Chicken Hearts & Other Parts


Tomes of Terror II
THE POST-MERIDIAN RADIO PLAYERS will be re-creating Arch Oboler's lost Lights Out! episode “Chicken Heart” as part of Chicken Hearts & Other Parts: a Hallowe’en-themed fundraiser for local filmmaker Chelsea Spear.  The cast includes a team of 15 actors providing voices for 32 characters, and two live effects artists who will utilize everything from a stainless steel mixing bowl and a lunch box to a hand-held sewing machine and a vat of gelatin to convince the audience that a chicken's heart is, indeed, devouring the world around them.

Featuring

The Atlantis Affair:  A live sci-fi/horror tragicomic radio drama, by local writer/director Alex Feinman, about the surreal encounters of a Boston-based computer programmer and his companions with the mysterious. Performed by members of Silicon Theatre.
Erasure:  A reading by local author Jennifer Pelland of her original short story about a woman struggling to understand who she is after her memories of a traumatic experience have been erased—and the dangers she now faces.
Chicken Heart:  The PMRP re-create this lost episode from the classic radio series, Lights Out!, written by Arch Oboler in 1937 and immortalized decades later by Bill Cosby in one of his most famous comedy routines.
Improv PoetryProse:  Horrific dreamtellings woven by nationally-recognized voice artist Lindsay Ellison, based on the books at hand and topics and images suggested by the audience.
The Unhappy Medium:  Screening of a segment from local filmmaker Chelsea Spear's current project, The Ballad of Burd Janet. A re-telling of the Celtic folktale Tam Lin, set in New England of the 1920s.


Performance Date

Friday, October 14th, 2005 @ 8:00pm


Location

First Congregational Church of Somerville
89 College Avenue

(4 blocks up from Davis Square T-Station)


Cast & Crew

Silicon Theatre:
“The Atlantis Affair”

Written by Alex Feinman
John ..... Alex Bradley
Ray ..... Jason McIntosh
Opher ..... Dan Ritter
Suzanne ..... Elizabeth Lear
The DJ ..... Dante Blando
Announcer ..... James 'Kibo' Parry
Live Effects ..... Tom Arena
Chris DeKalb
Director ..... Alex Feinmann
Sound/
Triggered Effects
..... Neil Marsh

The Post-Meridian Radio Players:
“Chicken Heart”

Written by Arch Oboler
Frank Martin
Army Captain
..... James 'Kibo' Parry
Arch Oboler ..... Neil Marsh
Mrs. Halop
Busybody Woman
..... Jennifer Pelland
Secretary ..... Renée Johnson
Dr. Atkins
Civil Defense Radio Announcer
..... Dante Blando
Sam ..... Masha Sten-Clanton
Mr. Rosen
The Mayor
Firechief
..... Alex Feinman
Street Cop
Army Lieutenant
..... Masha Sten-Clanton
Police Captain ..... Tom Arena
Additional Voices ..... Renni Boy
Samantha Wilkinson
Foley/FX Artists ..... Tom Arena
Chris DeKalb
Director ..... Neil Marsh

Other Show Credits

Live Effects Construction:
Wood & Metal Devices
..... Ron Brian
Live Effects Construction:
Electronic Devices
..... Rich Macchi
Poster Design ..... Gilly Rosenthol
Neil Marsh
Publicity ..... Ari Herzog
Box Office ..... Elizabeth Hunter
House Manager ..... Jason Merrill
Concessions ..... Beckie Hunter
Rebecca Dowgiert
Ushers ..... Gilly Rosenthol
Ari Herzog

Press Release

Download PDF file
2 pages | 48 KB

Program

Download PDF file
4 pages | 178 KB

Photos


Neil Marsh (front left) and Kibo (front right) as Arch Oboler and Frank Martin,
performing the introduction to Chicken Heart.
Still image by Ian Tosh

Rob Noyes (left) and Michael McAfee (right) as Dr. Alberts and Mr. Lewis,
performing the first scene of Chicken Heart.
Still image by Ian Tosh

A stage-wide shot of Scene 1 of Chicken Heart Still image by Ian Tosh

Chris DeKalb (left) and Tom Arena (right) performing a crucial FX sequence
for Chicken Heart.
Still image by Ian Tosh