By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University production of “Episode 26” opened at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Spotlight Arena Theater in Bliss Hall. Showings will continue for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20-21 and 2 p.m. Feb. 22.
Todd Dicken, director for “Episode 26” and University Theatre department senior lecturer, said that “Episode 26” intrigued him as a parody of vintage TV and radio shows.
“The story itself is a spoof of old time radio and TV shows like [‘Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century’] and ‘Flash Gordon,’ and that was one of the things that really intrigued me,” Dicken said.
“Episode 26” is a story within a story as the audience watches voice actors and sound technicians put on a radio show in real time. Dicken said the production is an extensive show where actors are playing multiple characters.
“To me, the fun part about the whole show is the characters. There are nine actors that play something like 27 characters. So, it’s all voice work for radio,” Dicken said.
Naturally, a show such as “Episode 26” comes with many challenges. Dicken said that one of the greatest challenges of the show is the actors switching between multiple characters in a short amount of time.
“There are times in which an actor is in front of a mic and maybe says two lines, and then has to turn and come right back as another character and trying to make that character unique,” Dicken said.
Another challenge that arose with “Episode 26” was the limited space actors had to work with while performing. The true size of the Spotlight Theatre is 30 by 40 feet. The set of “Episode 26” was trimmed to 8 by 14 feet.
“We really tried to make [“Episode 26”] feel like a small radio station with a small audience, so I shrunk down the footprint of the actual performance space,” Dicken said. “Nine people doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but suddenly when nine people are working in an area this small, it’s kind of fun to watch all things happen.”
Nick Figiel, fifth-year accounting and theatre major playing Buzz Gatecrasher, said the most difficult part of the show for him was the amount of lines that he had to learn and the manner of the performance.
“Difficulty wise, it was more lines than I’ve had in quite a while, so that took me a while. It is a straight play, but a little bit unique because we are both performing it as a radio drama as well as a play,” Figiel said.
Natalie Ciccone, junior theatre major playing the role of Helen Dale and the photographer, said the most difficult part of “Episode 26” was switching between each of her character’s voices.
“I think the most challenging parts are definitely the voices because all of us are playing multiple characters,” Ciccone said. “My voice for Helen Dale is a lot different compared to the photographer, so I struggled with that a lot.”
Tickets for “Episode 26” are available for purchase through the YSU Tix website and are free for all YSU students with a valid student ID.