-Michael Nicholas, Marketing and Social Media Intern
Before the days of television and internet, radio was the primary medium of not only news, but also entertainment. With the height of radio show popularity in the 1940s, this way of listening to stories became more than just a way to entertain oneself. At this point in history, it was largely an opportunity for families to spend time together. So when LICM looked to adapt the classic story of Alice’s Wonderland for the stage, the format of a radio show seemed like an ideal to bring audience members, young and old, together to experience not only this classic tale, but also share the magic of storytelling.
This production is made special because of how personal it is to the Long Island Children’s Museum. Staff members are playing the parts in a radio style performance where sound and imagination are the focus. Keeping with the theme of a radio production, there is not a huge set or a lot of physical acting. The focus will be on sound effects and vocal performance that spark children’s imaginations. Children will see sounds being created to help them identify what elements of the story are being represented. This gives the audience a sense of the “behind-the-scenes magic” that occurred during productions of that time period. The goal is to replicate the feeling of being in an actual radio studio for the audience members. It invites kids to look at the classic tale in a new way.
Adelphi Community Fellows intern Tim Oriani has been instrumental in adapting a theater script to fit this style of storytelling. Commenting on the process Tim said, “This project was definitely a challenge for me. As an actor, I’m used to creating a visual, physical experience.” He noted, “Using just sounds and voices forced me to rethink everything concerning dialogue, narration, and plot; pretty much the entire show, actually.” As a theater major, Tim was able to bring his experience in acting and writing to the museum stage. Stop by the LICM Theater on August 6 at 11:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. to see what Tim and the LICM staff have created.
Tim Oriani is the Theater Production Intern at the LICM, working with LICM Theater Manager Jim Packard. His responsibilities include interaction with performers, helping run music and lights and performance set up and break down. In addition to adapting the script of the children’s theater piece by Deborah Lynn Frockt to create “Alice in Radioland, Tim performed in the recent production of Happy as a Clam: The Musical.
Michael Nicholas is the Marketing and Social Media intern at the museum through Adelphi University’s community fellows program. He studies English Literature at school and will be returning this coming fall to complete his junior year. At the museum, he has been kept busy with everything from photo coverage of events to blog posts about LICM.
Long Island Children's Museum 