When it was originally broadcast in 1938, The War of the Worlds caused mass panic when listeners believed the alien invasion was real.

Queen’s University campus radio statio CFRC 101.9 FM is recreating the radio drama on Tuesday, Oct. 30, exactly 80 years after the original broadcast with principal and campus radio personality Daniel Woolf playing the role of Narrator, a part played by actor and future filmmaker Orson Welles in the original broadcast.

“I have a true love of old theatre and this is the perfect mix of radio and theatre,” says CFRC station manager Dinah Jansen. “We asked students, staff, faculty and members of the community to audition and the result is a broadcast that is sure to please our listeners.”

Based on the book by H.G. Wells, the program began with an announcement that the evening’s show was an adaptation of The World of the Worlds. A popular myth was many people missed that announcement which caused the panic.

After an opening by Welles, the next half hour of the broadcast was presented as a typical evening radio program interrupted by a series of news bulletins. They first describe a series of odd explosions on Mars followed by the report of an unusual object falling on a farm in New Jersey. The situation escalates when Martians emerge from the cylinder which leads to the alien invasion. In the end, the Martians were finally defeated by microbes.

“We really tried to stay true to the original,” says Jansen, “and we loved that the principal wanted to be involved. He’s been with the station for seven years and really does a great job.”

Dr. Woolf says he really enjoyed playing the Narrator role and has only praise for the work the radio station does to appeal to the campus community and beyond.

“I know the 1950s film and several other adaptations of the work, and thought it would be really interesting to play a role,” says Dr. Woolf. “This is a timeless story with lessons about hope when all seems lost, and about our indomitable spirit as a species."

The broadcast gets underway at 8 pm followed by interviews with the cast, director Ben Charland and producer Mike Sheppard, who will explain how this mix of drama and radio came to life.

The broadcast of The War of the Worlds kicks off CFRC’s 13^th annual fundraising drive. The drive aims to raise $30,000 for Canada’s longest running campus-community radio station, broadcasting from Queen’s since 1922. For information visit the CFRC website.