That’s when he’ll stage the circa 1938 radio broadcast “War of the Worlds,” which for a night convinced audiences that aliens had landed in New Jersey and were on a killing rampage.
“I’ve always been intrigued with this piece of work,” Matheny, who owns the studio, explained as a face danced on a video screen chair behind him. “There were 7 million people listening (when it aired) and it caused quite a hysteria.”
Part of the reason for the hysteria was that at the time it aired, radio was considered a trustworthy medium, according to information posted on the University of Florida Web site.
But when Orson Wells, an actor of formidable talent, and his Mercury Theatre group staged the play, it sounded so realistic that folks succumbed to mass hysteria, the Web site said.
Phone lines and roadways became jammed; neighbors ran from house to house, telling each other the end of the world had come; some loaded guns and hid in basements and a noted Princeton geologist went out in search of a Martian meteor said to have landed.
It’s an experience Matheny is hoping to recreate — minus the hysteria, plus the believability.
Monday night, men idled into the studio from about 7 p.m. onward, hoping to lend their voices for the recreation.
Those already cast include Dee Rose III, an artist whose labyrinthine, celestial artwork hangs in Matheny’s studio and Bill Warren of Channel 7.
“A spaceship lands on a farm, and Dee plays a country bumpkin,” Matheny said. “He’s really good.”
By 8:15 p.m., Matheny had already cast all but four of the 25-member cast, thanks to a few walk-ins and a month of sporadic phone auditions.
He is still looking for the last four, however, and will hold another audition tonight at 8 p.m.
Once cast and Matheny’s version slated to hit airwaves at 8 p.m. on All Hallow’s Eve, blast from amongst vid screens, eery art and lunar-looking surfaces.

IF YOU GO
>> Auditions for ‘War of the Worlds’ continue at 8 p.m. tonight at Ahead Studios, 510 N. Lee Ave.
>> Only male voices are needed to fill four remaining roles.
>> Joe Matheny, owner of Ahead Studios, will broadcast a recreation of the famous radio show “War of the Worlds,” which sent a million people into mass hysteria in 1938.
>> The show will blast off from the gallery space at 8 p.m. on Halloween, and will be aired live on 103.3, KISS-FM.
>> Tickets are available for those who want to sit in. Call 580-4244 for more information.