The first production of the Tony-nominated play Wings was performed way off Broadway. In fact, the audience never left their homes because Wings was originally commissioned in 1976 for Earplay, an NPR radio drama series. Wings was later staged in theaters throughout the country - including Broadway, where it was nominated for a Tony - and adapted for television in 1983. Now, Wings, written by Pulitzer-Prize nominated playwright Arthur Kopit, goes back to its radio roots with this production by 90.3 WCPN ideastream.

The story of a former aviatrix and wing-walker recovering from a stroke, this latest production of Wings starred acclaimed Cleveland actress Dorothy Silver and was recorded in front of a live audience at Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre at the Idea Center® at PlayhouseSquare. The performance reunited Dorothy with the critically acclaimed Beck Center cast, who performed the play there last year. Because this is a production for radio, sound effects are an important element, so a sound-effects designer was on stage with the actors to create and conduct a cacophony of audio from everyday - and not-so-everyday - life, including doors and windows shutting, the click-clack of walking and glasses and dishes shattering.

The radio drama was presented in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Ethics, Humanities and Spiritual Care and was a part of ideastream’s multiple-media exploration, Surviving Stroke.

Download the Wings program (PDF).

Wings On-Demand Audio

Wings Radio Drama

Listen to the whole radio drama Wings as produced in the Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre in Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare.

Arthur Kopit Interview

ideastream's Dee Perry interviews Wings playwright Arthur Kopit.

NetWellness

NetWellness gathers together information about stroke anatomy, warning signs, treatments and prevention, including stroke-related conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. Learn more on NetWellness about stroke.

Funding

Funding for the coverage of health topics comes from the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of The Cleveland Foundation; Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation; The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation; The McGregor Foundation; The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland; The Woodruff Foundation; The Community Foundation of Lorain County; and The United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland, Inc.

Production of arts and culture programming on ideastream is made possible by grants from: Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The Cleveland Foundation; Eaton Corporation Charitable Foundation; The George Gund Foundation; The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation; The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation; The Kulas Foundation; The Nord Family Foundation; Parker Hannifin Foundation; The S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust; and NACCO Industries, Inc.

The radio drama was presented in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Ethics, Humanities and Spiritual Care which received funding from the John P. Murphy Foundation to stage the production.