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The Day the Radio Stood Still: The Silence of the Hams

What:

There will be more strange sounds than usual coming from radios tuned to 90.5 KHSU-FM on Saturday February 20. That evening, KHSU and the Arcata Playhouse present a live radio play, “The Day the Radio Stood Still: The Silence of the Hams” in recognition of the station’s 50th anniversary.

      The play will be performed in front of an audience at the Arcata Playhouse and broadcast simultaneously on KHSU at 90.5 FM. The comedy-detective story is an original play written for the 50th anniversary by Rick St. Charles, Mary Harper, David Ferney and Jeff DeMark.

      A who’s who of local theater talent and some of the radio station’s hosts will perform the play in the fashion of a 1930’s radio drama, but with modern laughs and a modern setting. Many of the sound effects will be provided by an “orchestra” of local talent including politicians, local luminaries and KHSU deejays slamming doors and ringing bells. Music will be provided by Tim Randles, Tim Gray and Marla Joy.

      David Ferney, one of the writers and co-producer of the play for the Arcata Playhouse says both the studio and home audiences will get a laugh out of the hour long play, “It’s one part hard-boiled detective story and three parts pun-filled comedy.  We mined some old stories from KHSU’s 50 years and threw them into the stew.”

      The story centers on a mystery: who is breaking onto the KHSU airwaves with strange sounds? Fictional staffers Kelly Hertz and Maggie Watts go out to investigate; do the interruptions have something to do with the station’s 50th anniversary?  Meanwhile the rest of the staff and volunteers audition new shows with hilarious results.

      The show will only run once, on Saturday February 20 at 8 p.m.  Audience members at the Playhouse will be seated between 7:00 and 7:45 p.m. Mad Doctor Matt’s “Alternative Therapy” program on KHSU will be pre-empted from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.

      Listeners can call the station at 707-826-4807 or go online at KHSU.org for more information about the play. Tickets are $10 with proceeds benefiting KHSU and the Arcata Playhouse. Tickets for the live show are limited to 140 people, so advance purchase is encouraged.  Tickets are available at both North Coast Co-Op locations, Wildwood Music in Arcata and Fortuna Music Mart in Eureka and Fortuna. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the Arcata Playhouse at 822-1575.

      The radio play, and the entire year of KHSU 50th anniversary events is underwritten by the North Coast Co-Op in Arcata and Eureka.

      With its studios on the campus of Humboldt State University in Arcata, KHSU can be heard at 90.5 FM Arcata, 91.9 FM Crescent City-Brookings, 88.7 FM Ferndale-Fortuna, 89.7 Garberville and 99.7F Willow Creek and online at khsu.org.

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