Question

How does Orson Welles give the illusion at the start of the play that listeners are hearing a regular radio broadcast program? How does he construct the setting in his introduction on the first page?

Answer 1

Orson Welles used a normal music program that was interrupted by urgent news bulletins to create the illusion of a regular radio broadcast in 'The War of the Worlds.' This provided a realistic and immersive experience for listeners, leveraging the communal aspect of radio during live events.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Orson Welles' 1938 radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, he crafted an illusion of a regular radio broadcast by starting with seemingly ordinary music programming, which was then interrupted by a series of urgent news bulletins. These radio news reports were presented as live updates, which gave listeners the immediate and sensational impression that an invasion was taking place in real-time.

The introduction set the stage by constructing a familiar setting for the audience – a typical evening of radio entertainment – before shattering that normalcy with the chilling narrative of an alien invasion.

The use of realistic sound effects and the pacing of the bulletins contributed to a sense of urgency and authenticity, while the narrative's organization leveraged the audience’s familiarity with breaking news protocols to foster a shared, albeit fictional, communal experience mirroring that of real-world events. These elements combined to not only entertain but also to momentarily suspend the disbelief of the audience, as they got absorbed into the dramatized production.