Podcast appearances and mentions of Howard E Koch

There is no summary for this play: so we are getting some background history of the Mercury Theater. Mercury Theatre. The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury Theatre began with a groundbreaking, critically acclaimed adaption of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar that evoked comparison to contemporary Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Mercury Theatre on the Air was an hour-long program. Houseman wrote the early scripts for the series, turning the job over to Howard E. Koch at the beginning of October. Music for the program was composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann. The beginnings of The Mercury Theatre on the Air actually go back to the formation of The Mercury Theatre itself. Having successfully produced Marc Blitzstein’s controversial labor union opera, The Cradle Will Rock, for the Federal Theatre Project in June of 1937, John Houseman and the 21-year-old “boy wonder” of the theatre, Orson Welles, decided to form their own theatrical producing company. In August of that same year The Mercury Theatre was born, starting off with total monetary assets of $100 (about $1150 in modern funds). Their first production, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, adapted by Mr. Welles (and set in fascist Italy), opened in New York on November 11 and created as much controversy as the young producers had hoped; The Mercury Theatre (along with the widespread public recognition of Orson Welles) was off and running. By this time Orson Welles was already a radio veteran, having made frequent appearances on The March of Time as early as 1935 and, in fact, at the time of The Mercury Theatre’s formation, was engaged in a seven-part dramatization of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, which was airing on Friday evenings between July and September of 1937 over the Mutual Broadcasting System. Although not officially a Mercury (the series had been airing for a few weeks before The Mercury even came into existence), several actors who were to become fixtures of The Mercury Theatre of the Air such as Martin Gabel, Alice Frost, Ray Collins, Virginia Welles (Mrs. Orson Welles), Agnes Moorehead, and Everett Sloane, appeared in the program, which Mr. Welles produced, directed, scripted, and starred in.

Directed by Shane HillAssistant Directed by Andrew HuttelMusic by Gail Gallagher & Sammy Jo ZaleFoley by Ele Matelan & Linsey FallsStage Manager - Jane HillLights - Adriana Castaños Sound Engineer - Jesse SchroederCover art by Alex GoodmanFeaturing the Vocal Talents of Tony Pellegrino, Alex Goodman, Kate Booth, Martin Downs, Jennifer Mohr, Margaret Morton, Jennifer Walden, Nicole Keating, David Kelch, John Keefe & Johnathan Koller.

We interrupt this program to bring you this breaking news bulletin - The Firehouse Radio Players excited to present the infamous radio drama The War of The Worlds.* The legendary show staged in 1938 by Orson Welles and The Mercury Theater On The Air comes to life again. Thrill to the eyewitness accounts of the mysterious invaders from Mars, and listen in from the front lines as humanity wages a war for its very survival! (Recorded live at Firehouse Theatre in Richmond, VA on October 29, 2016.) Featuring: Joey Bishop; Harry Caufield; Rachel Delony; Dale Leopold; Austin Lewis; Don Polaski; Hannah Polaski Music by Logan Byam; Sound Patterns by Erinn Perry; Directed by James Nygren Written by Howard E. Koch, "The War of the Worlds" is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.