WHAT IS RADIOTHEATRE?Well, we’re NOT an authentic re-creation of old time radio shows…
Rather, we are inspired by the artistry created during the Golden Years of Radio when SOUND was king and STORY TELLING, along with great voices, music and sound effects…as well as, the individual imaginations of its audiences …were the primary ingredients used to provide a memorable, live, theatrical experience.
It’s not much different than the earliest form of Theatre…telling tales around a campfire in the dark where all of one’s attention is focused upon the Narrator. However, primitive it might sound, it’s still the most powerful means of intellectual stimulation, wherein, the audience is invited to participate by conjuring the images in their own minds…something they are not required to do very often these days.
Of course, we do like to add some 21st Century touches…such as fully scored orchestral sound tracks which you won‘t hear anywhere else, a plethora of aural effects and, sometimes, a few visuals, too!
As for our stories content, RADIOTHEATRE draws its inspiration from the Pulp Fiction Era when genres such as Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction and Crime dominated the American popular culture…all genres which have been thoroughly mined and exploited by Literature, Cinema and TV, but, generally ignored or spoofed in the Theatre world.
Our cinematic scripts and presentational format allows RADIOTHEATRE to deliver nearly anything …from King Kong roaring atop the Empire State Building to an explosive invasion from outer space to the inner voice of a demented mind...all of which you won’t experience anywhere else on the live stage.
So, there’s your answer! By combining a unique presentation with non -traditional content, RADIOTHEATRE is a singular theatre company creating modern, innovative stage works.
"THIS SEASONED PRODUCTION COMPANY HAS DONE QUALITY OF WORK CONSISTENTLY ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED ONE OF NY'S BEST IN THE OFF OFF, INDIE AND BLACK BOX THEATER CATEGORY...they keep you engrossed with a kickass storyline, a lighting crew that specializes in mood control and of course a flawless sound effects professionalism that has become their signature statement at all of their shows..." RETROVISION
"IN IT'S MINIMALIST AND CHARMINGLY RETRO WAY, RADIOTHEATRE'S KING KONG STRIKES CLOSER TO THE HEART OF THE MYTH THAN PETER JACKSON'S OVERLONG, OVERBAKED MOVIE AND ON A BUDGET THAT WOULDN'T HAVE COVERED JACKSON'S CATERING BILL!" BACKSTAGE
"A GOOD YARN WITH PLENTY OF MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS..." NY TIMES
"HOW WELL COULD KONG MAKE THE TRANSITION TO THEATER? THE ANSWER IS STUNNINGLY WELL! "
SCI FI CHANNEL
"THE STAR OF THE EVENING IS DAN BIANCHI'S SOUND DESIGN... DENSE, MULTI-LAYERED AND EVOCATIVE...75 MINUTES OF SCARY MUSIC, JUNGLE SOUNDS, TOM TOMS AND ROARING DINOSAURS.."
NY THEATRE.COM
"RADIOTHEATRE HAS DONE IT AGAIN! IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, BRING YOUR IMAGINATION. RADIOTHEATRE IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AND ALWAYS EXCELLENT!" BROADWAY BOX
"DAN BIANCHI'S SOUND DESIGN, A KEY COMPONENT FOR RADIO THEATER, IS MARVELOUS!"
VILLAGE VOICE
"RADIOTHEATRE'S KONG IS THE ONLY TAKE I'VE SEEN ON THE GIANT APE THAT COMES CLOSE TO
REPLICATING THE MAGIC OF THE ORIGINAL MOVIE"
CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATRE
"A TON OF FAST PACED FUN...AN OFFBEAT TREAT FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT THE BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT IS PARTICIPATORY! BIANCHI HAS ARTFULLY ADAPTED A WELL KNOWN CINEMATIC STORY INTO AN ENGAGING HYBRID OF LIVE PERFORMANCE AND BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED SOUNDSCAPES.." VILLAGER
"SO HOW DO YOU GET A BEAST OF KONG'S GIGANTIC PROPORTIONS TO FIT INSIDE THE INTIMATE RED ROOM? YOU USE SOUND! MUSIC, NOISE, SCREAMS OF TERROR, TROPICAL BIRD CALLS, NATIVE CHANTING, GORILLA CALLS...THAT'S HOW RADIOTHEATRE'S DAN BIANCHI DOES IT!" UNITED STAGES
"So, how do you take a movie about a giant gorilla and stage it in a tiny black box theater? For writer and director Dan Bianchi, the answer is simple: you use a combination of sound and imagination. The mission of Bianchi’s RadioTheatre is to marry the audio drama style of an old-time radio broadcast with the shared intimacy of modern-day experimental theater. He fills the small stage with a sound engineer and six talented actors standing before microphones. It's up to you to fill in the visuals!" DOWNTOWN EXPRESS
"FIVE STARS! RADIOTHEATRE DOES IT AGAIN!, KING KONG IS PERFORMANCE ART AT ITS GREATEST! If you come looking to see a traditional play, stay home. When the lights go down and DAN BIANCHI'S magnificent score starts playing, you know you're in for something quite different than anything else playing around New York tonight. The multi-talented cast creates a whole world of cinematic action and excitement one doesn't ordinarily find in traditional theater at any level. The hundreds of sound effects are astounding and sound engineer, WES SHIPPEE, is a virtual wizard.
BUT THE TRULY AMAZING DISCOVERY IS THE ORCHESTRAL SCORE. I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE IN LIVE THEATER. This isn't that fake synthesizer sound track stuff. Using advanced software technology, Bianchi has created the kind of carefully composed and edited score one hears only in Hollywood motion pictures. Even though Radiotheatre's simple KING KONG is, in Bianchi's words, "poor man's theater," the sumptuous scoring, alone, is far and away a 21st Century technological feat that should not only garner awards, but, open up a whole new field in music composition for the live stage. Is the audience aware of this technological achievement? On the contrary, they're too wrapped up in the excitement of it all! NYTIMES.COM
"I love Horror, the supernatural, pulp fiction and radio dramas...DAN BIANCHI delivers it all with an exquisite script and, above all, a fabulous score and sound effects design. And yet, it's a simple little show. I was enthralled by the sheer simplicity without all of the visual elements seen in traditional theater....Bianchi produced the first ever live stage production of KING KONG. I don't know if even Disney can pull that off. But, Radiotheatre did. Whether or not you like that kind of fare, Radiotheatre offers shows you won't find anywhere else in NYC. And, judging by audience reception I've seen, they always seem most satisfied when they leave. I know I was!"
RADIOTHEATRE HAS BEEN NOMINATED 3 YEARS IN A ROW FOR NY INNOVATIVE THEATRE AWARDS: BEST PERFORMANCE ART, BEST SOUND DESIGN, BEST SOLO
"BRINGS TO MIND VINCENT PRICE AND
VICTORIAN ERA FULL MOONS!" NY TIMES
"SPOOKY... SHOCKING...HORRIFIC!" TimeOut
"INVOKES ORSON WELLES AND THE MERCURY
THEATRE COMPANY!" NYTheatre.com
"A MUST SEE SHOW!" OffOffOnline.com
"FIVE STARS! RADIOTHEATRE DOES IT AGAIN"
"HORRIFIC! EVOCATIVE! ROUSING!
CHILLING!" "ELEGANT AND VIVID STORY
TELLING!" NYTheatre.com
"A TYPICALLY SPIRITED OFFERING!" BACKSTAGE
"AN ENJOYABLE RIDE!" Show Business Weekly
"I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE ISLAND OF DR.MOREAU!... I was truly impressed with the vocal characterizations. Cash Tilton's timing is impeccable. His Moreau is perfectly smug and egotistical. BIANCHI'S adaptation has a brilliant arc that rises to a powerful climax and leaves us with a lot to think about...You feel the audience's energy change as the action rises and falls...One of the most integral aspects of this production is the fantastic and utterly evocative sound design...STORYTELLING IS AN ART THAT IS SLIPPING AWAY BUT BIANCHI AND HIS COMPANY ARE WORKING HARD TO KEEP IT ALIVE AND THRIVING. I THINK HE DESERVES OUR SUPPORT!" NYTHEATRE.COM
