Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be incapable of logging onto the Internet or turning on the television to instantly find out what’s happening in the world? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to gather around the radio every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. to find out how our troops are doing abroad?
Well, this weekend at the Quick Center, director Daniel Smith is giving Fairfield University an idea of what it would have been like for everyday Americans in the 1930s and ’40s to seek entertainment and valuable news from World War II radio dramas.
Daniel Smith, no stranger to the this genre, has directed over 100 radio dramas, all of which are actual radio dramas from the ’30s and ’40s. The audience sees what would be going on inside the radio studio, including the sound technician creating sound effects like glass breaking and people walking on snow.
His cast, a core group of about 12 actors and actresses, have been working together for years.
Brianne Bresky, who has been working with Smith for about five years, says it is not uncommon for actors to play more than one part and therefore must, “do vocal gymnastics, which I think is impressive to the audience to see one person do more than one voice.”
In the true fashion of radio dramas, the cast only has two practices and one dress rehearsal before a production.
“In the 1940s, actors would come in and not have seen the script yet,” said Bresky.
Because the cast is so close, however, it is easy for actors to know what to expect and how to react. Timing between the actors and the sound technician is often the most difficult challenge to overcome but makes for a complete and pleasing experience for the audience.
Smith chose the theme of World War II because of the parallels between war in the ’40s and the present day war.
“There are a lot of connections between then and now, historically and politically,” Smith said. “Just like now, everyone knew someone overseas during WWII.”
Bresky agreed, saying that production about war while America is in a time of war “will definitely affect the audience, especially if they have someone they love overseas.”
The audience will see how the news reports affected the actors in the radio shows in the ’40s.
Smith said it’s interesting to see how “things were handled differently than they are now, especially the media’s involvement with war.”
“I think we have become desensitized by the visual aspect of television,” said Bresky. “In the ’40s, black and white movies romanticized war. Now we’re seeing gore in movies and on television, so that’s a really big aspect of that.”
Without a doubt, “Live Radio Dramas: War Broadcasts,” a series of four short dramas compiled into one production, will show the audience how everyday Americans 60 years ago felt many of the same emotions about war as we do today.
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