“Isn’t there anyone on the air?”

On Halloween night at 7 p.m., “War of the Worlds” will be performed for the first time on WKNC 88.1 FM.

Based off of H.G. Welles’ novel of the same name, the radio play imagines an alien invasion taking over New York, interrupting a broadcast in the process.

Damian Maddalena, doctoral student in forestry and WKNC disc jockey, first had the idea to produce the show about a year ago. He saw a live broadcast a Los Angeles traveling troupe performed on campus and it triggered the idea.

“I’ve been in radio since ’97, and I thought, ‘This isn’t how I should be [experiencing] this,'” Maddalena said.

He said he wanted to stage the play as it was originally intended to be heard.

The radio play also holds special familial significance for Maddalena. His grandmother was a telephone operator and worked the switchboard on the night of the 1938 original broadcast.

“[The broadcast] incited mass panic, and there was a flood of phone calls to the telephone operators. It took them awhile to inform [the public what was happening],” Maddalena said.

When Maddelena broached the topic of presenting Welles’ famous broadcast with Jamie Gilbert, WKNC adviser, he said she only had one request: that he contact the police beforehand. 

“I can’t imagine how anyone living in our 24-hour news cycle would get confused,” Maddalena said. He noted that he e-mailed Campus Police the previous week alerting them to the event.

Maddalena pitched the idea to WKNC in August. After getting the go-ahead, he began inviting collaborators. He first spoke with Jacob Downey, a fellow WKNC DJ.

“[I asked Jacob] because he likes sci-fi and movies,” Maddalena said.

Skip Elsheimer became involved when Maddalena interviewed him for Maddalena’s Mystery Roach radio show several months ago. Maddalena mentioned that he was doing a live version of “The War of the Worlds” broadcast.

Elsheimer had a copy of the script as a child, and he used to record the lines on his tape recorder.

“I essentially begged Damian to do the show, and I would take any part or job that he would give me,” Elsheimer said.

Elsheimer plays Orson Welles, reading his beginning and ending monologues.

He also plays a large role behind the scenes. He helped scout out some of the sound effects.

“We have to think about layering the sound in a way that isn’t overpowering the listener and creating scenes with sound is always a challenge,” Elsheimer said.

Elsheimer helped in getting the rights to use the play. He first surfed around the Internet to see who owned the rights. Maddalena said he was surprised to find out the play was still under copyright.

“We had to negotiate with an attorney, who represented the woman who owned the rights,” Maddalena said.

The group had to pay a fee based on the station’s broadcast range to use the material.

Brandon Whitesell, keyboard player for local band The Magic Babies, first heard of the project after finishing set-up for a show with Starmount. He was talking with Maddalena and Starmount drummer Brian Donohoe when Maddalena mentioned he was looking for more people to help with his “War of The Worlds” radio play.

“The more he talked about it, the more excited I became. It took me a few minutes to collect myself enough to offer a very calm and respectful ‘I’d like to help.’ I must have impressed him with my stoicism, because he cast me as the crazy guy,” Whitesell said.

Whitesell said he had read the book last winter. He was familiar with the real story but not the 1930s adaptation.

“I have been something of a prankster my whole life, so it’s fair to say that I’ve known about the radio play for quite some time,” Whitesell said.

But he hadn’t listened to the play until the cast began prepping for their first rehearsal.

Though Whitesell has performed on stage in theater and in bands for the large majority of his life, he said performing for the radio is definitely different.

“I don’t have to wear pants if I don’t want to, for instance. The band has been really patient with me in that regard,” Whitesell said.

Whitesell said he was definitely prepared going in.

 ”But I surprised myself at how ready I was to do this particular project,” Whitesell said. “Heading into the first read-through I was more than eager to be involved in a project with most of my favorite things in life, [those being] science fiction, friends, the pantsless option and Starmount.”

Whitesell said there have been scheduling conflicts, but the cast has overcome each obstacle.

And the rehearsal process, he said, has been exciting. He said with each read-through, the production gets better and better.

“As an ensemble we work very well together. Everyone has been very easy to work with,” Whitesell said. “Damian really keeps us reigned in and seems to have a firm grasp on the hundreds of things he’s got to be thinking about simultaneously.”

In addition to acting, Maddalena is also directing. The group meets weekly at Maddalena’s residence for read-throughs. Working together for two to three months, they test different voice inflections. In the beginning rehearsals, they decided who would speak which part.

The only person who never changed parts was Dave Fallest, doctoral student in physics.

“I was listening to him talk over coffee at Global Village, and [it struck me that] his voice is worthy of an Orson Welles character,” Maddalena said.

Fallest plays the main character, which is the same part Welles himself voiced. Halloween night will mark Fallest’s radio debut.

Script updates include references to technology and conversational diction.

“The original [play] was very formal, written as if newscasters were talking. The new version [involves] friends chatting on cell phones,” Maddalena said.

The play’s location has also been moved. Originally taking place in New York and New Jersey, the action now takes place in the Triangle.

“[Our audience couldn’t necessarily] picture New York and New Jersey. We thought [Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill] would be fun and easier to picture,” Maddalena said.

 The group is entering the broadcast’s production week. The cast will run through the material twice on Saturday before setting up for the broadcast at 7 p.m.

“I’m hoping that this goes over well and that we do more radio drama in the future,” Elsheimer said.