War of the Worlds

Radio Theater -

A safe space for audience and actors alike

~ by Laurie Noch

 

Safe space. The term refers to a place where people are encouraged to freely share their thoughts and ideas without fear of harassment or persecution. This term originated in the 1960s related to the women’s movement and LGBTQ+ community but can be applied to additional situations.  As an educator and psychologist, I work to create a safe space for my students to know they are accepted and important.  Mental health settings work to create an atmosphere where clients can trust in the person they are talking to and in the process of healing. Many places desire to create a climate that fosters openness to be our true selves without fear of physical or psychological harm. What a wonderful concept to value and invest in - a place we feel safe to be ourselves, without being judged!

 

I believe that theater strives to offer a sanctuary to all involved - a place where for 1 to 3 hours one can be open to the story of something outside of their own experience. We can let go of our life and join in the storytelling of another world, another person.  We can let go of the story that is ours and enter into the life being born on stage.  We are offered the opportunity to grow along with the characters - to risk, err, feel, struggle and in the end, be a different and better person. The set or backdrop of the story may be fantastical or from a different time period or culture, but we are welcomed to join the experience. After the applause and curtains close, there is something about being open to their story that quietly impacts our own.

 

At Classic Radio Road Show we share stories from a time period around 75 years ago.  It was a different time then. While the backdrop of time impacts the stories told, the stories are rich in the exploration of life - from comedies where we shed our own troubles and ride the foibles and missteps that gift us laughter at all of our humanness, to dramas of suspense which beckon us into the mystery where we look for clues in making sense of the strange and unexplainable. Within various genres of radio plays, listeners can immerse themselves in the story.  As actors paint the picture of the world we are about to experience, listeners can enter and connect with the characters and situations.  Listeners can feel the playfulness and laugh, feel the suspense and hold their breath. We can give ourselves permission to safely feel as we connect to the unfolding story.

 

Listeners are not the only ones inhabiting this safe space in the theater experience.  The actors,  writer, director, and foley artist become the storytellers and share in this space of openness.  From the moment Classic Radio Road Show’s director and actor Duane Noch begins the script selection process, he enters into their stories.  When he casts the selected plays, actors take their first steps into the story.  With each rehearsal, the story comes to life with fallible and lovable characters.  All are invited to be vulnerable and create, relate and take chances. When the story is finally shared during the performance, there is joy in that vulnerable space of the storytelling. For fleeting moments, listeners and performers are woven together in that living story.