The Setup
• Actors at vintage mics: The cast voices news anchors, scientists, bystanders—switching characters with nothing but posture and tone. • Live foley table: A treasure trove of gadgets (gravel box, door latch, metal sheet, wind machine). Watch for the heat-ray sound: it’s always clever. • Music & cues: Period-style stingers heighten those “we interrupt this program” moments.The Format
The script mimics a normal broadcast being hijacked by breaking news. You’ll hear dance music, then a bulletin… a remote report from a farm… a studio update… and, suddenly, something that doesn’t sound human. That structure is why the 1938 Orson Welles broadcast felt so real—listeners were primed to trust the format.Listening Tips
• Follow the microphones: When actors shift positions, a new character is being “patched in.” • Track the soundscape: Foley tells you location—hollow reverb for large spaces, cloth rustle for close whispers, static for remote field lines. • Savor the silences: A breath before a bulletin is a promise—and a warning. A Quick Note on 1938 Welles’ Mercury Theatre on the Air aired the show on Oct 30, 1938. Newspapers soon ran with tales of mass panic; modern studies suggest the reaction was significant but not universal—lots of calls to stations and police, excited (and sometimes anxious) listeners, and a national debate about broadcast responsibility. The legend stuck because the artistry was that convincing.Who Will Love This
• Theatre fans who geek out on craft • History and media nerds • Halloween season seekers who prefer suspense over goreMake the Most of It Arrive a touch early to catch the pre-show ambience, then plan a post-show cocoa/debrief along Sutter Street. You’ll want to discuss how they made that tripod sound.
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