WAR OF THE WORLDS Staged Reading to Take Place on 84th Anniversary

On October 29, Always Love Lucy Theatre and the Trenton Free Public Library will hold a staged reading of The War of the Worlds, just in time for the 84th anniversary of the historic broadcast.

Emily Cordes, Saima Huq, Shonita Joshi, Jennifer Kim and P. Michael Weisser bring their talents to act out the 22 roles involved in the 1938 drama, based on the novel by H.G. Wells. The reading is directed by Saima Huq, MPH, and coordinated by Robert Schenker and Shanshan Ming of the Trenton Free Public Library.

The performance is free to the community, and suitable for all ages. All are welcome to attend.

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles directed the first performance of The War of the Worlds, which was broadcast by The Mercury Theatre on the Air, out of New York City. The broadcast cites the fictional aliens landing in the real town of Grover's Mill, NJ, located 12 miles away from Trenton.

The original broadcast incited panic in the New Jersey town, as no announcement had been made that the broadcast was a dramatic script and not actually happening. Orson Welles met with the press the next day to explain that the broadcast had not been meant to create hysteria.

Saima Huq, MPH is the founder and producer of Always Love Lucy Theatre, an independent company that brings diversity, equity and inclusion in its productions (Death of a Salesman, Pygmalion, The Two Character Play.) Starting in 2022, the Trenton Free Public Library has hosted Always Love Lucy productions, including a series of one-acts by Thornton Wilder.

For more information, please visit www.trentonlib.org

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