Heroes was translated by Tom Stoppard from the play Le Vent des Peupliers by Gérald Sibleyras. The French title translated into English is The Wind in the Poplars which was deemed too similar to The Wind in the Willows, a classic children’s book. Thus, the title Heroes was chosen, with a comment from Stoppard saying, “To tell you the truth, if Charles Wood hadn't written a play called Veterans [in 1972], we would have called it that."
You may have seen our audience guides available in the lobby prior to a recent show, but did you know we have a volunteer who puts in countless hours researching each show to offer the behind-the-scenes tidbits about each production? Her name is Tina Kakuske, a retired librarian with a knack for research!
Radio was the “dominant electronic home entertainment medium” from the early 1920s to late 1950s in the United States, known as the Golden Age of Radio. Just as folks in the 21st century have their favorite visual series on Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, people in the first half of the 20th century had their favorite audio series/programs. Programs like The Shadow, Gunsmoke, and Little Orphan Annie had faithful listeners eagerly anticipating weekly episodes. Actors, musicians, announcers, radio and sound engineers, advertisers and others were part of a phenomena that lives on nowadays as nostalgic entertainment. Old-time radio can now be found on dedicated radio stations, podcasts, online streaming, satellite radio like SiriusXM, and in The Internet Archive.
Ryan’s Pub, Trivia Night gives the audience a look into the pub trivia phenomenon that was popularized in the United Kingdom. The Guinness Book of Records claims that the first pub quiz happened in Yorkshire in 1946. While more instances of early pub quizzes can be found, the events were unorganized until a couple, Sharon Burns and Tom Porter, started taking their quizzes around to other pubs throughout the country in the 1970s. Pubs saw trivia as a successful marketing ploy for the quiet nights and soon trivia became the reason to visit the pub!
The Thirty-Nine Steps by Buchan has been adapted multiple times and in various media since serialization in 1915. The list includes 4 films, 18 radio performances, 3 audio recordings, 1 theater adaptation, 1 television prequel, 1 Netflix miniseries (currently in production), and 1 video game.
