Well, the completion of the first episode was much like climbing a steep hill. It was enjoyable and I really had to learn how things worked in a production of this sort, but I had some interesting teachers. I listened to a lot of other radio theatre shows. I especially appreciate those really old mystery shows on CBS radio. Just fascinating that in the age before mass television, there was radio and people really had to use their imaginations. There is something romantic about this idea.

I listened to the original “War of the Worlds” on a radio theatre program and I was blown away by how it gripped me. If you tell a good story the right way, people will simply hang on every word. I certainly did. And I realized if I was going to produce a show that would hold people’s attention, then there are certain triggers I absolutely had to include because our modern brains are expecting them. For example, intense booms, sci-fi sound effects that give a larger than life atmosphere. What really helps “sell” the story, in my opinion, is the delivery. That’s why I love working with Sergei Brahznikov, the narrator. There is just something about the way that man talks that makes this story all the more interesting. It’s hard to explain. But if you listen, you’ll understand what I mean.

What struck me as disappointing was the lack of interest from people that have known me and have worked with me over the years. It’s like “yeah yeah yeah” -I don’t think they believed I could actually produce this show in the way I described it. I have a pretty good feeling more people will come around now because it’s really hard to resist. And with the state of affairs, politically speaking, everyone has an opinion they feel is justified -and probably will want some of it to filter into this storyline. Ha.

And speaking of politics… Someone asked me if this story is directly related to our current political climate. My response was a resounding duh. It presents an alternative future that is purely fiction -let’s not forget that. However, once you start to wrap your head around King Asilas and what makes the man tick, you might wonder if what he does is all that crazy. But I always caution people when they really entertain the notion of having a king versus a president. Personally, democracy is by far a more inclusive system of government that really has made great strides over the generations. Kingdoms in history have not always fared so well for the common citizen. There has to come a point where you say, “Ok, beyond that cliff, we fall to our deaths.” It’s not like in the cartoons where Wiley Coyote falls over the cliff and in the next frame he is whole again trying something else. If we go over the cliff, we will break apart as a nation and there may be no going back. And many people believe we are staring over the cliff right now. Perhaps that is why this story is so compelling and interesting.

~JV Torres

Listen to Episode 1 here.

Listen to Episode 2 here.