This Saturday, local audio drama troupe pays tribute to writer Arch Oboler.
Weirton, W.Va., May 19, 2026— This Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 4 p.m. at the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cloak & Dagger On the Air presents its mid-Season 9 finale, American Nightmares, featuring stories by legendary writer Arch Oboler.
Performed as a live audio drama, with sound effects created by the Holy Foley Molies, Cloak & Dagger On the Air: American Nightmares will explore Oboler’s versatile storytelling with four scripts from the classic anthology series, Lights Out, which originally ran on radio from 1934 to 1947 but has since become a favorite among the Old Time Radio fan community and a staple on nostalgia networks such as SiriusXM’s Radio Classics. Lights Out was also one of the earliest radio shows to be adapted to television, with a quartet of specials airing as early as 1946 and an ongoing series broadcast on NBC from 1949 to 1952.
Created by Wyllis Cooper, who wrote the earliest radio scripts, Lights Out soon came under Oboler’s creative control, and he quickly made the series his own. Oboler’s scripts ranged from the absurd to the sublime and showed a range few writers of any medium have ever equaled.
“In a way, Saturday’s Cloak & Dagger echoes our very first official episode back in 2017,” Fernbaugh said. “I wanted to start this modern audio drama effort off memorably, so we did a similar tribute to Oboler, called appropriately enough, Lights Out, Everybody! Oboler’s scripts became a favorite of our troupe and our audience. We’ve since done many of his stories, and when our originally planned May episode had to be postponed until the fall because of a last-minute scheduling conflict, I thought the time was right to continue our ongoing modern interpretation of Oboler’s vast archive of scripts.”
This time, acting troupe The Wayward Saints will perform “Knock On the Door,” about a woman who kills her mother-in-law, only to have her hated relative return in zombie form; “Special to Hollywood,” in which a prima-donna movie star’s plane is hijacked by a supernatural force in mid-air; “Murder House,” based on the true story of serial killer H.H. Holmes; and “Profits Unlimited,” in which the heir to a prominent American corporation is faced with the horrible truth about the slave labor that has enriched her family.
“What I like about this mix of stories is how they explore horror and terror from different angles, which was Oboler’s trademark,” Fernbaugh said. “Two of these stories are out-and-out demented, and two are more subtle. They represent our collective nightmares not only as humans, but also as Americans. From family relationships to celebrity culture to our obsession with true crime to our never-ending angst over the cruelties of capitalism, our audience will not only be amused and frightened at times, but also thoughtful and challenged at other times. This episode is an adventure in storytelling, all courtesy of one amazing writer’s limitless imagination.”
Cloak & Dagger On the Air presents “American Nightmares” will feature such longstanding members of The Wayward Saints as Sheila Cavalette, Bethany Fernbaugh. David Gaudio, Noah Hilton, Karissa Martin, Clare McDonald, Ralph Parissi, Maura Danielle Reiff-Parissi, and Micah Underwood. Sound effects will be created by The Holy Foley Molies.
“One of the trademarks of Lights Out was its minimalist sound and reliance on atmosphere,” Fernbaugh said. “Rarely was a musical score incorporated into the proceedings. A simple gong was used to mark scene breaks and transitions. We’ll be emulating this approach in our production.”
Admission to Cloak & Dagger On the Air is free, although donations to help with production costs are welcome. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. with a set of Americana music performed by popular musician R.J. Gaudio, Troubadour. Light refreshments will also be available, as well as merchandise based on the show, including CDs of past productions, the original novelette The Congo Conspiracy, and stickers featuring the Cloak & Dagger logos.
For those who can’t make it in-person, Cloak & Dagger On the Air presents “American Nightmares” will be livestreamed via The Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company Facebook page.
Fernbaugh will also appear on Novotney Now, hosted by journalist and talk show host Steve Novotney, this Friday, May 22, at 4 p.m. to further discuss Saturday’s production. Novotney Now can be heard in the Steubenville/Weirton areas on 100.9 FM and AM1430 WEIR and in the Wheeling area on 100.1 FM and AM1290 WOMP.
Top of WV CVB is located at 243 Three Springs Drive, Suite 17, in Weirton, W.Va., behind Crazy Mexican, next to Weirton Pet Spa, and across the parking lot from Bistro 303 Prime Cuisine.
“We encourage folks to set aside some extra time to check out the local businesses around us,” Fernbaugh said. “Three Springs Drive is filled with many dining and shopping opportunities. We hope our show can bring some traffic their way.”
Cloak & Dagger On the Air is a monthly theatrical series from The Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company that celebrates audio drama from all eras, particularly the fabled Golden Age of Radio.
By reimagining classic radio dramas and literary works, along with premiering original stories written and produced by independent writer and actor Pete Fernbaugh, Cloak & Dagger On the Air strives to give audiences an immersive experience that engages the theatre of their imagination in creating a fully realized storytelling adventure.
For more information and for updates on the troupe’s live and recorded productions, please visit The Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company’s Facebook page.
