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Listeners across the country are discovering L.A. Theatre Works National Broadcast Series, which brings you contemporary, edgy and significant radio drama by acclaimed playwrights starring top name talent. Our National Broadcast Series is syndicated nationally on public radio stations across the country. Check our schedule to find upcoming live broadcast shows and to find a station in your area. You can also listen to each week's show ON-DEMAND via L.A. Theatre Works free streaming service, just click on the show you want to hear.
The Ruby Sunrise (Part One)
The Ruby Sunrise (Part One) ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:early TV, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Winkler, inventors, Jason Ritter, Philo T. Farnsworth Download : MP3 Audio
On an Indiana farm in 1927, a young inventor named Ruby conceives of a medium that might break down cultural barriers and inspire world peace. But later, when her invention has become a fixture in America's living rooms, Ruby's forecast of an electronically driven Utopia proves to be far from perfect.
The Ruby Sunrise by Rinne Groff. Starring Elisabeth Moss as Ruby Sunrise and Elizabeth Hunter, Henry Winkler as Martin Marcus, and Jason Ritter as Tad Rose. With Asher Book, Katharine Leonard, Kate McGregor-Stewart, and Kate Steele. Directed by Brendan Fox.
Part One of Two
This hour includes a look at the life of real-life TV pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, with Phil Savaneck, a TV historian and documentary producer, and Karen Herman, director of the Archive at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
The Ruby Sunrise (Part Two) ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:early TV, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Winkler, inventors, Jason Ritter, Philo T. Farnsworth Download : MP3 Audio
On an Indiana farm in 1927, a young inventor named Ruby conceives of a medium that might break down cultural barriers and inspire world peace. But later, when her invention has become a fixture in America's living rooms, Ruby's forecast of an electronically driven Utopia proves to be far from perfect.
The Ruby Sunrise by Rinne Groff. Starring Elisabeth Moss as Ruby Sunrise and Elizabeth Hunter, Henry Winkler as Martin Marcus, and Jason Ritter as Tad Rose. With Asher Book, Katharine Leonard, Kate McGregor-Stewart, and Kate Steele. Directed by Brendan Fox.
Part Two of Two
This hour includes an interview with Matt Roush, the Senior Critic at TV Guide Magazine, who talked to us about TV's history and influence.
The Ruby Sunrise Web Bonus: Interview with Matt Roush
The Ruby Sunrise Web Bonus: Interview with Matt Roush ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:early TV, Edward R Murrow, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Winkler, inventors, Jason Ritter, Philo T. Farnsworth, Twilight Zone, Walter Cronkite Download : MP3 Audio
Matt Roush, the Senior Critic at TV Guide Magazine, joined us to talk about TV's influence on American culture.
The Ruby Sunrise Web Bonus: Philo T. Farnsworth ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:early TV, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Winkler, inventors, Jason Ritter, patents, Philo T. Farnsworth, RCA Download : MP3 Audio
The title character in The Ruby Sunrise is based in part on the real-life inventor Philo T. Farnsworth. Phil Savaneck, a TV historian and documentary producer, and Karen Herman, director of the Archive at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences give us a picture of one of TV's earliest innovators.
The Doctor's Dilemma (Part One) ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:doctors, George Bernard Shaw, medical ethics, medicine, socialized medicine, vaccines Download : MP3 Audio
George Bernard Shaw was one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights of the twentieth century. Shaw was never shy on social issues, and over the course of more than sixty plays, he advocated for human rights, women's suffrage, socialized medicine, and the betterment of the working class.
But if Shaw's plays could be didactic, they were also wickedly funny, and his well-aimed satire continues to resonate in the present day, including our story this week, The Doctor's Dilemma. Written in 1906, the play raises a question that's relevant in any era: In a society where proper medical care is a privilege, not a right, how do we decide who deserves treatment and who does not?
Part One of Two.
The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw. Starring Roy Dotrice, Paxton Whitehead, Martin Jarvis, and Simon Templeman, with Jane Carr, Gregory Cooke, Kenneth Danziger, Jennifer Dundas Lowe, and Douglas Weston. Directed by Rosalind Ayres.
The Doctor's Dilemma (Part Two) ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:doctors, George Bernard Shaw, medical ethics, medicine, socialized medicine, vaccines Download : MP3 Audio
George Bernard Shaw was one of the greatest and most controversial
playwrights of the twentieth century. Shaw was never shy on social
issues, and over the course of more than sixty plays, he advocated for
human rights, women's suffrage, socialized medicine, and the betterment
of the working class.
But if Shaw's plays could be didactic, they were also wickedly funny,
and his well-aimed satire continues to resonate in the present day,
including our story this week, The Doctor's Dilemma. Written in
1906, the play raises a question that's relevant in any era: In a
society where proper medical care is a privilege, not a right, how do we
decide who deserves treatment and who does not?
Part Two of Two.
This hour includes a conversation with Dr. Neil Wenger, the Director of the Healthcare Ethics Center at UCLA. Dr. Wenger has also conducted research on aging and end-of-life care for the RAND Corporation, where he is the Director of the "Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders" Project.
The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw. Starring Roy Dotrice, Paxton Whitehead, Martin Jarvis, and Simon Templeman, with Jane Carr, Gregory Cooke, Kenneth Danziger, Jennifer Dundas Lowe, and Douglas Weston. Directed by Rosalind Ayres.
The Doctor's Dilemma Web Bonus: Dr. Neil Wenger ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:doctors, George Bernard Shaw, medical ethics, medicine, socialized medicine, vaccines Download : MP3 Audio
Dr. Neil Wenger is the Director of the Healthcare Ethics Center at the University of California-Los Angeles. In addition to his work at UCLA, Dr. Wenger has also conducted research on aging and end-of-life care for the RAND Corporation, where he is the Director of the "Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders" Project.
With the deployment of the Atomic Bomb in 1945, a palpable sense of national triumph and apocalyptic dread set into the American collective psyche. Arguably no one felt the burden of the Atomic Age more than many of the scientists responsible for designing and building the Bomb itself. In our story this week, we'll hear from those at the very heart of the Manhattan Project, including Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Richard Feynman, as they wrestle with the age-old conundrum of waging war to bring peace.
Part One of Two. Atomic Bombers by Russell Vandenbroucke. Starring Jon Matthews as Richard Feynman, with Larry Cox, Jeannie Elias, Robin Gammell, Philip Mershon, Danny Mora, Wolf Muser, Lisa Jane Persky, Judy Scheer, Tom Virtue, and Ron West. Directed by Valerie Landsburg.
This hour includes a conversation with Manhattan Project physicist Dr. Robert F. Christy and a featurette on "Atomic Platters" (music from and inspired by the Atomic Age) featuring producer Bill Geerhart of Bear Family Records.
With the deployment of the Atomic Bomb in 1945, a palpable sense of national triumph and apocalyptic dread set into the American collective psyche. Arguably no one felt the burden of the Atomic Age more than many of the scientists responsible for designing and building the Bomb itself. In our story this week, we'll hear from those at the very heart of the Manhattan Project, including Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Richard Feynman, as they wrestle with the age-old conundrum of waging war to bring peace.
Part Two of Two. Atomic Bombers by Russell Vandenbroucke. Starring Jon Matthews as Richard Feynman, with Larry Cox, Jeannie Elias, Robin Gammell, Philip Mershon, Danny Mora, Wolf Muser, Lisa Jane Persky, Judy Scheer, Tom Virtue, and Ron West. Directed by Valerie Landsburg.
Atomic Bombers Web Bonus: Atomic Platters with Bill Geerhart
Atomic Bombers Web Bonus: "Atomic Platters" with Bill Geerhart ByL.A. Theatre Works Genre:Radio Tags:Atomic Age, Civil Defense, emergency preparedness, Enrico Fermi, Manhattan Project, nuclear weapons, public service announcements, Richard Feynman Download : MP3 Audio
In 1951, President Harry Truman established CONELRAD, the earliest incarnation of the Emergency Broadcast System, designed to provide crucial civil defense information by radio or television in the event of an enemy attack. Civil-defense radio spots were also recorded by celebrities from Groucho Marx to Johnny Cash, promoting the American government's emergency preparedness program.
Then, nearly fifty years later, a Los Angeles-based producer and curator named Bill Geerhart began collecting these and other artifacts of the Atomic Age on his Web site, CONELRAD.com. He has since collected over one hundred songs, announcements, and short films into a box set called Atomic Platters: Cold War Music from the Golden Age of Homeland Security.
We asked Bill Geerhart to take us on a guided tour through the strange sonic landscape of postwar civil defense and emergency preparedness.
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