The story: Night has fallen, and an unexplained tragedy has taken place. The WUTC radio news team is left to report on the event as it unfolds, and as the news story breaks, so does their grip on reality.

This unannounced guerilla radio performance of Will Eno’s Tragedy: a tragedy was conceptualized in response to a time of extremely sensational news on the national and local levels and in the midst of a public performance-limiting pandemic. The script was rehearsed via Zoom and pre-recorded by socially-distanced actors in Barking Legs Theatre then mixed and edited with foley by GingerSoul Productions. The finished product played on Chattanooga’s WUTC NPR public radio station with no prior advertising.

To capture the essence of the historically notable radio drama War of the Worlds, a group of social media plants in the radio audience were pre-selected to share the event via Facebook, Instagram, etc. in real time as the recording ran on air, posting as if the fictional news play was indeed a real news report broadcasting the end days. At the end of the original airing, an interview with director Courtenay Gillean Cholovich revealed the nature of the performance. The audio was then shared for public use and comment/feedback via the Barking Legs Theatre website and Facebook page.

CAST/CREW:

Marcus Patrick Ellsworth as FRANK IN THE STUDIO

Donnie Marsh as JOHN IN THE FIELD

Courtenay Gillean Cholovich as CONSTANCE AT THE HOME

Ryan Darling as MICHAEL, LEGAL ADVISER

Shellyta Chatman as THE WITNESS

Sound Design by GingerSoul Productions

Directed by Courtenay Gillean Cholovich

Written and Produced with Permission by Will Eno