaking into a placid evening of dance music. Although the program clearly stated at the beginning and at the half way point that it was a radio drama, most of the country was tuned into the Chase and Sandborn Hour with Edgar Bergen and Charley Macarthy, the most popular radio tandem in the country. However, Nelson Eddy was the musical guest that night and when he began to sing a couple of not-too-popular songs, the radio audience began to spin those dials, coming into the War of the Worldsbroadcast after the disclaimer. The subsequent panic, from listeners who took the radio play for real, traumatized several cities across the eastern seaboard. It is important to note that no one was killed or killed themselves, but rumors of such activity spread as fast as the rumors of Martian invasion. The ensuing notoriety made Orson Welles a star and showed the devastating power of radio in the new age of mass communication.
WRW�s 12 actors, using live foley sound effects, live music and a plethora of old school analog audio magic reproduce the excitement and drama with a production faithful to the spirit of “live Radio.” Enjoy a look at a vibrant entertainment medium and this opportunity to look back at the best Halloween prank ever pulled on the American Public.
If you haven�t seen live radio, you ain�t heard nothing yet.
The Aliens are Coming!
4th Annual UFO Fest
at McMenamins Hotel Oregon � McMinnville, Oregon
Thursday, May 8, Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10
It just may be the most fun-and eye-opening-event you�ll encounter all year! For three days, Thursday, May 8th through Saturday, May 10, hear experts� compelling reports of unexplained, extraterrestrial visitations from the skies, and join the dancing humans dressed head-to-toe in tin foil�
With both a serious eye and a light heart, the UFO Fest explores and celebrates the realities and possibilities of life emanating from beyond Planet Earth. It�s Oregon�s largest annual UFO event and this year�s expanded program promises to be galaxies beyond the last.
The lineup for the 2003 event features a UFO costume parade, keynote presentation by internationally UFO authority Stanton Friedman, theUFOstore.com Video Film Festival at McMinnville�s historic Mack Theater, an Alien Costume Ball, a special reception with the keynote speaker and other presenters, exhibitor booths of UFO literature, art and merchandise, and much more�
All UFO Fest events are free and open to all ages, unless otherwise noted. Details about specific events can be found at their website:
http://www.ufofest.com/McHO/ufo/
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY, MAY 8
Dinner with Stanton Friedman at Hotel Oregon, 7pm
FRIDAY, MAY 9
UFO Exhibits at Hotel Oregon, 4pm to 9pm
Speaker Forum at the Mack Theater, 8pm
Speaker Reception & Book Signing at Hotel Oregon, 9:30pm
SATURDAY, MAY 10
UFO Exhibits at Hotel Oregon, 9am to 5pm
�Orson Welles� War of the Worlds� a live radio theater performance at the Mack Theater, 1pm
2nd Annual UFO Parade, 3pm
theUFOstore.com UFO Film Festival at the Mack Theater, 4pm
Alien Ball at Hotel Oregon, 8pm