Recess! Media

I can remember the days (and evenings) when the radio was the dramatic centerpiece of most households — a source for entertainment and, of course, for news events — like this:

Brief Sound Clip:

Don’t be alarmed — you aren’t listening to a real news flash. It’s a spoof on the famous Orson Welles “War of the Worlds” broadcast from the Night Kitchen Radio Theater called “Tomatoes from Mars,” written and directed by the well-known author of children’s books, Arthur Yorinks. The Theater takes its name from the famous 1970 Maurice Sendak picture book, In the Night Kitchen, which gave us that symbol for the place where remarkable recipes of the imagination are being cooked up.

Sendak and Yorinks have been collaborating on works for the stage for well over a decade. From the beginning, their idea was to bring to children’s theater the same levels of quality that are associated with professional adult productions. And now this idea has evolved into a year-long series of broadcasts that will feature original radio plays for family audiences. The performances will be recorded live at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and then aired on XM Satellite Radio and online on Nickelodeon’s Nick.com.

The plays for the first year include fresh adaptations of works by Paul Fleischman, Avi, Jane Yolen, Susan Cooper, Arthur Conan Doyle, Katherine Paterson, Walter Dean Myers, and Miguel de Cervantes. Along with each performance, the well-known critic and historian of children’s literature, Leonard Marcus will be hosting a segment that provides background for the plays, and the evening will also include interviews with children about the themes of each play and how they directly affect the lives of children today. So get out the popcorn and warm up the set for tomorrow evening’s premier of the Night Kitchen Radio Theater’s version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”