Menasha, WI (Sept. 1, 2023) – Relive the golden age of radio and support a worthy cause at the UWO Fox Cities Foundation’s fundraising event, Theatre For the Mind, on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 pm in Perry Hall at the UWO Fox Cities campus in Menasha.
The performance of an old-time radio drama by Norman Gilliland of Wisconsin Public Radio and the Skywave Players will highlight the evening. Also on display will be the Clyde Stephenson antique radio collection showcasing both typical and rare sets from the golden age of radio.
Tom Frantz, Executive Director of the UWO Fox Cities Foundation, said the event will be entertaining and informative, in addition to raising funds for scholarships.
“In many ways, radio was as transformative to the people of the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s as the internet is for us today. Radio allowed listeners to hear news and sporting events live and distant places weren’t so remote anymore. Clyde Stephenson’s antique radio collection showcases the radios that families would gather around for entertainment such as concerts, comedies, variety shows, and radio dramas,” said Frantz.
Norman Gilliland and the Skywave Players will use their voices and sound effects to create Theatre of the Mind, the name given to this genre in the golden age of radio.
“Unlike the radio audiences of past decades listening to radio dramas, those attending Theatre For the Mind will be able to see how the performances were done. You’ll see the techniques the performers use and how the sound effects were created to feed listeners’ imaginations,” said Gilliland.
The goal of this novel event is to raise funds for campus scholarships. While the UWO Fox Cities campus is an access campus and more affordable to students because they can live at home and commute to campus, many students still find the expense of a higher education prohibitive. Scholarships are applied directly to a student’s tuition thereby reducing the cost of attending.
About UWO Fox Cities Foundation
The UWO Fox Cities Foundation supports higher education for the UWO Fox Cities campus through scholarships and grants. The grants fund faculty and staff professional development, equipment, or to create or revitalize programs. The foundation’s capital fund drives helped establish campus facilities such as the Barlow Planetarium, Weis Earth Science Museum, and the campus Communication Arts Center.
