DETROIT—The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company continues their 48th season with the Michigan premiere of War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, November 30 – December 9, written by Joe Landry. Performances will be at The Marlene Boll Theatre inside the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit.

The play celebrates the 80th anniversary of Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation based on the H.G. Wells novel, The War of the Worlds. Welles’ historic broadcast threw humanity into chaos when extraterrestrials landed on earth. The radio drama vividly described the unfolding events with such realism it altered broadcast radio for all time. Joe Landry’s adaptation, War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, retells the story of this infamous evening on stage. Live foley sound effects, music and vintage commercials will bring to life the story behind the broadcast while we once again experience the alien invasion. This radio-play-within-a-radio-play is a thrilling homage to the form’s golden age and a timely reminder of what fear can do to a society.

Directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Andrew Papa, the Detroit Mercy Theatre Company’s cast — a collective of artists composed of faculty, guest artists and students from the acclaimed University of Detroit Mercy acting program — includes professionals David Gram and Brandi Page. Students include Andrew Guay, Preston Cornelius, Taylor LaPorte and Elise Pannemann.

More information about special events planned around this premiere can be found at www.TheTheatreCo.com.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.DetroitMercyArts.com or over the phone at 313-993-3270. Individual ticket prices are $25 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for veterans and $10 for students (with valid ID). Discounts are available for groups of 10-15 and special rates for groups larger than 15. To schedule your group, contact Damian Torres-Botello, S.J. for further details at 313-993-3273.