Scheduled radio dramas provide entertainment
The Shadow was an early superhero who started in the 1930s and has appeared in pulp novels, radio dramas and live-action films over the years.
Now, local DJ Christopher Delicino is bringing him to Moscow in his early radio drama form.
The Shadow is one of two radio dramas that will be performed and broadcasted at 7 p.m. Sunday in the art room of the 1912 Center. The other radio drama is a mystery from a radio drama series called “Inner Sanctum.”
The dramas will be acted out by volunteers and directed by University of Idaho alumnus Nathaniel P. Quinn. Delicino is a DJ for both KUOI 89.3 FM and KRFP 90.3 FM, and organized the performance of the radio dramas.
The dramas will be broadcasted live on KUOI and broadcasted either live or as a rebroadcast sometime later on KRFP Radio Free Moscow. People can go to the 1912 Center to see it live or listen to it on the radio. Delicino said both plays combined would take about 45 minutes.
Delicino said KRFP might not broadcast the dramas live due to technical difficulties and said the original plan was to do two showings so one of them could be broadcasted easily by KRFP.
“In its ideal set, it would have been done twice, two different times Sunday, one in the radio studio or at a place that can support wi-fi,” he said. “What happened is Mother’s Day and the actors’ schedule made it so that we couldn’t do two showings on Sunday like … when we planned it.”
Delicino said one of the reasons he chose these dramas was because they were free to use.
“They were both chosen because … they were free domain. They were essentially old enough to not be copyrighted,” he said.
Delicino said he had originally planned to write the radio dramas that would be performed himself, but it ended up not working out that way.
Delicino said when he met with the director, the programming plans changed.
“We got together and he said, ‘Oh yeah, well, I was thinking we would just not do all that work because this is so hectic at the end of the year,'” Delicino said. “So he was kind of telling me why he thought it was a good idea to use pre-existing plays.”
Delicino said he got the idea to do radio dramas a few years back when he heard of other local DJs doing something similar.
“It was somebody else’s idea,” he said. “There’s these DJs called Confinement Love … They’ve been on both KRFP and KUOI. They said, ‘Man, the actors from the drama department and KUOI should really get them to do a radio drama like real actors.'”
Delicino said UI Theater Arts volunteers and Moscow community members will act on air in the shows.
Delicino said he hopes there will be more radio dramas like these put on in Moscow in the future.
“What I think would be cool is if down the road more of these happen,” he said. “The reason is good enough on its own, people feel like they’re supported from their family, their families can tune in, it’s something new that hasn’t been done … It’s comparatively more creative than picking a play.”
Delicino said he thinks the radio dramas might make a good Mother’s Day activity for the community.
“It’s something that people can take their moms to on Mother’s Day, old-fashioned radio,” he said.
Delicino also said he thinks people should come to the 1912 Center to listen to the radio dramas because it’s community building and represents the diversity of art.
“I think it’s really fitting, it’s a community building,” Delicino said. “College kids, community members have a chance to come in and celebrate art diversity. They have a chance to be part of the community.”
Corey Bowes can be reached at [email protected]