The Arkansas Radio Theatre is dedicated to audio-only productions of new plays and adaptations of classic literature. It operates in association with the Arkansas Tech University Department of Communication and Media Studies. Performances showcase Arkansas Tech University actors, directors, and writers. The Radio Theatre is unusual, if not unique, among U.S. institutions of higher learning.
History
Founded in 2007, the Arkansas Radio Theatre's first production was "Sherlock Holmes and the Engineer's Thumb." Since that time, more than a hundred Arkansas Radio Theatre productions have been created, including the action/adventure series "Concealed Carrie: Diamond State Crime Fighter," which debuted in 2014.
Broadcasts air on local radio, KXRJ 91.9 FM Russellville (AR), at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, with a web simulcast. Since 2010, the Radio Theatre has partnered with the Arkansas Information Reading Service (AIRS) to make shows available to the visually impaired throughout the state. Additionally, the Radio Theatre has a relationship with the Kipling Society: since 2019, recordings of adaptations of stories by Rudyard Kipling have been archived in the Society's library in the U.K. Furthermore, Arkansas Radio Theatre shows have been featured in Liminalities, the online journal of the Performance Studies Division of the National Communication Association.
Beginning in 2024, episodes of Concealed Carrie: Diamond State Crime Fighter are available on Spotify.
The Arkansas Radio Theatre is led by its founder and artistic director, David J. Eshelman, Professor of Communication and Department Head, Communication and Media Studies, Arkansas Tech University.