At the end of April 2019, 8th and 9th grade drama students at BASIS International School Hangzhou presented The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play.
From the Director
I chose The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play for the 8th and 9th grade drama performance because I love Alfred Hitchcock and I love radio plays! Alfred Hitchcock’s thrillers are full of exciting suspense and complex characters. In a radio play, the story is staged as a live radio broadcast; actors portray several characters, and sound effects are created by Foley artists. One winter many years ago, I bought tickets for my whole family to see It’s a Wonderful Life radio play at the American Theatre Company in Chicago. It was freezing cold, but the experience is a wonderful memory for me.
About The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play is inspired by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s classic tale and performed as a live radio play, this comedic thriller is a fast-paced ride filled with car chases, spies, and intrigue in 1940’s London. Richard Hannay is visiting London when he meets spy Annabella Smith, who is on the run from foreign agents. Later that night, Annabella dies and Hannay is accused of her murder; he must go on the run to prove his innocence. After a chance meeting on a train, Pamela Stewart becomes his unwitting partner. From a performance of the genius Mr. Memory with the recurring theme song and run ins with the police, thugs, a flock of sheep, a professor, and a sympathetic innkeeper, they must try to break the spy ring and find out the truth about the 39 Steps. You don’t know who is good and who is evil up until the end! And for an extra twist, guest stars included BASIS International School Hangzhou Head of School Alan Wilkinson and Chemistry teacher Kandace Jones.
Head of School Alan Wilkinson delivers his lines, while Chemistry teacher Kandace Jones prepares to sing.
Learning Outcomes
As the director and designer, I modeled the set, props, sound, lighting, makeup, and costumes after a radio station in New York City in 1946. As a teacher, I wanted students to learn both the artistry and technical aspects of theatre through characterization, accents, movement, costume, makeup, set, sound, and lighting design. Playing multiple characters allows students to explore and enjoy creating different voices, accents, and physicality.
Performance Time
Art teacher Fatima White helps with hair and makeup for the performance.
Drama teacher Sarah Smith leads the cast through warmup exercises before the show.
Students executed the live and recorded sound cues for the performance.
We rehearsed during class for two months straight. The last two weeks before the show, we had intense rehearsal time, including a full-day technical rehearsal where all the sound, lighting, and set were added to the mix. A final dress rehearsal completed our preparation, where students learned about stage makeup techniques, with assistance from other teachers from the Art department. There were over 100 live and prerecorded sound cues incorporated in the performance! I am very proud of the hard work and performance from our 8th and 9th grade drama students!
Sarah Smith is an upper school Drama teacher at BASIS International School Hangzhou.
