Radio debut

Students create family friendly drama

It is hard for Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Chris Nelson to contain his excitement as he talks about the theatre department’s latest project: a radio drama completely produced by Liberty University students.

“It is a developmental work right now,” Nelson said. “We’re still deciding what it could be and what direction it can go in.”

More than 60 students auditioned for writing, acting and producing positions with the program Tuesday, Jan. 13.

“It was a great turnout,” Nelson said. “We had students from all over the School of Communication (& Creative Arts) wanting to get involved.”

Nelson said that right now, nothing is official when it comes to this new venture, as he is still in the process of creating his team.

“I think that’s OK, though,” Nelson said. “ I want this to be student-based and have them take the lead on what direction we go in. I just want to act as a guide.”

The theatre department is no stranger to radio dramas. So far, it is has produced two programs — a reading of a Charles Dickens work and an adaptation of an Edgar
Allen Poe piece.

Nelson is looking to create a series like Focus on the Family’s “Adventures in Odyssey,” a family-friendly radio show that has been on the air since 1987, according to the program’s official site.

“I know a lot of students grew up listening to it,” Nelson said. “I know my kids do. I would sit in my car until I finished an episode.”

The goal is not to be a copycat, but to have the same structure, according to Nelson.

“What ‘Odyssey’ does so well is that it creates stories that everyone can relate to,” Nelson said. “That’s what we want to accomplish. We want to bring people together through stories, and radio is a great way to do that.”

What makes radio such an odd, yet unique, medium is the way it tells a story without the visuals, according to Nelson.

“It’s like reading a novel,” Nelson said. “You can’t see what’s going on, but you create this image in your head and still become engaged. I think that’s why we get so shocked when we see pictures of radio hosts and what they really look like. It’s never exactly what we (imagined). Two people can be listening to the same exact radio program and imagine something totally different.”

Nelson hopes to have two episodes by the summer. Once the writers are determined, the team will have four to six weeks to create a script.

“We’re going to see what we produce and hopefully this will become more than just a few episodes,” Nelson said. “Who knows where the Lord is going to take us.”

WALSH is a feature reporter.