The two-year-old company Theatre in the Dark, dedicated to making theater exclusively through sound, has made recordings of all three of its critically acclaimed virtual audio dramas from 2020 available on demand. The three productions, each of which were originally performed live at scheduled public online performances, are THREE STORIES UP, A WAR OF THE WORLDS, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK. Each of the available programs is a recording of a live performance. The productions use the human voice, music, and 21st Century sound effects in the tradition of the great radio dramas of the 1920s through the 1950s to tell their stories. The recordings are available now for $20.00 per listening at www.theatreinthedark.com
THREE STORIES UP – an original mystery by company co-founder Mack Gordon in the tradition of noir thrillers like THE MALTESE FALCON – was the company’s first production. It was originally performed live in-person, in complete darkness, in fall of 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters in March 2020, the company remounted the mystery with live performances online in May. As the pandemic progressed, the company shifted plans for an in-person audio-only performance of its own adaptation of H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS to an online event performed live in October and November. Theatre in the Dark immediately followed that successful run with their original adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, entitled A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK, that played in December.
In THREE STORIES UP, Vancouver transit cop Beatrice Dulaurier has found her detective husband’s dead body. The police call it a suicide, but Beatrice doesn’t buy that explanation. To find the truth, she enlists the help of her late husband’s last known informant, a drug runner who carries secrets of his own. The two embark on a hair-raising investigation through the city's colorful characters in search of justice… and revenge. Inspired by hard-boiled paperback novels and the radio mystery plays of the ‘30s and ‘40s, it introduces the audience to sadder-but-wiser, hard-boiled detectives and shady characters whose loyalties are never certain. Theatre in the Dark co-founder Corey Bradberry directed Mack Gordon and Bethany Arrington.
BUZZ CENTER STAGE called the company’s THREE STORIES UP “a gripping 80-minute drama” and “a must see as one of Chicago’s more creative theatre adventures.” CHICAGO THEATRE REVIEW said it was “flawlessly executed.”
A WAR OF THE WORLDS, adapted from the Wells novel by Mack Gordon and Corey Bradberry, follows the contours of Wells’ story of a Martian invasion, but it moves the action from 1890s England to present day Illinois, with settings in Chicago and other parts of the state. Bradberry directed a cast including Mack Gordon (H.G. Wells), Alex Morales (Dr. Ogilvy), Elizabeth McCoy (Isabel Wells), Ming Hudson (The Professor), Lauren Ezzo (Ensemble), and Robinson J. Cyprian (Ensemble).
In Bradberry and Gordon’s retelling, the leading character is named H.G. Wells. This Wells is a 21st century science journalist thrust into the events of an alien invasion after a meteor from the “Red Planet” Mars crashes 70 miles outside Chicago at the start of the new decade. Separated from family, friends, and everything they have ever known, the eclectic cast of Chicagoland characters must do everything in their power to survive as our world comes crashing down around them. As the Martians reveal their deadly Heat-Ray and their true intentions, whirling our characters into hair-raising chases across Chicago, one question remains: is life on Earth doomed? The production includes original music by Ben Zucker with additional sound design by Zucker, Bradberry, and Ross Burlingame.
The CHICAGO READER called Theatre in the Dark’s A WAR OF THE WORLDS “a stylish and compelling adaptation.” RESCRIPTED said it “skillfully adapts the novel with captivating language that matches the production’s renowned predecessors.”
A WAR OF THE WORLDS in rehearsal. Clockwise from upper left: Mack Gordon, Corey Bradberry, Elizabeth McCoy, Alex Morales, Ming Hudson.
Theatre in the Dark's signature audio style recreates Ebenezer Scrooge's infamous Christmas Eve journey from darkness into light, in A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK - perfect for those who love the spookier elements of Dickens’ story. Mack Gordon directs. The cast includes Producing Artistic Director Corey Bradberry as Scrooge, and Gordon, Sarah Althen, and Kathleen Puls Andrade as dozens of other characters.
RESCRIPTED said, “the story felt alive with each inner breath of the ghosts, or every background strum of guitar … In addition to the poignantly written tale and expert audio engineering, the themes are improved even more by the exceptional voice acting of the small but mighty cast who often performed multiple characters.” AROUND THE TOWN CHICAGO called it a “masterful adaptation.”
LISTING INFORMATION
THREE STORIES UP
By Mack Gordon
Directed by Corey Bradberry
$20 per listening session
Available on demand now at www.theatreinthedark.com/tickets
Phone for info only (no ticketing): 312.285.0314
In this 80-minute noir mystery, Beatrice, a Vancouver transit cop, discovers both her husband’s dead body and his history as an undercover police officer working deep within Vancouver's criminal underground. In search of the killer, she recruits her late husband’s last known informant, a drug runner who carries secrets of his own. The two embark on a hair-raising investigation through the city's colorful characters in search of justice… and revenge. A fast-paced twister of a play that keeps you guessing until the end. Come with us into the dark and let your imagination run wild.
A WAR OF THE WORLDS
Adapted from the novel THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells
Adapted by Mack Gordon and Corey Bradberry
Directed by Corey Bradberry
$20 per listening session
Available on demand now at www.theatreinthedark.com/tickets
Phone for info only (no ticketing): 312.285.0314
H.G. Wells enters the 21st century as a science journalist thrust into the events of an alien invasion after a meteor from the “Red Planet” Mars crashes 70 miles outside Chicago at the start of the new decade.
Separated from family, friends, and everything they have ever known, the eclectic cast of Chicagoland characters must do everything in their power to survive as our world comes crashing down around them. As the Martians reveal their deadly Heat-Ray and their true intentions, whirling our characters into hair-raising chases across Chicago, one question remains: is life on Earth doomed? Come with us into the dark and let your imagination run wild.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK
Adapted by Mack Gordon from the novella by Charles Dickens
Directed by Mack Gordon
$20.00 per listening session
Available on demand now at www.theatreinthedark.com/tickets
Phone for info only (no ticketing): 312.285.0314
An original audio play adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic in which three spirits visit Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve and show him a path to a better life.
BIOS
MACK GORDON is a professional theatre artist and cofounder of Theatre in the Dark. His work with the company includes writing and acting credits for THREE STORIES UP; A WAR OF THE WORLDS; and A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK. His work has been published in Discorder Magazine, Carte Blanche, and Speakeasy Theatre’s Pull Festival Anthology. His plays have been produced by ITSAZOO Productions (DEBTS, FIVE RED BALLOONS), Western Canada Theatre (THE BALLAD OF THE BURNING LADY), Upintheair Theatre (VISITORS), Alley Theatre (THREE STORIES UP) and Level-Headed Friends Productions (SIX FINE LINES; SHAKE THE SHEETS!; DEAD CELEBRITIES). He is a three-time writing contributor to Sum Theatre's Pull Festival and a four-time Jessie Richardson Theatre Award nominee. As an actor, Mack has worked with Chicago Dramatists as well as such Canadian companies as Bard on the Beach, The Arts Club, Carousel Theatre, Green Thumb, The Firehall Arts Centre, Pacific Theatre, and many others. He is also a corporate events coordinator and emcee with the popular Game Show Night and has party planned for EA Games, Morningstar Homes, and Eleven Food Group. Twitter: @mackgord; Instagram: @mackgordon; mackgordontheatre.com
COREY BRADBERRY is Producing Artistic Director and co-founder of Theatre in the Dark, directing THREE STORIES UP and A WAR OF THE WORLDS; and lending his voice as Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK. Corey is a Kennedy Center National Directing Fellow and received the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs’ Emerging Artist Award prior to receiving an MFA in Directing from the University of Southern Mississippi. Corey has assistant directed with major theatre institutions including the Alliance Theatre, the Kennedy Center, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta History Center, and Chicago’s Second City; in addition to projects with smaller companies including Theatrical Outfit, Flying Carpet Theatre Company, and Artemisia. He has held teaching positions with the Alliance Theatre, University of Southern Mississippi, Kennesaw State University, the Swift School, Stagedoor Manor, and Atlanta Children’s Theatre. He is a graduate of the Second City Advanced Directing program, holds a BA in Theatre & Performance Studies, and has trained with the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. IG: @corey.bradberry coreybradberry.com