Anne Bogart and Darron L. West's theatricalization of the famous Orson Welles radio broadcast, War of the Worlds, will be seen one night only in Washington DC, Feb. 8, at The Kennedy Center.
Bogart's SITI Company staged the piece at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City in January and in a one-night Oct. 30, 1999, performance in New York City, commemorating the Oct. 30, 1938, radio broadcast that convinced thousands that Mars was attacking Earth, despite network disclaimers and commercials.
The broadcast was an adaptation of H.G. Welles' science fiction yarn.
A separate collaboration by Bogart and playwright Naomi Iizuka, based on the Welles broadcast and also called War of the Worlds, will be staged at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, KY, in March 2000.
The 6 PM free performance in DC is part of SITI's ongoing investigation of the work of Orson Welles. SITI began eight years ago as a United States based venture (created by Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki) stressing international exchange and collaboration. The event is part of The Kennedy Center's new Millennium Stage, designed to make theatre accessible to everyone. The 6 PM performances are always free of charge.
For information, call (202) 467-4600.
-- By Kenneth Jones
