Radio Plays Without a Radio

Since 1990, Susan Albert Loewenberg has been producing the series “The Play’s the Thing,” a Los Angeles Theatre Works revival of radio drama that brings together playwrights and actors from around the world.

The performances are reminiscent of the programs that earned radio a permanent spot in American homes more than six decades ago. To produce them, Loewenberg and Los Angeles Theatre Works staff members have had to create a sophisticated radio theater organization, recording plays before a live audience and broadcasting them weekly over KCRW Playhouse (89.9-FM) and other stations across the country.

The actors sit on a stage around a long table with chairs, microphones and their scripts, but not before a great deal of pre-production work. The director, stage manager and sound engineer prepare a week in advance for each show.

“It’s very intense and structured,” said Loewenberg, who lives in West Los Angeles. “(The audience) is seeing both a finished product but they are also in on the behind the scenes because they see the directors and hear the sound effects in an intimate setting.”

Actors don’t get paid for their performances. What they do get, however, is the chance to do meaningful work in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

The idea of recording the plays came about in 1987 when KCRW General Manager Ruth Seymour approached Loewenberg about adapting Sinclair Lewis’ novel “Babbitt” to radio. The recording was aired on KCRW.

In the late 1980s, Loewenberg began to think of alternative ways to interest the public when the recession hit theaters. Her solution: avoid the exorbitant costs of producing traditional theater by producing live performance radio shows.

Unlike most producers, Loewenberg found success right away. The first season was launched with Moliere’s “The Misanthrope” and five more plays followed.

Today, Los Angeles Theatre Works performs 18 plays a year, which includes three readings of each play. Their library has more than 90 recordings and more than 150 hours of programming. The organization has also expanded to Chicago and Boston with “Chicago Theaters on the Air” and “New England Theaters on the Air.”

Its efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In 1992, Los Angeles Theatre Works received the Gold and Silver Awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the best live entertainment and technical achievement in public radio.

Many theatergoers consider the play series a major social event, attending series after series. The ever-changing selection of plays are recorded every other week at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel in Santa Monica. Tickets are $20 for each performance or $84 for a six-play subscription.

This spring, upcoming productions include “Private Lives,” “Mrs. Klein” and “The Brothers Karamazov.”

The hotel offers special dinner seating for theater patrons at its 4th Street Grille. Reservations are suggested.

Performances are at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday every other week at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel, 1707 4th St., Santa Monica. For ticket information, call (213) 466-1767. For dinner reservations, (310) 395-7800.