VANCOUVER, Wash. – Bran Stoker’s legendary “Dracula” is considered one of the greatest horror novels of all time. Re-Imagined Radio, produced by John Barber of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture Program, will bring this frightening story to radio audiences with a one-hour broadcast airing Sept. 20 at noon on two local radio stations and available on demand after that.
“Dracula” will air initially over Vancouver’s KXRW-FM (99.9 FM) and Portland’s KXRY-FM (91.1 FM or 107.1 FM). Livestreamed rebroadcasts will be offered by Portland’s KUIK-AM (1360 AM), Salem’s KMWV-FM (98.3 FM), and CKXU (88.3 FM), Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, which in turn distributes Re-Imagined Radio across Canada. The performance will also be available online via the stations’ websites and will be archived at reimaginedradio.net.
First published in 1897, “Dracula” examines the concepts of lust, sex, gender roles and society’s fears of the unnatural. Dracula, the vampire, infects others with his evil, leading to the widespread interpretation that evil abnormality can evolve from one source and infect the surrounding society with discord and misfortunes.
Re-Imagined Radio presented an earlier version of “Dracula” in 2018, performed by Metropolitan Performing Arts. Since then, Barber has edited the episode and added more sound effects. “This is essentially a new performance,” he said. Including Barber, nine voices participate in the production.
Community Partners
Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, Marc Rose, Martin John Gallagher, Metropolitan Performing Arts, Holly Slocum Design, the Kiggins Theatre, Regina Carol Social Media Management and Photography, and Willamette Radio Workshop.
About Re-Imagined Radio
Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate sound-based storytelling and pay tribute to the radio programs of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. “We select, produce and perform stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said. Episodes initially were stage productions for live audiences, with limited opportunities for broadcast or streaming. With COVID-19 restrictions, Re-Imagined Radio became a monthly broadcast and livestreamed event.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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MEDIA CONTACT(S)
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu