Ottawa Fringe 2014. Wasteland Radio

Wasteland Radio

By S. Dietrich, S. Doherty, and A Plangio

Shaken Theatre

Wasteland Radio is a story about a man who survived the extinction of the human race after a volcano eruption and the carnage that followed it. He finds an abandoned radio station and brings it back to working order, using it to call out to others, as well as keep himself sane. However, even more than this, Wasteland Radio is a show about loneliness, hope, and SOMETHING. It’s about losing hope because of the rashness of human emotion. These are some heavy topics and, while very well written, the show’s cast and directing didn’t quite rise to the challenge of the script. The blocking had the main character talking to one of his long-dead friends or enemies off-stage too often. Since it went on too long, it broke the connection with the audience and therefore our empathy for the character. Another distracting element was the music. Although the choice of song was great and really did a lot to create an almost Pirate Radio-like atmosphere to moment of the show, there were times it also drowned out the acting. Things picked up a bit by the end of the show and the cast managed to go out with a bang, providing us with a powerful ending steeped in meaning.

Plays in Arts Court Theatre

Wasteland Radio 

By S. Dietrich, S. Doherty, and A Plangio

Shaken Theatre