New Odenkirk stage comedy brings 'War of the Worlds' to Illinois cornfields

In 1939, Orson Welles presented a Halloween radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel, War of the Worlds. For those who tuned in mid-broadcast, it sounded as if aliens were actually arriving on Earth. Panic ensued.

Today, we know that extraterrestrials did not indeed arrive on Earth that fateful evening… but humankind has never ceased to gaze up at the stars and ask the same questions time and time again: What’s out there? Is someone else watching? Are we alone here on Earth? We’ve made circles around the subject, scrutinized it—and, through the years, laughed about it.

Seems an apt swing for Bill Odenkirk, Emmy Award-winning writer (The Simpsons/Futurama), who, along with fellow Executive Producer and Illinois Public Media TV Host Sarah Edwards (Prairie Fire), is bringing us straight to the cornfields to ponder the truth about alien visitors by parodying the 1939 radio show in Central Illinois. We Interrupt This Program will be debuting at The Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL, on October 16 and 17, 2026.

This two-part show starts with a 1-hour old-school deadpan satire written by Odenkirk that engages audiences in this surrealist subject. It includes a star-studded cast with Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and Jill Talley (SpongeBob SquarePants).

“We’ve seen footage and all kinds of accounts over the years, and, yet, there’s no definitive evidence that these things are spacecraft from another planet or another alien species,” says Odenkirk during a conversation on the Round Trip with Colleen Kelly podcast. “So, it’s very much built around the continuing frustration of ‘What the hell are we looking at?’”

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To help bring these themes to life, projections of unidentified anomalous phenomena and other related images will provide a backdrop for the actors and panelists, enhancing the stage production with movie-style visuals.

The Virginia Theatre in Champaign adds to the historic ambience of this timeless subject. It began as a vaudeville-era theater in 1921 and has hosted concerts, theater, comedy, and movies over the years.

“The talent at the theater has been amazing,” Odenkirk, an Illinois native himself, comments. “They can do everything… It’s amazing the talent that is on hand in Champaign.”

Following up the play is a 1-hour panel moderated by Edwards that opens the conversation and dives into deeper reality-shaking questions with Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and actor and Afrofuturist Ahmed Best (Star Wars).

“The first half [of the question] is ‘Are we alone?’ and the second half is ‘Well, if we aren’t, then what?’” Edwards says about the post-show discussion. “What does it do for our perception of who we are, where we’re going, what we believe?”

Evidence will be weighed, existential questions will be asked, and audience members will be able to soak in the extraordinary imagery as they consider alien existence. With both local talent, as well as prominent professionals hailing from across the country, these two evenings will be packed with a rollercoaster of serious and silly, haunts and hilarity.

“The silliness points to the fact that there are no answers…” Edwards remarks. “So think what you want!”

Learn more at weinterruptthisprogram.com, as well as purchase tickets for October 16 and 17, 2026, at thevirginia.org.

For a greater conversation on aliens, the stage production, and more, you can listen to the Round Trip with Colleen Kelly podcast with Odenkirk and Edwards, available on YouTube and podcasting platforms such as Apple Music.

Photo credits: Show and Tell Productions / Taylor Plantan