Radio drama is back! At 6 p.m. Saturday, "Curse of the Dammed," a thriller about two men pursuing a werewolf, will air on 91.1 WPSU.

David Lawson, a policeman from New York on honeymoon in England, is the main character and narrator. His wife witnesses a werewolf murder a constable. Inspector MacGregar, played by John Neville-Andrews, a professional actor / director from Great Britain and University guest theater professor, receives help from Lawson in solving the case. Other actors include Ann Feldman (senior-theater) as Lawson's newlywed and Keith Merritt (senior-theater) as the constable.

The 30-minute show was written and produced by University students Mike Kasey and Pat Urban and recorded at WPSU. It contains no interruptions or commercials.

Kasey wrote the first draft of "Curse of the Dammed" in 1978. He said he was influenced by a book written by a reverend who believed werewolves really existed and were in league with the devil.

Merritt and Feldman acquired the roles through Kasey, who knows them from classes. Feldman said it took about a week to become familiar with the script. "Some of the screams took more than one take," she said.

The student shows are hosted by Asa Berlin, who will give a brief introduction at the beginning and commentary at the end. Berlin plays classical music on WPSU and is a former professor of speech pathology. He said the stories are "good, old fashioned radio dramas" that encourage listeners to use their imaginations.

Kasey said he chose Berlin because he "has a real rich, full, mature voice."

"I was really looking for that," Kasey said.

The sound effects were taken from the British Broadcasting Corporation's radio library, which is on file at most radio stations. The werewolf sounds were created by combining the sounds of "Dog Growling" and "Monster Growling" to produce "Werewolf Lurking." All the people working on the project are volunteers.

Kasey (senior-theater) has been working on the show for three years and plans to go to Los Angeles when he graduates to pursue a career in acting, he said.

On March 31, PSU's production of "Regency" will air. "Regency" reveals the story of a man who is obsessed with the study of a millionaire's murder in 1939 at a hotel of the same name. The man spends a night at the hotel and finds himself in 1939 by twilight.

Other radio dramas are provided by National Public Radio, a national broadcasting service.

After March 31 the Radio Drama time slot will be filled by the public affairs program "All Things Considered." On April 28 the drama "Situation Room" will air.