SUPERNATURAL SAUNTER Podcast Drama is Now Streaming From HWS Theatre

Before William Smith founded a college for women in Upstate NY, he wanted to open a school to teach people to speak with the dead. His friends talked him out of it. Or did they? HWS Theatre presents an Original Podcast Drama- Supernatural Saunter: The Spirit(s) of William Smith, streaming for free now through June 30, 2021.

William Smith was not just the founder of William Smith College for Women, son of a prominent nursery family, and namesake of the Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY. He was also an ardent practitioner of spiritualism, opening himself up as a conduit to communicate with the deceased. The latest HWS Theatre production took this little-known facet of Smith's life as a jumping off point for a site-specific / site-inspired podcast theatre production. Imagine a graphic novel in audio form in which each audience member becomes a character in the story and their surroundings become the set for the production. Students involved in this production wrote and then recorded eight original short plays, inspired by and set in various locations around the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus. Now the production is streaming for free through the end of June!

Audiences can listen in two different ways. First, by visiting https://www.supernaturalsaunter.com from anywhere in the world. Click on the locations on the map to hear each of the eight short plays. Alternatively, local audiences can visit the eight locations around the Geneva campus and look for the signs that contain a QR code. Using smartphone cameras, the codes will take listeners to the specific performances inspired by and set in those locations. Audience members choose the order of the plays, listening to one or two at a time or experiencing all eight on a (real or virtual) journey through campus [Please note: This may not be suitable for young audiences.]

Supernatural Saunter was written and performed by HWS students: Anthony Bray ('23), Samari Brown ('24), Emmanuel Castillo Gonzalez ('22), Alex Kopcak ('23), Eliyah Roberts ('24), Christina Roc ('24), Gabriela Rosa ('23), James Sarver ('24), and Troy Tedeschi ('22). The production features original music compositions by Ed Hallborg and Sound Design by Kelly Walker with assistance from Kyle Mast ('24) and Kels Veeder ('21). Supernatural Saunter was directed by Chris Woodworth.

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