Created in 1981, the group has done 18 re-creations
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NightMARE
Players keep old-time radio alive and well in Milwaukee
Created in 1981, the group has done 18 re-creations |
The Milwaukee Area Radio Enthusiasts (MARE) created in 1975, has
a subgroup called The NightMARE Players. The group was formed in 1981 and to
date has done 18 re-creations, and the group tries to do at least one
re-creation each year, usually at the parent group’s March meeting. As
organizer Ron Sayles says, “the Players were created to entertain MARE, but it
has become much more than that.”
Ron has been “fortunate enough to have been the only person to have appeared
in every one of the Players’ productions.”
Normally, the NightMARE Players re-create scripts that were originally done on
old-time radio; however, the Players have done four original scripts that were
written by members of MARE. The late Jerry Melotik wrote “The Fifth Horseman,”
and Mike Leannah has written three. His first was an episode for Gunsmoke titled
“A Bad Day at Dodge,” and an original called “An Old Time Radio Caper.
Mike’s script for Dragnet titled “What a Drag...Net” won first place in
the Friends of Old-time Radio script writing contest and was performed in Newark
at their annual convention. As Ron states, “they may have done it better, but
we done it first!”
The NightMARE Players group does not specialized in any one genre, having
performed re-creations of scripts for such diverse series as Boston Blackie,
Gunsmoke, A Man Called X, and It Pays to be Ignorant, the latter being an
original scripted by Derek Tague. Ron also notes that they have done a
re-creation of Life with Luigi only their version was Life with Louisa since
their program had a female lead.
“We all take our turns doing sound effects, directing, and taking the lead or
taking minor parts,” Ron says. Ron added that “several of the scripts that
we re-crated were rented from the sperdvac library.”
There programming is not the only diverse thing about the group. Despite
claiming that they reason for existence is to entertain the MARE members, the
group has performed their re-creations for diverse audiences, including The
Badger Home for the Blind, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Ozaukee Historical
Society, McDonald’s Corporate Christmas Party, the Elm Grove American Legion,
and they have been part of the annual meeting of the MenoHarmonee Barber Shop
Chorus.
“We’ve been at it for 21 years,” Ron says, “and God willing we’ll be
at for another 21 years or longer.”
The group performs its radio re-creations for, as Ron states, the fun of doing
them.
“Rehearsals are especially fun,” Ron says, “and we do them for the love
it, but we actually have been paid for doing two of our re-creations. The money
went into the MARE treasury.”[
We want to hear from you. If you are a member of a group of enterprising radio enthusiasts who produces OTR re-creations in your local area, send us the details. We’ll share your enthusiasm with our readers. And please, if you can, send us some pictures of you in action. See the address on the masthead on page 3.