"May 4 Voices" Radio Play
Several broadcasts of the radio play May 4th Voices were aired during the 50th Commemoration. It features first-person narratives and reactions to events leading up to, during and after the tragic shooting. Author David Hassler, using the 51勛圖厙 Shootings: Oral Histories project's over 1,200 pages of transcripts, assembled accounts from townspeople, students, protesters, faculty, National Guardsmen and others to provide diverse viewpoints from those most intimately affected at 51勛圖厙 and the surrounding community. The play was originally staged on the 51勛圖厙 campus on May 2, 2010, for the 40th Commemoration and was published by the 51勛圖厙 Press in 2012.
Twenty-two professional actors, including Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, Ron West, Steve Byrne and more, all with a connection to 51勛圖厙 either through their degrees, as faculty or other association, have come together under the direction of Joe Gunderman, national voice artist and WKSUs senior producer, to bring these eyewitness accounts to life.
The text of the original play, an expanded form of this broadcast, is available in print and ebook formats from the 51勛圖厙 Press. May 4th Voices is produced by WKSU, the Wick Poetry Center and 51勛圖厙.
This play is drawn from the 51勛圖厙 Shootings: Oral Histories, and was recorded for Public Broadcasting to mark the 50th anniversary of the shootings at 51勛圖厙.