Viking Radio Theater presents new pirate-themed series and more!
By Josh Hughes
“I think people are craving the use of their imagination again, and our show aims to provide that,” Walter Lutsch, the production director of Viking Radio Theatre, said of his now four-year-old broadcasted program at Western.
Launched in 2013, Viking Radio Theatre (VRT) sought to give an outlet to students who wanted to get involved in writing and acting, but didn’t necessarily have past experience or didn’t find more traditional styles of theatre engaging. Based upon radio shows from the 1920s through the 1950s, VRT writes, produces, and records a monthly broadcast that ranges from stories about pirates to sci-fi dramas set in the distant future, all recorded and uploaded to their YouTube channel.
Holding meetings in Miller Hall 139 on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m., the club is made up of students ranging from engineering majors interested in voice acting to sound editors wanting to hone in on their technical skills. Lutsch said that the club strives for diversity and inclusion.
“From voice acting, to script writing, sound editing, sound effects and even live theater; we have students from every skill level involved in our cast and crew,” he said. “I have freshmen who’ve always loved the acting in video games; juniors just discovering us for the first time as a unique outlet for writing in a different style. Everyone who comes to the show has the chance to pursue any aspect of this production they want, whether they have experience or not.”
But beyond the people, what even is radio theatre? Lusch likes to think of the program as a lost form of storytelling that’s been replaced by the likes of CGI video games and the rampant overstimulation of visual culture. Where television is currently breaking untouched ground through means of Netflix and other streaming services, he believes that forms of entertainment such as podcasts and audiobooks can also still exist and provide something that other forms of storytelling cannot, namely visual imagination.
The appeal of an audiobook (besides not wanting to read, which clearly doesn’t apply to you lovely people currently reading this feature) is the tone and delivery of the story, and the same goes for radio theatre. Viking Radio Theatre, then, leaves more up to the imagination while still giving commanding performances and quality writing. As Lusch puts it, “the art form is all about creating imagery purely through sound, using voice work, sound effects and music to tap into the audience’s imagination.”
As for actual content, VRT is currently in its fourth season of monthly, hourlong shows that cover a variety of stories ranging from 5-30 minutes throughout its runtime. Additionally, they feature multi-chapter serials that are inset into multiple episodes of the show, such as “Corsair’s Liberation,” set in the golden age of piracy, and “Lost Souls,” which takes place on a generational spaceship hundreds of years along in its journey to a distant planet.
Beyond the broadcast itself, Viking Radio Theatre tries it’s hand at different events tailored to different crowds, such as the 1940’s Mystery Dinner Night they’re currently working to put on, which would entail a night of casino gambling, swing dancing and a pervading murder mystery throughout the night.
Further showing off the club’s versatility of events, VRT recently hosted a “Denny’s All Night Write In,” where writers from the program got together at Denny’s for a night of nonstop scripting for potential radio theatre material. Events like this happen semi-regularly through the program, so students are welcome to attend the meetings and stay connected either through Facebook or YouTube.
In short, if you’ve ever wanted to get involved in something outside the box of typical extracurricular activities, Viking Radio Theatre is an excellent starting point. Additionally, all of their previous episodes can be found on their YouTube channel.