AES New York 2018
Broadcast & Online Delivery Track Event B13
Friday, October 19, 7:00 pm — 9:00 pm (Off-Site 1)
Broadcast & Online Delivery: B13 - 80th Anniversary of The Mercury Theater’s “War of the Worlds”
Chair:David Bialik, Entercom.com - New York, NY, USA
Moderator:
Sue Zizza, SueMedia Productions - Carle Place, NY, USA
Presenters:
Frank Beacham
Sammy Jones
David Shinn, National Audio Theatre Festivals - New York, NY
Joel Spector, Audio Consultant - New York
Herb Squire, Herb Squire - Martinsville, NJ
Seth Winner, Seth B. Winner Sound Studios, Inc. - Merrick, NY, USA
The Green Space
44 Charlton St., New York
Actual time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Orson Welles radio broadcast, "The War of the Worlds," was monumental in the history of radio broadcasting. Performed as a Halloween episode of The Mercury Theater of the Air broadcast on the CBS network, Sunday, October 30, 1938, it scared the nation and became a classic demonstration of the extraordinary power of the radio medium.
An adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel, "The War of the Worlds" (1898), the afternoon rehearsal for the show was thought to be poor by writer, Howard Koch, Welles and the cast. Then, the young Welles, only 23-years-old, went into action, using his dramatic genius to create a last minute radio masterpiece.
Martians may not have really landed in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey in 1938, but the broadcast did send the young Orson Welles to Hollywood, where he next made Citizen Kane, one of the greatest films ever produced.
This 80th anniversary of "The War of the Worlds" will feature Frank Beacham, who worked with Welles, to discuss the dramatic tricks he used to turn the broadcast into a compelling and believable drama, plus recordings of the behind-the-scenes story in the CBS Studio that frantic night.
SueMedia's Sue Zizza and David Shinn along with the HEAR Now Festival and Voicescapes Audio Theater will produce and perform live recreations and interpretations from The War of the Worlds with actors.
Seth Winner and Sammy Jones will play excerpts from the newly remastered recording of the original broadcast, while Herb and Laurie Squire will discuss the reactions of the audience and public to the broadcast.
New York Public Radio is hosting this event for the Audio Engineering Society Convention. Tickets will be required for access. Space is limited.
 | This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Broadcast and Online Delivery |