Noticias

A hijacked plane, an evil scientist and a celebrity-turned-gorilla — what more could you ask for in a night at the radio theater?

“This winter, we’re doing a radio show. It’s a 1942 script called Spawn of the Subhuman,” said Brock Benson.

Benson is the producer and director of this winter’s N3 production, the radio play Spawn of the Subhuman. N3 Music & Theatre Club is a program based out of the Norwood Park & Recreation Department that brings together students from Norwood, Nucla and Naturita.

“We landed on one that was probably taken very seriously in 1942, and now it’s hilarious,” Benson said. “It’s an evil scientist kidnapping a celebrity because he’s going to graft her voice into a gorilla and tour the world getting rich with his singing gorilla. Then our female star of the show outsmarts the evil scientist.”

The radio play features Nucla Middle School students Emma Sutherland, Dee O’Connell, Audrey Martinez and Kayla Spor. Benson also has a role in the production.

“OK, as the gorilla,” said O’Connell. “I was once Stephanie Wilder. I made an appointment with the doctor — Audrey — and she was planning to do other stuff with me, like experiment with me,” O’Connell said. “She took my vocal cords and put them into a gorilla.”

Martinez jumps in.

“Stephanie Wilder’s lovely voice gave up on me. I tried to kill her. She killed me instead,” she said.

Benson said the production has evolved from the original script.

“Because of our cast and not having a lot of guys show up, there’s now a lesbian marriage happening, which I think is great,” Benson said. “The original script was opera singers, but our kids aren’t that familiar with opera, so it’s been pared down to duets. If you’re not laughing, there might be something wrong with you.”

To produce the show, the group held several rehearsals before recording narration at the Naturita Public Library. Benson produced the play and added sound effects.

The students said they were drawn to the project for their love of theater — and the comfort of not being seen on stage.

“I chose to do this because I don’t like being in front of people and I have stage fright, but I could still be in a play,” Sutherland said.

The radio format also challenges performers in new ways.

“With a radio play, you don’t get to use your body or facial expressions to get the story across,” Spor said. “You have to put the emotion and the feeling into your voice and let it come out.”

She added that the experience helped build community.

“I think my favorite part was just getting to know each and every person,” she said.

While the play is funny and entertaining, Benson said its impact goes deeper.

“There are some really talented kids around here who don’t always feel like they fit in, especially in such a sports-centric setting,” Benson said. “To bring some art and some joy to tweens and teenagers who are searching for their identity — these kids find a niche with this and they find their voice. Theater saves lives. Art is necessary for developing identity. That’s really what we’re doing here.”

A listening party for Spawn of the Subhuman will be held Friday, Jan. 23, at the Livery in Norwood at 6 p.m. The event is free, and the community is encouraged to attend.

After the listening party, the play will be available on Benson’s podcast, WECast.