Martians and Microphones: Making La Guerra de los Mundos
An alien invasion throws humanity into chaos in the classic sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds - but all it took to cause real-life panic in the streets was Orson Welles's 1938 radio adaptation, which listeners took for news.
Our stage version, adapted by Joe Landry, paid homage to radio’s golden age while echoing something much more current: the ease with which fear spreads in a world overwhelmed by misinformation. With vintage commercials, live foley sound effects, and a breakneck pace, La Guerra de los Mundos became our theatrical love letter to the power - and danger - of storytelling.
Directed by me and produced alongside Chechi Santos, we opened on February 15, 2020, at the MUNA Auditorium in San Salvador. We played seven performances to mostly sold-out performances of 200 people per night. The energy was electric.
Reinventing the Broadcast
For this show, we recreated our own version of the CBS broadcasting studio where the original 1938 transmission unfolded. The goal was to blur the line between performance and reality - just as Orson Welles did.
The cast featured Carlos Aylagas as Welles, with Katherine Mariona, Gabi Rivera, Boris Barraza as John Houseman, Otto Rivera, Nico Moreno, and Cristy Bardi rounding out the ensemble.
But the real thrill? The sound design.
Over 50 musical and household objects were used to build a live soundscape right there in front of the audience. The rehearsal room became a laboratory of rhythm, chaos, and surprise.
The greatest technical challenge was designing the low-frequency rumble of the Martian war machines - the kind of sound you feel in your chest before you hear it. We spent hours engineering vibrations that traveled through the stage and into the audience’s bodies. When the attack began, the room shook. People felt it.
Our cast on stage, lead by Carlos Aylagas (Orson Welles).
Why It Mattered
More than a period pice, this felt like a warning. A study in how fear spreads, how media manipulates, and how quickly fiction can become reality when it’s delivered with confidence.
Our version of La Guerra de los Mundos premiered one week before the COVID-19 lockdown. It was one of the last live shows staged in El Salvador before everything changed. That timing gave the production a strange weight - an urgency we didn’t plan for, but couldn’t ignore.
Getting an audience was tough. Panic was already in the air, fake news everywhere. The show’s format was niche. We were calling friends, messaging strangers, hand-delivering flyers. But once the lights went down and the Martians landed, the room transformed. And our team won’t let me lie, it felt like a bitter-sweet goodbye to the world we were leaving behind.
Audience Reactions
“It’s a masterpiece. So different from all the other Salvadoran theatrical productions. So much, so much talent!”
— Majo Bustamante
“It’s a huge lesson on the power of communications and the dangers of fake news, which applies today more than ever. Congratulations to the cast and crew. Highly recommended.”
— Lu Argueta
“It’s lightning in a bottle.”
— Christian Montalvo
Otto Rivera and Gabi Rivera in rehearsals.
Director’s Message
Taken from the program (in it’s original Spanish):
En 1938, tan solo un año antes que la Segunda Guerra Mundial diera inicio, entre todas las tensiones políticas e internacionales, el actor y locutor estadounidense Orson Welles recreó el libro LA GUERRA DE LOS MUNDOS en la radio. Nadie en la cabina de radio de CBS en Nueva York se dio cuenta que estaban causando el pánico radial más grande de la historia… los radioescuchas se la creyeron. Esta pequeña cabina de radio que cambió la historia está ahora justo frente a tus ojos.
En esta ocasión, tenemos el honor de presentarles una recreación al pie de la letra de la transmisión original de 1938. Contando con más de treinta y dos personajes diferentes, y tantos efectos sonoros que es imposible contar… Todo tal cual se hizo aquel día: HECHOS EN VIVO – gracias al entusiasmo de Gabi y Cristy, junto a quienes recreamos el manicomio de caos y ansiedad que espero los conmueva tanto como a nosotros a lo largo de estos dos meses de ensayo.
Siempre me piden explicar por qué tal o cual obra… Y bien, esta vez elegimos LA GUERRA DE LOS MUNDOS como nuestra siguiente producción no por los aliens (aunque no paran de salir marcianos), sino por su mensaje. La verdad es que parte de nuestro trabajo como artistas es reflexionar lo que vivimos: Hay tanto tráfico de información por todos lados – rogando por nuestra atención – que no nos hemos dado cuenta del poder que les damos a los medios, sin importar que tan grandes, pequeños, irresponsables o poco confiables sean.
Ellos siempre están con nosotros, en la palma de la mano, donde sea que estemos. El derecho a la libre expresión no debe ser la excusa de nadie para confundir, crear pánico y desinformar. Tal y como los políticos, medios de comunicación, y los llamados “influencers” se han acostumbrado a hacer.
Siempre habrán escándalos, mensajes “photoshopeados”, cadenas de WhatsApp, epidemias, curas mágicas contra el cáncer, alertas nacionales, políticos tratando de tomarse el poder… depende de cada uno de nosotros determinar qué es verdad y qué es mentira. Tengamos cuidado – no reguemos el chambre – no nos dejemos manipular. La historia la contamos todos y es responsabilidad de cada uno de nosotros. Que disfruten.
More stories soon.
Check out our BTS gallery by René Figueroa & Ale Pinto:
