This "War of the Worlds" CBS broadcast was a 60-minute, simulated newscast that led listeners to believe that Martians were invading Earth. Because of the structure of the production, listeners, who did not realize that it was a radio drama, began to panic. Chaos ensued and controversy swirled around whether Welles meant to cause such a disturbance. Either way, his production was a landmark in radio broadcast history.

Ridgefield resident, Dominick di Rienzi, a retired scenic artist for stage design, could not help but wonder about the story behind the broadcast of that day. He says, "Maybe it's because I was born about a month a half after the broadcast, but I've just always been infatuated with ‘The War of the Worlds’. I've never written anything before, but I just kept thinking about how this could be produced as a stage production. That's when I realized that there was a story behind the scenes. In essence, a story about those people that went into work on October 30, 1938. It was just a regular day to them, but by the end of the day, their worlds were changed."

The play is comprised of three acts. Di Rienzi wrote acts one and three and the second act is made up of excerpts from the broadcast itself offering a fictional glimpse into the lives of the people who were part of the broadcast back in 1938. "It’s very exciting and at the same time, I'm nervous," said Lisa Garrabrant, a Little Falls resident who plays the role Diana Bourbon. "It's taking something that everyone's used to and completely changing the way people see it. It's very different, but it's always worth that risk in theater. Dominick just felt there was this story behind the story and he did a great job with his adaptation."

Di Rienzi sought out Greg Liosi, arts director for the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, to help his vision come to life and asked him to direct his "War of the Worlds" reproduction. Liosi, who had previously worked with Di Rienzi, always had a personal attachment to "The War of the Worlds" broadcast. He notes, "My father was a teacher in the Hackensack school system for many years, and one of his classes was in radio. I remember my father would play ‘The War of the Worlds’ and I would always close my eyes and envision all of the occurrences in my head. I have a personal attachment to the story, so when I got the chance to be part of Dominick’s production, I went for it."

"The War of the Worlds" opened last Friday, Oct. 17 and will run every weekend until Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center (39 Broadway). Curtain times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. The play is a production of TNT's, a non-profit community theater group producing local commercial and non-commercial works. Since 2005, TNT has been a resident theater company at the HCAC.

The cast is filled with local talent: Kearny resident John Dunphy plays Orson Welles; Lisa Garrabrant of Little Falls portrays Diana Bourbon; New Milford's Harry Bates is Harry; Barbara Pernetti of Saddle Brook is Barbara; Frank McDonnell of River Edge plays Frank; Carlstadt resident Fran Casella is Fran; Neil Kahn of Maywood is Neil; Chris Sienkiewicz of Rutherford is cast as a radio actor; Bergenfield resident Hunter Lerma is the stage manager and a singer; North Arlington's Ray Parker plays George; and Union City resident Beatriz Esteban-Messina portrays the telephone operator.

Some may get to hear that infamous broadcast for the first time, while others can reminisce on the first time they heard it. But either way, the audience is in for something new.