Three debut recordings highlight the fall 2026 season of Arkansas Radio Theatre, an initiative that operates in association with the Arkansas Tech University Department of Communication and Media Studies.
The season begins on Saturday, Sept. 5, and will continue each Saturday through Dec. 12. Each broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. on KXRJ 91.9 FM and www.atu.edu/broadcast.
Dr. David J. Eshelman, head of the ATU Department of Communication and Media Studies and professor of communication, founded Arkansas Radio Theatre in 2007 and serves as its director.
“The ‘Mind the Paint’ Girl” will debut on Sept. 19. It was written in 1912 by Wing Pinero. It tells the story of a chorus girl’s dreams come true.
“True Tales of the Weird” will air for the first time on Oct. 17. It is Sidney Dickinson’s 1920 account of alleged interactions with the supernatural. The Arkansas Radio Theatre production is based on the ATU theatre and film program’s spring touring production, which was directed for the stage by ATU student Haley Sorg of Clinton.
“Lost at Sea” will debut on Nov. 14. The story contains tales of shipwreck taken from works such as “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville, “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Return of Tarzan” by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Fall 2026 Arkansas Radio Theatre performers are Zack Baldwin of Russellville, Marcus Giles of Memphis, Tenn., Raine Gordon of Little Rock, Gabriel Horn of Pottsville, Jackson Jordan of Greenwood, Cameron Louis-Reese of Deer, Dallas Minnie of Dardanelle, Ashton Poidomani of Russellville, Alyssa Purifoy of El Dorado, Charlie Randall of Harrison, Addison Reagan-Smith of Little Rock, Abbigale Sterling of Lincoln, Sarah Waggoner of Russellville and Dr. Deborah Wilson, retired professor of English at ATU.
Minnie and Randall were recording technician and post-production technician, respectively, for “The ‘Mind the Paint’ Girl.” Julius Chenault of Russellville was recording technician for “Lost at Sea.” Alan Thao of Plainview served as recording technician and final editor for “True Tales of the Weird.”
Eshelman appears as a voice actor this season. He also adapted the scripts for all three fall 2026 debut broadcasts and served as director for the recordings.
Arkansas Radio Theatre recordings are made available to the visually impaired through the Arkansas Information Reading Service.
Archived broadcasts of each performance are uploaded to blogs.atu.edu/radiotheatre.
Below is the complete fall 2026 Arkansas Radio Theatre schedule:
- Sept. 5: “The Cherry Orchard”
- Sept. 12: “Candida”
- Sept. 19: “The ‘Mind the Paint’ Girl”
- Sept. 26: “Lillian Russell’s Entree Into Show Business”
- Oct. 3: “The ‘Mind the Paint’ Girl”
- Oct. 10: “Unwanted Guests”
- Oct. 17: “True Tales of the Weird”
- Oct. 24: “The Gray House” and Other Ghost Stories
- Oct. 31: “True Tales of the Weird”
- Nov. 7: “Man-Bats on the Moon!” and “The Cryptid Killer”
- Nov. 14: “Lost at Sea”
- Nov. 21: “Lost at Sea”
- Nov. 28: “Elbow Grease” and Other Plays
- Dec. 5: “Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle”
- Dec. 12: “William the Conqueror”
