Enter the 35-year-old Los Angeles Theatre Works (LATW), the best outlet for live theatre on disk that exists in the United States, rivaled only by the British Broadcast Corporation’s plays-for-the-ear. Since 1974, LATW has taped over 400 titles of classic American plays as well as a smattering of world theatrical-literature.
According to founder and director Susan Albert Loewenberg, LATW records fifteen to twenty new plays a year. As they are broadcast weekly (Saturdays from ten until midnight in the L.A. area over KPCC, 89.3FM), this necessitates rebroadcasting previous shows during the other weeks of the year. “We normally re-air each play once every three years,” says the attractive middle-aged executive, presumably to keep the public’s interest. But each show is updated with new interviews from the professionals involved.
As to the cost of such endeavors, Loewenberg refuses to be pinned down on the actual price-tag per show, but acknowledges that it is usually in the $50,000-$60,000 range, including the fees negotiated by the broadcast-actors’ union, AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). “We don’t think our budget is too expensive, especially when compared to video. We’re a fraction of the cost of [digital] shooting.
For Loewenberg, radio theatre is the best way to preserve and protect plays. “It allows you to really get the essence of a terrific, dramatic play, using top actors, as it was meant to be heard. I think reading plays is a challenge; without sets, costumes or actors it’s difficult to know a playwright’s full intent. Furthermore, some plays just don’t read very well; they need to be performed. But for me, it’s amazing how wide a variety of plays can be successfully recorded on audio.” She illustrates with an excellent production they taped in (?)of David Henry Hwang’s M. BUTTERFLY, with the original leads, John Lithgow and B.D. Wong. “We were pleased with the performances, but it wasn’t until we heard our recording that is became clear how crystalline the language was.”
The process from consideration to finished product is time-consuming. “Our approach is to read a script and think about how the scenic elements can be translated into a soundscape. By replacing the visual, we’ve been able to create some remarkable soundstage. Great music and great sounds evoke not only the literal guideposts, but the metaphorical, emotional, guideposts as well.” One of the examples she gives is how to translate the visual, such as actors eating during a scene, and translating that into a verbal, non-visual result. “By listening carefully to the chewing, you can know whether the scene is relaxed or tense; normally, you would see it in front of you, but here you use the sound to trigger your imagination as to what is happening. Once the actors get the hang of it, there are fantastic things to do with voices. Breathing or non-verbal cues can substitute for physicality on stage. I tell the actors that the smile has to be in your voice, not just on your face. Actors do find it challenging. As do playwrights: audio representations of their plays can show them when their play works intellectually.”
As to casting, being based in Los Angeles gives the producers access to every kind of actor, from major stars to unknowns. “It’s almost a cliché, but we are able to use the best actors in America.” When pressed, Loewenberg admits that she tends not to use actors who specialize in voice-over work if more solid talents are available.
The history of the company is also compelling. When she came up with the idea, she’d already had years of experience producing live theatre, mostly at the old L.A. Stage Company on Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood. “When we first decided to do this, we had to raise monies for a company of actors. So we put on a benefit performance of Moss Hart’s ONCE IN A LIFETIME, using names such as John Lithgow, Marsha Mason, Ed Asner, Amy Irving, Jo Beth Williams, Mary Steenburgen, etc. We were onstage with microphones and [L.A. public radio station] KCRW gave us a live-feed. It was wonderful, brilliant, experience. And so many Industry people came, including Steven Spielberg. They loved it.
But when we listened to it a few years later, after we’d learned technically how to do it right, it didn’t sound so good. Then I figured we needed a new production, so we brought out Christopher Hart [Moss Hart’s son] to direct it, using a whole new cast, except for Ed Asner.” LATW opened this year’s season with the taping. For now, it’s still being edited and will be programmed in the near future.
It takes them three-to-four months in post-production to fully edit a project, placing sound properly, adding original music and editing a finished product from the five performances of each play. And due to a well-earned reputation, they normally have the pick of the actors they want. “Well, it does sometimes seen like it’s pulling teeth, but it’s more the luck of the draw – they may just be too busy for us. But we have a wonderful choice of actors. For me, casting for these radio plays is a great, great task!”
LATW/The Play’s The Thing, is syndicated throughout the USA on public radio in 79 markets, including Kansas City, OK (KKFI 90.1FM), Las Vegas, NV (KNPR 88.9FM), Spokane, WA (KPBX 91.1), Berkeley, CA (KPFA 94.1FM), Albuquerque, NM (KUNM 89.9FM), Seattle, WA (KUOW 94.9FM), Austin, TX (KUT2 HD), Omaha, NE (KVNO 90l7FM), Atlanta, GA (WABE 90.1FM), Chicago, IL (WBEZ 91.5FM), Boston, MA (WGBH 89.7FM), and Oswego, NY (WRVO 89.9FM).
(Also see "Reviews of four weeks of programming")