The Quick Center kicks off the sixth season of its popular Live Radio Drama series with "Gangsters, Killers and Communists," an exciting evening of villains and intrigue, on Friday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Two more performances will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 3 and 8 p.m. All performances will be in the intimate Wien Experimental Theatre.

The first of three radio drama events this season, this show throws a spotlight on the evil villains, snappy tough-guy patter and suspense of classic radio thrillers.

"Gunshots will be fired," promises Daniel Smith of New Haven, who directs the shows and often provides original music to augment the action and live sound effects.

This performance features an episode of "Gang Busters," a wildly popular series that enjoyed a 21-year run from the 1930s through the 1950s. The show's original producers worked with J. Edgar Hoover to find and then dramatize actual FBI cases and the show always started with the raucous sounds of tires squealing and guns firing. Over the years, "Gang Busters" was adapted to comic books, books, a 1942 movie serial, a television show and two feature films.

Next up is "Communist Agent," an episode of "This is Your FBI." This series ran during the 1950s and played on the paranoia and uncertainty of the era, which Smith feels is particularly timely in our own era.

The Live Radio Drama series continues on Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27, with "Odd Comedies," a set of biting satires and sitcoms. The final show of the season will be "Vintage Horror and Sci-Fi," complete with creepy situations and horrific sound effects, on Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10.

Tickets are $15 for a single performance or $36 for all three performances. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 09-01-2006 10:09 AM

Volume: 39 Number: 22