“We’re offering the best of the various genres,” said Hayford, Program Director of UD’s Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology Program. “We’re not, by any means, being exhaustive of the radio-play era because there are a lot of genres we’re not presenting. But I felt these three works were really good when put up against each other.
“We have a really fun and lighthearted family sitcom, a psychodrama, and a sci-fi/suspense. It’s a great mix, and we’re having a great time with the material. We’re creating a great retro experience for the audience.”
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Hayford, who recently staged an outstanding regional premiere of “Gidion’s Knot” for Magnolia Theatre Company, says she has always been fascinated with the 1950s specifically in terms of gender issues. In particular, she enjoys how comedic “Father Knows Best” can be while mindful of its ability to sting.
"It's fun to look at a piece from this period and really think about how gender was understood at the time," she explained. "It can be very complicated. Within each of the pieces we're presenting, which are written by male playwrights, it can make you cringe at the way the women are talked down to due to paternalism on display. But I would like to think these male playwrights were sensitive to the ways in which women may have felt constrained by living up to the gender roles they were forced to perform.
“There are some elements in the plays that are quite subversive, as well. Even the title ‘Father Knows Best’ is interesting. Within the context of the play, the wife actually knows best. She’s the one who really makes the decisions for the family,” she said.
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“Visually, in terms of costumes, hair and makeup, the 1950s was a fun era for fashion. It was so much more formal than we are now and I find that delightful. Politically, it was the post-war era, a fascinating moment in American history that’s very interesting for students to grapple with. They understand America has made some progress since then, but in some ways we haven’t.”
The cast, which received Foley Artist training from Kevin Anderson in order to master the necessary sound effects, consists of Rachel Collinsworth, Joey Gore, Victoria Jablonksi, Kayla Kingston, Maxwell Shafer, and Mary Stoughton. Hayford’s creative team includes scenic and lighting designer Matthew J. Evans and costumer Donna Bevan.
“The cast plays multiple characters and are on stage the entire time,” Hayford said. “When they’re not at a microphone, they’re presenting a character in one of the plays or are at the Foley table making the Foley sounds live. This production offers a fresh look at a medium that’s largely forgotten. Radio has not died. It’s actually experiencing somewhat of a renaissance. It’s just taken new mediums and new platforms to do so.
"It's nice to honor history and think about what we're standing on the shoulders of now in terms of the various podcasting and storytelling formats we enjoy with radio. These radio plays offer a chance to reflect on the medium. Culturally, they allow us to reflect on what these plays tell us about the 1950s and how we're both distinct from that era and yet have some more work to do in terms of social equity."
WANT TO GO?
What: "Live On Air: Three 1950s Radio Plays"
Where: Kennedy Union Boll Theatre of the University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Next Sunday
Cost: $12 adults; $8 with UD ID
Tickets/more info: Call (937) 229-2545 or visit tickets.udayton.edu
FYI: The production is performed in roughly 75 minutes without intermission and can also be heard Live via WUDR Radio
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