Fri, 02/19/2021
LAWRENCE During the Great Depression, Orson Welles’ The Mercury Theatre on the Air brought new, exciting dramas to communities that couldn’t otherwise afford to attend theatre. Fast-forward to the current pandemic, with theatres mostly closed and so many people out of work. The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance Chair Henry Bial hopes to provide audiences with similar inspiration through Jayhawk Theatre on the Air, a live, script-in-hand reading series presented in radio-drama style and livestreamed.
Bial curated the Jayhawk Theatre on the Air in conversation and collaboration with the playwrights, including two at KU.
“In this time of scarcity, this series celebrates abundance: the wealth of great stories in the American theatre, the wide range of talents among KU’s students and faculty, and the tremendous possibilities of engaging a broader, more diverse audience through livestreaming,” Bial said. “By doing less – no