VANCOUVER, Wash. – On Thanksgiving Eve 1971, somewhere over Southwest Washington, D.B. Cooper parachuted from the rear of a hijacked passenger jet airplane with $200,000 tied to his body. Years later, a small amount of the money was found. Cooper and the rest of the money never were.
Cooper’s hijacking of Flight 305, enroute from Portland to Seattle, is the only unsolved air piracy case in America. It is celebrated in movies, television and song. Now this story will be told on the radio as part of the Re-Imagined Radio project, led by John Barber, professor of Creative Media and Digital Culture at Washington State University Vancouver.
The live performance of “Skyjack ’71—The D.B. Cooper Transmissions” will be presented at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver. Purchase tickets in advance for $8 by visiting kigginstheatre.com. Tickets will be available at the door for $12. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Written by Dan Wyatt Jr., owner of Kiggins Theatre, the radio drama features the many communications between multiple agencies and individuals as they attempted to resolve a tense situation, keep citizens safe and informed, and uphold the law. Local actors will perform, including Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Steve Becker, director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association.
"Whether or not you agree with Cooper's exploit, the story is rich and part of the legends that make our part of the Pacific Northwest special," Barber said.
Tickets are available online through the Kiggins website or at the door the night of the performance. Concessions, beer and wine will be available for purchase before and during the performance.
The performance date is the anniversary of the actual event. Audience members are encouraged to dress in Cooper-like costumes, such as black pants and jacket, white shirt with black tie, black overcoat and wraparound sunglasses.
Re-Imagined Radio is a partnership between Barber, Kiggins Theatre, KXRW Radio, Vancouver's community radio station, and Metropolitan Performing Arts, a local school and resource for aspiring actors, dancers and singers.
About the Kiggins Theatre
The theater has been a landmark in downtown Vancouver since 1936. It is owned and operated by WSU alumnus Dan Wyatt Jr. Learn more at kigginstheatre.com.
About Metropolitan Performing Arts
Metropolitan Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization providing performing theater arts education and community theater for Southwest Washington. Learn more metropolitanperformingarts.org.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the Washington State University system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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