10th Anniversary Halloween Spectacular! Oct 31st 4 & 6 pm.

Featuring the Works of Edgar Allan Poe

WRW celebrates our 10th Anniversary with “An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe!” The master works of the master of the macabre. Selections include “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Hop-Frog,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” Classic radio adaptations, a new adaptation by William S. Gregory and the Vox Poetry stylings of Eric Hull. Live music performed by Galen Huckins and the Filmusik All Stars. Event Stylist Kate Dineen. Performed live by The Willamette Radio Workshop! Winners of 9 National Audio Drama Awards.
Performed at the McMenamins Kennedy School!  Live Radio shows at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Free Trick or Treating from 4:30 ’til 6:30 p.m.; All ages welcome; kids with adults only please.

Bring your kids-in-costume for trick or treating so you enjoy a handcrafted ale, wine or spirit as you wander the halls together! Afterwards (before they get too far into their bags of loot), have dinner at the Courtyard Restaurant, which has a kids’ menu — nothing like a grilled cheese sandwich or a corn dog followed up with candycandycandyyeeahhhh!!!!!

After trick-or-treating, check out two free performances of “An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe” performed by Willamette Radio Workshop. The shows will begin at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. CDs of past performances and the work of other local Audio Dramatists will be available for purchase at the show.

CAST AND CREW FOR THE HALLOWEEN SHOW

Alyson Osborn,James Dineen, Sarah Rea, Bruce Miles and Sam A. Mowry. Sam A. Mowry is the producer and director. Joe Medina is indispensable. Cynthia J. McGean is our Dramaturge. Rob Kowal is Associate Producer of the Workshop. David Ian & Dino de AElfweald- Foley Artists and Designers. Galen Huckins– Musical Director/Composer.

Special thanks to Jamie Lawson and Joe Medina/ Afterhell, Dry Smoke and Whispers, Martin J. Gallagher, Atticus Welles Mowry, Jerrel McQuen, Claudine Hemminway, Tapestry Theater and Judy Straasland, Filmusik, PDX Classical Revolution and all our families and friends who make this possible.

We are also proud to be a part of the Transcontinental Terror: An Express Train to Audio Horror. Our submission this year will be the Mercury Theater on the Air’s first program, DRACULA by Bram Stoker, adapted by Orson Welles and John Houseman.

This is the single largest event in the world of audio theater, and the only time each year a group of independent producers unite to create a whopping five hours of original programming. And you can hear it all hear on Halloween night—Monday, October 31st, 2011. In addition to WRW, contributing production companies include:

WRW and Filmusik Visit The Lost World

1925's The Lost World, WRW styleThe “Movies in the Park” series from Portland Parks & Recreation continues, offering this weekend the ambitious presentation of the silent classic The Lost World, featuring an original score performed by Filmusik Chamber Orchestra, joined by Willamette Radio Workshop, (Mark Homayoun, Sara Rae, Tim Riley and Sam A. Mowry) plus live Foley sound effects by David Ian and Dino de AElfweald. This masterwork from 1925, a simpler time when claymation monsters ruled the earth and hunted unwitting saps in bowler hats, offers a new challenge to the Filmusik/WRW collaboration. Our group of musicians and actors recreate this classic in the open air under the mega-screen for this one-time-only performance.

Co-sponsored by the Richmond Neighborhood Association, the screening happens at Sewallcrest Park, Southeast 31st Avenue and Market Street. Pre-movie entertainment (Music by Megafauna and a Live Radio Drama intro to the movie) starts 6 p.m.-ish, and movies begin at dark. Admission to Movies in the Park events is free.

Filmusik Present “Gulliver’s Travels”

Filmusik Presents: Gulliver's TravelsThe collaboration between WRW and Filmusik continues in July with the presentation of the 1939 Fleischer brothers animated feature “Gulliver’s Travels.”  WRW Director Sam A. Mowry will direct the voice acting cast to provide the voices of adventurer Gulliver and the hundreds of tiny citizens of the fairy-tale land of Lilliput.

David Ian will lead a team of foley artists to create live sound effects, while Marc Rose is sound designer.  Filmusik founder Galen Huckins has composed an entirely new score for the film, which will also be performed live.  There will even be opportunities for the audience to be a part of the show — follow the bouncing ball and sing along!

The show promises that you’ll never look at cartoons the same way again!

Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels plays at the Hollywood Theatre July 16th, 21st and 23rd at 7:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee show on July 18th.  Tickets are $12, $10 for students and seniors, and are available at the Filmusik website or at the door (though be cautioned — past Filmusik shows have sold out!)

Plan 9 Press, Missile to the Moon This Week!

The Filmusik presentation of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” was a smashing success, with a full house for the Friday night show!

The show also got some great press coverage, from the Oregonian and KATU! Check it out:

Live performances add polish to Ed Wood’s ‘Plan 9’ (Oregonian)
Arts scene: ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ (KATU.com)

The Filmusik presentation of another 1950s sci-fi B-movie, “Missile to the Moon,” with voices by the Willamette Radio Workshop, is tonight and Friday, June 3 and 5, at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. Don’t miss it!

Plan 9 Revisited!


FILMUSIK: Plan 9 From Outer Space
May 27th and 29th, 7pm
Hollywood Theatre
Tickets $10 – $8 Students/Seniors
www.filmusik.com

On the 27th and 29th, teams of musicians, composers, voice actors and sound designers are congregating in the pit at the Hollywood Theatre to premiere a new soundtrack to Ed Wood’s botched masterpiece of sci-fi cinema: Plan 9 From Outer Space. The original strings + electronica score is performed live to the film by the Classical Revolution PDX string quartet and Sugar Short Wave. The film is dubbed in the pit by a cast of voice actors from the Willamette Radio Workshop including Todd Tolces, Alyson Ayn Osborn, Mark Homayoun, Chris Porter, David Ian, Scott Jameison, Mary Thomas, Lindsae Klein, James Lawrence, David Loftus and Sam A. Mowry with sound effects and foley by Heather Perkins.

Vampires, UFOs and purple pajama-wearing Aliens loom on the screen as the musicians bow, pluck and pound away furiously at the collaborative composition of Portland based composers Galen Huckins and Sugar Shortwave. Our restored and colorized print of the film provided courtesy of Legend Films. Filmusik promotes live performance over prerecorded media by presenting new venues for musicians and composers.

Praise for Filmusik:

“The effect is surreal and magical, like being inside Disney’s Fantasia. The live voice actors blend their dialog with the orchestra and the visuals to create a once in a lifetime performance”
-Portland Sentinel

“An Absolute Blast”
-Portland Mercury

“Delightful”
-Willamette Week

Also part of our 2 film mini series of sci-fi goodness is Missile to the Moon. We are performing this drive-in classic with an original piano quintet soundtrack composed by Scott J. Ordway, putting serious new music chamber music in the ring with space exploitation cinema. More info about the show at our website.

FILMUSIK: Missile To The Moon
June 3rd and 5th, 7pm
Hollywood Theatre
Tickets $10 – $8 Students/Seniors
www.filmusik.com

Filmusik aims to create opportunities for live music and musicians by supporting performers and composers in new venues. Live film accompaniment was once as commonplace as films themselves, and orchestras like our own could be seen in every major city. In the silent film era, Americans had an exposure to live music unrivaled in history. The industry accounted for nearly half of all musician employment and created more original music than ever before (or after). Although the film and music industries have changed dramatically since then, all of us recognize the vibrancy of live music over prerecorded sound, it’s something time and technology will never replace. Our Plan 9 project is one way to reexamine an art-form and look at how we experience live music today. Coincidentally, it’s also the only reasonable way to watch a Flying Saucer zapping a Vampire with its “decomposure” ray.