I knew it from the title that this was going to be a rather unique series. Radio play evokes a different time when television had not taken over our bodies and framed them into a couch. It brings to memory a blurred black and white picture where our grandmother was preparing dinner and listening to the radio play at the same time.
However, science fiction is by default projected into a proposed future or a more accessorised universe than my grandmother's kitchen, so I became intrigued to go and see how these two dimensions were supposed to coexist without colliding in @lantis: A Science Fiction Radio Play.
The series is written and directed by Stephen B. Platt as part of his PhD research and performed by the Thought Jar Production crew.
The first six episodes have been running in the past weeks, but luckily you are still on time to get the 7th episode scheduled on the 3 & 4 October live. Each episode is recorded as it is being performed at the Nexus Theatre, Murdoch University, so if you missed the previous ones, do not worry, you can download them from their website listed below.
Here is the list of the episodes already performed in the past weeks but available for free online:
Episode One: Fish Out of Water, Episode Two: Data Protection, Episode Three: Timeshare, Episode Four: A Dark World, Episode Five: The Year of the Rat.
I went to see the sixth episode: Good Night, and Good Lug.
Despite being only 12 people on stage (including 2 making the very special effects), their voices gave life to an underwater world with problems very similar to our own but with a comical twist.
In this episode Lug, a robotic technician runs in the elections to become president of the Biology Society and he is humanised in the process. Meantime, an island made of plastic emerges polluting the above water, fancy enough it is inhabited by the "Periodic Pirates" determined to steal all the elements of the Periodic Table, but singing with rhythm. Competition, power struggles among the scientists ruling this microcosm of @tlantis, all brought to the audience in a comedy style.
The stage is swarming with a variety of personalities: the sociopathic physicist Jules, the brainy biologist Dr Mary, the opinionated computer voice Iris, the funny periodic pirates, just to mention a few. There is space also to include a nice satire of the Clinton-Trump election campaign and Hillary's email scandal.
Next performance promises to be as much hilarious and not to be missed!
Here are the dates of the remaining episodes, all performed at Nexus Theatre, Murdoch University, and all running from 19:00 – 20:30.
Episode Seven: It's a Wonderful Mind, 3 & 4 Oct
@tlantis: A Science Fiction radio play
