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The Martians are landing at Blue Ridge

Students staging the classic radio play that panicked the country

STAFF REPORTS
Published on Monday, October 22, 2012

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Blue Ridge students Katie Weaver and Jordan Smith will reenact the

Blue Ridge students Katie Weaver and Jordan Smith will reenact the "The War of the Worlds" for its fall play.



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Evan Hamlin, a student at Blue Ridge High School, takes to the microphone to tell the world the Martians are invading Earth.

Evan Hamlin, a student at Blue Ridge High School, takes to the microphone to tell the world the Martians are invading Earth.



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The

The "War of the Worlds" is Blue Ridge High School's fall play. The classic runs Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 29-30 at 7 p.m. Admission is $5.

On Sunday, October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre took to the airwaves and presented “The War of the Worlds”, a radio show so realistic that it sent the nation into a frenzied panic.

Blue Ridge High School’s Theatre at the Ridge will be stage the same script for its fall play, “War of the Worlds”. The production is by the Theatre of the Ridge.

The radio show, 74 years ago, was crafted to sound just like an authentic news broadcast, complete with a music program that was interrupted in intervals with emerging reports of gas eruptions on the surface of Mars.

The broadcast went on to describe the horrific results of the Martians’ attack and the futility of humanity’s efforts to counter it. 

Complete with shocks and surprises, Theatre at the Ridge’s rendition pays homage to science fiction’s contributions to culture, history, and literature. Theatre teacher David Holland will be directing a talented cast in acting out on stage what events would have looked like if Martians really had landed.

This show will also incorporate a Blue Ridge first, a panel discussion on opening night led by chemistry teacher Joel Perkin and featuring guests who will discuss the impact of science fiction on history, culture, and technology. 

Panel members include Kevin Witherspoon, Professor of History at Lander University, Charles St. Lucas, Space Curator at the Roper Mountain Science Center and Rob Young, owner of Borderland Comics and Games on Laurens Road in Greenville. 

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