The Arkansas Radio Theatre features adaptations of works by famous writers such as Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Gertrude Stein, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jack London, and Virginia Woolf.
As You Like It
Disguised as a boy, a young woman finds love in the Forest of Arden.
Charles and Mary Lamb's 19th Century retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Tamsen Clayborn and Jackson Stanton
Original broadcast: September 2019
The Blood-Soaked Shoe
A peasant pays a terrible price for a minor betrayal.
From Les Chouans, an 1829 novel by Balzac
Translated from the French and adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Tanner Williams
Starring: Charity Jewell, Murphy Piepiora, Jack Button, and Carly Farris
Original broadcast: October 2018
“Blue and Green” & Other Colors
A writer pauses to observe the world around her.
From Monday or Tuesday by Virginia Woolf
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Deborah Wilson and others
Original broadcast: Spring 2015
The Body Snatcher
Classic tale about grave-robbers
Short story by Robert Louis Stevenson
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Tanner Williams
Starring: Lydia Gates, Jonathan Holland, and Evan Still
Original broadcast: May 2018
The Brushwood Boy
A young man falls in love with a woman whom he has known only from his vivid dreams.
Short story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: JaMarcus Walker, Tanner Williams, and Uriah Greer
Original broadcast: April 2016
“Calico Pie” and Other Nonsense
Poetry and prose by Victorian children’s author Edward Lear
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Performed by Sam Baker and students from the Fall 2012 Oral Interpretation class
Original broadcast: March 2013
Candida
A poet and a preacher vie for the same woman's love.
George Bernard Shaw's 1894 comedy
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Midori Jones, Siddalee Malone, Tim McCoy, and Tara Malone
Original broadcast: March 2023
The Cask of Amontillado
Poe's 1846 tale of excessive revenge
Adapted for the radio by Brady Williams
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Joey Scheyder and JC Wood
Original broadcast: October 2022
Cautionary Tales for Children
Macabre poetry by Hilaire Belloc, including fables such as “Matilda, Who Told Lies and Was Burned to Death”
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Glen Poole
Original broadcast: February 2017
Children of the Zodiac
An imaginative explanation of the human condition
Short story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Sheldon Slinkard
Starring: Lance Caldwell, Jayne Sewell, and John Middleton
Original broadcast: March 2012
Ecclesiastes
A figure reflects on life and vanity.
Performed by David J. Eshelman
Original broadcast: March 2011
Evangeline, Part 1
An Acadian woman stays true to a lost love.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic 1847 narrative poem
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Cannon Cobb, Lauren Duran, Stephanie Freeman, and Katie Potts
Original broadcast: February 2019
Evangeline, Part 2
An Acadian woman stays true to a lost love.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic 1847 narrative poem
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Emily Rainey, Philip Sayger, Jayne Sewell, and Katie Potts
Original broadcast: February 2019
The Fall of Saul, Part 1
A biblical extravaganza chronicling the highs and lows of an ancient Israelite’s political career
From I Samuel
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Grace Quay, Mary Ann Rollans, and Katie Jackson
Original broadcast: Fall 2013
The Fall of Saul, Part 2
A biblical extravaganza chronicling the highs and lows of an ancient Israelite’s political career
From I Samuel
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Leighann Dicks, Kerri Threlkeld, and Sam Breashears
Original broadcast: Fall 2013
The Fall of Saul, Part 3
A biblical extravaganza chronicling the highs and lows of an ancient Israelite’s political career
From I and II Samuel
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jayne Sewell, Deborah Wilson, and David Kelley
Original broadcast: Fall 2013
The Florist Shop
A 1915 comedy with a plucky, working-class heroine
Written by Winifred Hawkridge of the Harvard Dramatic Club
Adapted for the radio and co-directed by David J. Eshelman
Co-directed by Courtney Mercier
Starring: Siddalee Malone, Elizabeth Corley, and Julian Cameron
Original broadcast: September 2023
The Flowered Tomb
A young Frenchman must face his lost love.
From La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils
Translated from the French, adapted for the radio, and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: David J. Eshelman and Zac Perry
Original broadcast: March 2014
For the Country Entirely
A play in letters by experimental author Gertrude Stein
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Blane Freeman, Siddalee Malone, Robert Isaak McCormick, and Sarah Pollock
Original broadcast: November 2023
Henry V, Episode 1
William Shakespeare’s play about a bold and daring king
Adapted for the radio by James Moses
Directed by David J. Eshelman and James Moses
Starring: Tim Jarmon and Michael Ritchie
Original broadcast: September 2012
Henry V, Episode 2
William Shakespeare’s play about a bold and daring king
Adapted for the radio by James Moses
Directed by David J. Eshelman and James Moses
Starring: Tim Jarmon and Michael Ritchie
Original broadcast: September 2012
Just So Stories
"The Elephant's Child" and "The Cat That Walked by Himself" by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Calvin Phillips, Midori Jones, and others
Original broadcast: Spring 2024
Lillian Russell's Entrée into Show Business
One of the biggest stars of the 1800s recounts her early days.
Taken from Lillian Russell's memoirs, published in the 1922 Cosmopolitan
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jayne Sewell, Alexis Johnson, and Cannon Cobb
Original broadcast: February 2020
The Maltese Cat
A polo match, told from the ponies' perspective
Short story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: James Moses, Jayne Sewell, and Deborah Wilson
Original broadcast: March 2018
Mary Postgate
A World War I-era account of how war leads to despicable acts of vengeance
Short story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Sarah Plummer, Quinton Jones, and Curtis Lanning
Original broadcast: November 2012
The Masque of the Red Death
Poe's 1842 tale of revelers defying the plague
Adapted for the radio by Chelsea Mattas
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jack Button, KatiBeth Westerman, and Joey Scheyder
Original broadcast: October 2020
Mercedes and the Count
Mercedes learns the truth about a mysterious stranger as she pleads for her son's life.
From The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Translated from the French, adapted for the radio, and directed by David J. Eshelman
Co-directed by Sha'Kayla Devoe
Starring: Siddalee Malone, Tim McCoy, and Midori Jones
Original broadcast: February 2023
Merlin and Vivien
A young temptress tries to entrap an old wizard.
From Tennyson’s Idylls of the King
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: James Moses, Catherine Martin, Alice Rollow, and Brent Hogan
Original broadcast: Fall 2011
The Millionare’s Proposal
A young woman must choose between fortune and love.
Short story by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Adapted for the radio by Morgan Cheramie
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jenava Harris, Lindsey Manley, and Steffany Rhame
Original broadcast: January 2016
Miss Julie
A young woman deals with the fallout of an unwise affair.
Play by August Strindberg, translated by Edwin Bjorkman
2016 Arkansas Tech University stage production directed by Jenava Harris
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed for the radio by Glen Poole
Starring: JaMarcus Walker, Shaylen Davis, and Jaylissa Hampton
Original broadcast: Fall 2017
The Monkey’s Paw
Ill-conceived wishes yield ghastly horror.
Classic ghost story by W. W. Jacobs
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jayne Sewell, Kane Bradley, and Kathy Vaughn
Original broadcast: October 2010
Mr. Hound's Life as a Dog
A man recalls his past life as a canine.
From Contes d'une grand-mère by George Sand
Translated from the French, adapted for the radio for radio, and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Cannon Cobb, Ashley Baker, and Ciana Casey
Original broadcast: Fall 2020
Mrs. Bathurst
Sailors twist a strange tale about the ugly side of obsessive love.
Short story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio for radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: James Moses, Zack Martin, and Jayne Sewell
Original broadcast: Spring 2015
Othello
Blind jealousy leads to murder.
Charles and Mary Lamb’s 19th Century re-telling of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Darren Drone, Grace E. Quay, and Ben Munise
Original broadcast: February 2012
Pelleas and Melisande
A dark fairytale romance, based on ATU’s 2012 stage production
Play by Maurice Maeterlinck
Translated from the French, adapted for the radio, and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Braden Carson, Alisha Sears, and Nathan Vandeveer
Original broadcast: November 2013
The Pilgrim’s Progress
In this famous allegory, Christian makes his perilous journey to the Celestial City.
From the 1678 novel by John Bunyan
Adapted for the radio for radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Quinton Jones, Jayne Sewell, and Tim Jarmon
Original broadcast: April 2010
Pink Melon Joy
A feast of language by experimental author Gertrude Stein
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Original broadcast: September 2013
Reflections from Russia
"Her Lover" by Maxim Gorky (adapted for the radio by ATU student Jordan Clark) and "A Doctor's Visit" by Anton Chekhov
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Eli Mason, Sarah Pollock, and David J. Eshelman
Original broadcast: February 2022
Right Here in Black and White, Part 1
Jack London’s News Reports of the Jeffries-Johnson Heavyweight Fight
In 1910, African-American champion Jack Johnson took on Caucasian fighter Jim Jeffries in a battle significant both to sports history and U.S. cultural history.
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Darren Keene Dunn, James Moses, Jayne Sewell, and Jenn Terrell
Original broadcast: February 2016
Right Here in Black and White, Part 2
Jack London’s News Reports of the Jeffries-Johnson Heavyweight Fight
In 1910, African-American champion Jack Johnson took on Caucasian fighter Jim Jeffries in a battle significant both to sports history and U.S. cultural history.
Directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Darren Keene Dunn, James Moses, Jayne Sewell, and Jenn Terrell
Original broadcast: February 2016
She
An adventurer encounters an ageless woman.
From the 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggard
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Ardith Morris
Original broadcast: December 2008
Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle
A famed detective finds a rare jewel inside a Christmas goose.
Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Sheldon Slinkard
Starring: Lance Caldwell, Jayne Sewell, and Ski Webb
Original broadcast: Spring 2013
Sherlock Holmes and the Engineer's Thumb
A young man almost loses his life in a strange house.
Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted for radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Crystal Marshall, Jason Isbell, and Robbie Wilson
Original broadcast: Fall 2007 [inaugural broadcast of the Arkansas Radio Theatre]
Sherlock Holmes and the Five Orange Pips
A young gentleman receives a deadly message.
Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted for radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jordan Dunham, Kaycee Lefler, and Sawyer Rentfro
Original broadcast: November 2015
Sherlock Holmes and the Yellow Face
A great detective encounters a bizarre case of domestic intrigue.
Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Sheldon Slinkard
Starring: Curtis Lanning, Katelin Hinds-White, and Nathan Freeman
Original broadcast: October 2011
The Terrifying Voyage of Arthur Gordon Pym, Part One
A shipwrecked young man travels to an amazing new world.
From The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allen Poe
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: David J. Eshelman
Original broadcast: February 2018
The Terrifying Voyage of Arthur Gordon Pym, Part Two
A shipwrecked young man travels to an amazing new world.
From The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allen Poe
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: David J. Eshelman
Original broadcast: February 2018
The Thought Body
Victorian accounts of out-of-body experiences
From Real Ghost Stories by Titanic victim W. T. Stead
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Kurt Lanning
Starring: Lance Bush and others
Original broadcast: October 2014
Thumbelina
Children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen
Adapted for the radio by David J. Eshelman
Directed by Kurt Lanning
Starring: David Borengasser, Lance Bush, and Breezy Shock
Original broadcast: November 2014
Trifles
Two housewives discover the shocking secret behind a farmer’s murder.
A 1916 play by Susan Glaspell
Adapted for the radio for radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jasmine Balch and Lydia Grate
Original broadcast: Spring 2010
Where Their Fire Is Not Quenched
A woman learns the eternal consequences of her actions.
A grown-up ghost story by May Sinclair
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Aaron Haar, John Leban, and Haley Sorg
Original broadcast: April 2024
Who Stole the Queen's Tarts?
A young girl observes a wild and nonsensical trial.
From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Adapted for the radio by Bri DeClue
Directed by Cannon Cobb
Starring: DeAngelo Long, Landon Keeling, and KatiBeth Westerman
Original broadcast: Spring 2021
William the Conqueror
A couple falls in love while fighting famine in India.
An 1895 story by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted for the radio and directed by David J. Eshelman
Starring: Jack Button, Lauren Duran, Nate Schmidt, and Lydia Gates
Original broadcast: November 2019
William Wilson
A villain battles his alter-ego.
An 1839 story by Edgar Allan Poe
Directed by David J. Eshelman and Sha'Kayla Devoe
Starring: Cannon Cobb
Original broadcast: Fall 2022