I have a dear friend here in Georgia who is afraid of two things:  girls and what he believes is the inevitable invasion of the earth by extraterrestrials.  Hopefully, the project I’m working on right now will cause him to wet his pants a little bit.  On Saturday, October 13th, aliens will come to a city near you... if only via the airwaves.

The faculty in the Department of Theatre and Film here at the University of Georgia possesses a fantastic array of talents and areas of expertise.  John Kundert-Gibbs, whose specialties range from motion-capture technology to the plays of Samuel Beckett, wrote an updated, local version of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds that will be performed and broadcast live this coming Saturday.  As someone who is not now, nor has ever been afraid of aliens (I tend to make fun of people who are, actually), I can honestly say that the script is creepy as hell and gives me goosebumps every time we do the show.  Being in the show has been a treat, too, because when in heck am I ever going to get the chance to do a radio play again?  I suppose if Garrison Keillor finally responds to the fan mail I’ve been sending him since I was in elementary school, I may get my shot at the big leagues, but still...

What makes a radio play fun (for me, at least) is the fact that the actors are able and frequently required to play more than one character without having to change anything but their voices.  This is a boon to me because as a tall, black haired woman with a nose ring, I tend to not blend in so good.  There’s only so much I can do to change my physical presence and it usually involves me holding my index finger below my nose and pretending it’s a moustache.  I sometimes feel that I really DO have a face for radio.  But my voice... well, let’s just say that my voice has gotten around and if you’re a fan of web cartoons, Adult Swim, educational CDROMs or radio commercials in Rhode Island, you just may have had the opportunity to hear what it can do.  Aside from improv, it’s one of the aspects of my performing career that I feel most secure in.

Speaking of improv, two colleagues of mine from our brand-new improv troupe, Improv Athens, are in the show with me.  There were a goodly number of wasted minutes during rehearsals as we three dicked around on microphones, making shit up.  Never, never give a microphone to an improviser and, if you do, never encourage them by laughing.  Those are hours of your life that you will never get back.

After a month or more of rehearsals, we’re heading into the home stretch in preparation for our show at Athens’ Classic Center on October 13th (at 7:30pm with tickets ranging from $5-10!).  Our sound effects technicians are stockpiling watermelons and Floam ™ for the show (you’ll have to come to the performance to see why) and a goodly portion of the cast is hoping for some kind of Orson Welles-ian riot in the streets of Athens during the show.  It is being broadcast live on WUGA FM, starting at 8pm and, (and this is why I’m telling you about this show), also available streaming live on the internet at 8pm eastern, 5pm Pacific.  Just go to HERE to find out how to take part in this wonderful experience in the comfort of your own home. 

My alien-adverse friend is coming to the live show and I haven’t really told him what to expect.  I did, however, recommend he not wear any pants he was particularly fond of.

--Amy Roeder is an improvisor, actor and graduate student out of Athens, Georgia. She loves to hear other people's stories.