Stay tuned all this month for additional episodes of the new show, or head to FinalRune to purchase the whole show now (for the ridiculously low price of $2.99).

We follow up with two parts of ZBS’ steamy new show, Lady Windermere’s Brass Fantabulous, which you saw earlier in the YouTube form and with a really bad ass mug.

So, let’s enjoy this excellent work. Just don’t ask me about the mysterious latin music in the background.

Download audio file (rdr-podcast180.mp3)
Download Radio Drama Revival – Episode 180

Mm… delicious, organic green tea goodness.

This make seem passed the point of utter geekiness, but in my house we are serious mug fanatics and most of the hot-beverage vessels that pass through the door end up on their way to goodwill because they fail to meet the important criteria of superior lip feel, heat retention, heft and general sense of zen when sipping your morning brew.

My report is that the ZBS mug meets and exceeds all criteria and will have a honored space on my writing desk for years to come (no, I was not paid to say that, and you can buy the mug yourself here).

I also just ordered one of their spankin’ new Jack Flanders tees.  What can we say?  Things are steamy:

To whet your appetite for steaminess, here’s Landy Windemere’s Brass Fantabulous, episode 5, courtesy of YouTube. We’ll be featuring this production on the ‘pod soon:

The New York Times reports:

While radio dramas are now celebrated as wistful nostalgia by people in their 70s and 80s, Mr. Brown never stopped believing in the form. In 1974, when radio drama was all but extinct, he began a nightly series called CBS Radio Mystery Theater that ran until 1982 and even revived the creaking door. He continued to produce radio dramas about influential Americans into his 90s for Brooklyn College’s station.

“I am firmly convinced that nothing visual can touch audio,” Mr. Brown said in a 2003 interview, his eyes sparkling. “I don’t need 200 orchestra players doing the ‘Ride of the Valkyries.’ I don’t need car chases. I don’t need mayhem. All I need to do is creak the door open, and visually your head begins to go. The magic word is imagination.”

While some of the greats from the Old Time era are no longer with us, we’re here to report that imagination is working better than ever!  Rest in peace, Mr. Brown.

I raved about his work in my gushing review of his rendition of The Maltese Falcon – other splendid dramatizations of his include The Odyssey, The Orestaia, Ben Franklin on Craven Street, Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls, and much more.

Today’s focus is from the series Beyond 2000, which originally aired on NPR – oh yes, that NPR, in what was clearly a different era for radio drama.

The story is RUR – Rossum’s Universal Robots – which was first performed in Prague in 1921. It asks the question, which has haunted the science fiction world ever since: What does the creation of an artificial life form mean for the fate of humankind?

Download audio file (rdr-podcast176.mp3)
Download Radio Drama Revival – Episode 176 (MP3)

Like this? There are MANY more titles available on Audible (search 2000x). Also, check out Yuri’s site for more about the different episodes: http://www.irasov.com/future.htm

We skip ahead from the Golden Age of Radio to recent memory – a series he ran sponsored by NPR called “More by Corwin.” This was all produced live with celebrity actors including, no joke, William Shatner!

Fun stuff. Enjoy this delightful tale, “The Curse of 589″ about the most classic conflict – science and magical creatures.

Download audio file (rdr-podcast174.mp3)

The Stage News quotes BBC head of radio drama Alison Hindell as saying:

We are still the biggest broadcaster of radio drama in the world by miles and make hundreds and hundreds of titles – a claim that Hollywood can’t make. We now have to say, let’s guard that stronghold. And part of my job is to protect that.

So, not as dire a prediction as some fans felt after the Friday Play disappeared, but still not quite the moment to break out the champagne.

Still, as Roger Gregg pointed out last we chatted, radio drama’s only sustainable way to survive (at least on broadcast radio) is to adapt to new listening habits and become accessible to the iPod generation.

One podcast at a time

A Steampunk State of Mind from ZBS Foundation on Vimeo.

Why not the French, right?

Curious what you all think of this audio story slideshow mashup.

Meanwhile, I solicited some pretty candid comments from Roger about the news regarding BBC radio drama:

Behind all this is the well-entrenched paradigm which has been embraced since the year dot over here.

Namely that ‘Radio Drama’ is Theatre on the radio and that ‘theatre’ must always come in the form of ‘plays’.

‘Plays’ are presented in long formats, 90 minutes, an hour, 45 minutes.

Half hour things are ‘Light Entertainment’ or half-hour or less slot ‘Serials’ such as the Archers [which I think is around the 15 minute mark]. … The Radio Networks do the research and time and time again it comes back to them that relatively NO ONE listens to the long-form ‘drama’ – go over half an hour and the numbers go down…down…after 45 minutes down…down…over that .. down …down… gone.

But since ‘Theatre’ and ‘Drama’ MUST always in their paradigm be about presenting ‘Plays’ they are stuck.

I don’t know how many times I’ve banged the drum for SHORT slots citing the wonderful success Dirk Maggs achieved with
so much of his BBC Radio 2 adventure series. Daily in short segments, an omnibus on the weekends and if and when a CD is released or it’s put up on the internet, then you can connect all the daily segments together with discrete track i.d.s between each segment for easy cueing. I have said this in writing to RTE and Radio 2 as well as suggested in writing to a couple of the independent stations,
but NO ONE is interested.

The emprical marketing and listening pattern research is there. Time and time again the statistics and conclusions therefrom are plain to see. Station Programmers meticulously study this data and have adapted old and created new highly successful programming and
styles and modes of presentation.

YET the bastion of ‘Radio Drama’ remains impervious to this. This is one reason why they do themselves no favours and are often regarded as the hindbound nuisance in stations compelled to produce drama.

Youch! Hard truths but worth meditating on. I know that plenty of people listen to long-form drama – on demand – but on broadcast radio it’s a whole different beast.

Roger’s comments bring Tom Lopez’s work on 2 Minute Film Noir, indeed, his work with Ruby and Jack Flanders being released as ongoing serialized shorts. In an environment where attention spans are short and time is precious, less is more.

My own audio drama group, FinalRune Productions, was featured in the Wall Street Journal on February 25, 2010.

The article, entitled “Return With Us to the Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear—Via the Internet,” heavily focused on FinalRune’s signature field recording style and director Fred Greenhalgh’s passion for reviving audio drama in an age of the iPod.

I’ll let the article speak for itself, and wait, there’s more… great video!!!

NoirDame.com is pleased to present the world premiere of Tesla vs. The United States, released online on Thursday, January 7, 2010 — the anniversary of the passing of brilliant and eccentric inventor, Nikola Tesla.

Tesla is the central figure in this radio drama – and a central figure in the development of radio – famed for his innovations and inventions, including a legendary, rumored “death ray”. The drama takes place in 1943, shortly after Tesla’s death, and provides a fascinating, historical mix of business intrigue, time travel and suspense. Who really invented radio? What ghostly figure influenced Tesla in his last days? And why did the FBI take away so many of Tesla’s papers?

“Tesla vs. The United States” was written by playwright Charles Moster, whose plays have been carried over National Public Radio (NPR) and public radio affiliates nationwide, and features the talented cast and crew of Deus Ex Machina, an Austin, Texas-based drama troupe.

You can listen to the whole piece on Noir Dame’s blog, or, provided this code works… Just below:

All audio content copyright 2010 by Charles Moster and Deus Ex Machina. Video produced by NoirDame.com. Visual of Supreme Court courtesy of

It's an exciting, interesting story that tells about radio using the medium itself! Thanks, Deus Ex, and give us more!

DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI by Joe Wells

Directed by Fran Kirkham

Edited by Paul Winston Churchill

A touching glimpse into the experiences of the soldiers of the first world war. This series of letters from the front powerfully evokes the horrors and emotions of the men who fought and died on the battlefield, focusing on Wilfred Owen’s eternal question, is dying for your country an honour or a curse?

With: Matt Kirby, Mostyn James, Dhugal Fulton, Joe Wells, James Everett, Fred Godward, Julian Boote, Collette Zacca and Justin Palmer.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI download for free here!

Wait! That’s not all….

COCK OF THE WALK Part 2 by 31 Pumpkins

Edited by Tony Stephens

The long awaited part two of 31 Pumpkin’s Cock Of The Walk! Very funny stuff.  If you like this download, then you’ll  simply love seeing them doing it IN THE FLESH – they have a live show at The Hen and Chickens – Feb 9^th – Feb 13^th.

More details HERE.
COCK OF THE WALK Part 2 download for free here!

Exciting Things To Come…

WTC’s next LIVE show will take place on the 16^th APRIL, at a very exciting new venue.

The LOST Theatre is a brand new, multi-fangled, 180 seater theatre and we will be recording Sci-Fi comedy 2010: Space Commander! By Stuart Price.  It’s an incredible space and will be a great recording. Come along and see for yourself.

Welcome to The Wireless Theatre Company’s vision of the future.  In the year 2062 the human race,     ravaged by population expansion and lack of resources, decided to phase out the human body.

In 2268 the last non-virtual human being died in Ulan Bator of Dysentery.

In 2269 two space engineers, curious at what the extinct human body used to look like, decide to un-freeze Walt Disney. With hilarious consequences.

Tickets available very soon!

• Things are progressing nicely with Wireless Theatre Kids – we expect the site to be up and running very soon, we have some wonderful writers on board. So keep your ears peeled, and let all you parent friends know we’re coming.

• WTC were thrilled to have a lovely article featuring us in this week’s STAGE newspaper.  We’re on page 26, but you can read the article HERE.
• We have two VERY exciting new productions coming up in the next few months, with special performances from two wonderful actors. We can’t quite believe our luck!

HAPPY LISTENING!

www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk

We’ve featured the Wireless Theatre Company many times on the show, and are psyched to hear what they have for us next.  Check out our archives or visit their site at www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk for more audio goodness!

Alright, here it is, folks – three days before Halloween and the height of scary story season. My inbox has been bombarded with new stuff all this month which I’ve been dying to get out there to you, and there is just so much happening that if I had my way, I would clone off five or six of myselves to check out all of the cool Halloween events.

That not being possible, you’ll find me in Portland, Maine putting on a two-hour Halloween radio drama with 5 original plays. Yikes. But no matter where you are in country (or the world, for that matter), if you want blood-curdling audio, there’s stuff out there for you.

After putting out my feelers the audio community, digging around on my own, and just collecting all of the awesome stuff people like you have been sending my way, I’m going to share what I’ve come up with for awesome haunting horror audio.

Starting, first, with the LIVE Halloween shows – these are events where you can show, participate, and be spooked in an audience with real people! Follow-up post coming soon with recorded programming

Live Halloween Radio Shows

Portland, Maine – 7-9PM EDT on Sat, Oct 31

What is It? – My own show. I’ve talked about that already. Five plays by writers Roger Gregg, Mark LaFlamme, Kevin Anderson and yours truly.

How Do I Hear It? – Show up!!! Or, barring that, audio stream at wmpg.org and video stream at finalrune.com

Memphis, Tenneessee – 7-9PM CST on Sat, Oct 31

What is it? For the second year in a row, Chatterbox will perform a live Halloween Show over the airwaves on 91.1 WKNO-FM Memphis / 90.1 WKNP-FM Jackson.

Just to outdo me, Chatterbox is doing SEVEN short tales of horror, suspense, and the macabre. Expect to encounter the undead, creative murderers, tentacled monsters, hungry demons, unseen beasts, and other horrors that will keep you awake well into the night. A talented team of actors, musicians, sound effects artists, and producers will create these stories while you listen — just like in the Golden Age of radio.

How Do I Hear It? 91.1 WKNO-FM Memphis / 90.1 WKNP-FM Jackson. If you don’t live in the Memphis area, you can listen live through the WKNO website.

Boston, Massachusetts – 8PM on Oct 29, 30, 31, and 2PM on Oct 31

What is it? The Post-Meridian Radio Players bring us “The Big Broadcast of October 30th, 1938″ – the latest iteration of their annual Halloween tribute to the Golden Age of Radio. This year they present two plays – “The Frank Cyrano Byfar Hour” and a special production of Orson Welles’ infamous “War of the Worlds” radio play, adapted to follow events in Boston during the ”Martian invasion.”

PMRP does amazing stuff, as you can grok from my raving of their New Year’s radio show.

How Do I Hear It? Check out Somerville Theater, next to the Davis Square T Station. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Further information about the show, ticket reservations, and PMRP in general may be found on their website at http://www.pmrp.org

Portland, Oregon – 4PM and 6PM PST on Oct 31

What is it? Over in our sister city of Portland, Oregon, the Willamette Radio Workshop presents their 7th annual Halloween audio theater extravaganza at McMenamins Kennedy School. This year’s presentation is an original compilation of stories based on “The St. James Infirmary Blues,” featuring live music and foley, and streaming in real time on the internet. “Tales from St. James Infirmary” is a cross between ER, The X Files and EC Comics, featuring stories of zombies, lost loves, murder and revenge – in other words the perfect Halloween confection. You’ll never be unsatisfied with your HMO again.

There will be two programs with eleven stories split between the two. There were even MORE stories (including my own) that filled up their full roster… my but they do a lot of shows!

How Do I Hear It? All shows are free and open to everyone (who has the guts, that is). Streaming Mix for Radio 23. Listen in at http://radio23.org/#listen

New York City – 3PM EDT on Oct 31

What is it? It’s thrilling to hear from groups you’ve never encountered before, and when I put my call to action from the community I found out about a Frankenstein Halloween Special by the appropriately named “RadioTheatre” presented by Horse Trade Theater Group (separated at birth from Mad Horse Theater Company? The world will never know).

These guys look like they’ve been around for a while and have gotten some high accolades. Here’s what they say about their show:

The critically-acclaimed, award-winning RADIOTHEATRE pulls out all the stops for this one, folks…a grand, aural spectacular! From the company that brought you KING KONG, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE TIME MACHINE, DRACULA and more…now comes FRANKENSTEIN!

In concert, LIVE, on stage…with a great cast of story tellers, an original symphonic score and a plethora of sound effects! Just bring your imagination!

Good to see the city that never sleeps is in the game. Go out and get spooked!

Topeka, Kansas – 8PM CST on Oct 31

What Is It? The WTCT Players are scheduled to perform Oct 30 at Topeka’s Oldfather Theatre. Admission $6. No clue what they’re doing but they usually perform three vintage half hour plays. Last year, they did one each from Suspense, Inner Sanctum and The Witch’s Tale.

Let the theatre be your radio and take you on a trip back to a simpler time. The WTCT Players perform in the newly renovated Oldfather Theatre, complete with improved air conditioning, wheelchair access, and comfortably padded seats!

How Do I Hear It? I think you have to show up, no details if a stream or podcast version will be available.

4. In Washington, The Midnight Mystery Players announced they’d be doing a version of “The Bride of Frankenstein” on Oct 31 but there have been no further details on their website:

Bellingham, Washington – Sat, Oct 31

What Is It? The Midnight Mystery Players announced they’d be doing a version of “The Bride of Frankenstein” on Oct 31 but there have been no further details on their website.

How Do I Hear It? Few details of the show published. Try contacting them!

Cayman Island – 8PM EDT (?) on Sat, Oct 31

What is it?This is fun. The Cayman Drama Society will stage three Agatha Christie radio plays on Halloween. Um, that’s about it for info, though.

How Do I Hear It? There’s no too much detail, but check out Radio Cayman’s website, also, look there for a live stream link.

Norman, Oklahoma – 7PM CST on Fri, Oct 30

What Is It? Three episodes of “Suspense” (“Zero Hour,” “The Hitchhiker” and “The House in Cypress Canyon”) performed by Second Stage Players in Norman, OK on October 30. Formed in 2005, Second Stage Players perform various types of readers’ theatre, including live radio scripts, one-act plays and interpretive readings.

How Do I Hear It? Tickets for the performance are available at PAS’s home in the Depot during regular business hours, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. All senior tickets are $7; admission for children age 12 and under is $3.

Unclear if there will be a podcast, contact the PAS at 307-9320 or see this article for more details.

Miscellania

And there are always plenty of “War of the Worlds” recreations scheduled for this time of year. Here are two:

• War of the Worlds in Athens, Alabama
• War of the Worlds in Kingston, New York

Not Quite Halloween Live Radio Shows

These are not quite on Halloween, but are spooky, so why not enjoy?

Minneapolis, Minnesota – 9:30-10:30 CST on Nov 1

Sound Affects aired an Icebox Radio Halloween Special this past Sunday night, which is available on the station archives at: http://www.kfai.org/soundaffectsaradioplayground/ for two weeks after air date.

On November 1 Sound Affects will air “The Evil At Shady Lake”, a comic suspense tale made here at KFAI by the Deadbeats on the Air players. Written by Britt Aamodt. Appropriate for the day After Halloween.

How Do I Hear It? Tune into the live stream, or available in the KFAI archives after the broadcast.

Glen Allen, Virginia – 7:30PM EDT on Nov 3 and 4

What Is It? The On the Air Radio Players are doing something called “Fright Night Double Feature: Dracula and Frankenstein,” an original old time radio show! The hour-long event will be taped and offered later for podcast and features live music and sound effects.

Offered by the County of Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks.

How Do I Hear It? Looks like you can show up in Virginia, or look for a podcast down the line. Their website: http://www.otarp.com/upcoming_shows.htm

Georgetown, Delaware – 2PM EDT on Nov 1

What Is It? The Possum Point Players’ Ad Hoc Touring Company are scheduled to perform Nov 1 at Possum Hall. For $5, you get vintage versions of “The Maltese Falcon” and the Jack the Ripper thriller, “The Lodger” according to this article in the Sussex Countian.

How Do I Hear It? Unclear if the event will be podcast. You could try calling the box office: 302-856-4560.

Thanks, People

Thanks be to emruf7 over on the Audio Drama Talk board for contributing a number of stories to this release… and of course, all of the individual artists who sent me stuff. Keep it up!

I ALWAYS have trouble finding enough time to feature all of the delightfully terrible audio tales that are out there for Halloween in the regular ‘pod, here are a few which deserve your ears:

	1 – We’re Alive: A Story of Survival Zombies!!! Take Resident Evil and mix it with the marines from Aliens and you wind up with something like the outcome of this zombie podcast. A group of foul-mouthed marines ends up locked up in an apartment building with a scattered batch of survivors after a zombie holocaust breaks loose with little notice (or explanation). This one is well-produced, action-packed, and is as much about an odd group of people trying to survive together as it is about the roving droves of hungry undead. Not to be missed.
	2 – Wormwood Wormwood made it into my previous Five Free Favourites and it makes it again. Though not strictly “horror,” this brilliantly twisted thriller serial has ample spooks to make it a priority on any horror fan’s iPod. If you haven’t been following, you have two full seasons to catch up on, tons of bonus content, and a third season coming up which is sure to send you to an early grave.
	3 – The Grist Mill Okay, the Grist Mill isn’t free but two episodes of their work are available for free download on Radio Drama Revival, so that sort of counts. The one you should under no circumstances miss is God of the Razor. AM/FM Theater rightfully won the Ogle Award for this fine adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s classic horror short. There’s a reason you should stay out of basements in the South… Also, Jeff Adams’ The Estates is an extremely awesome innovation to the spooky story meme – Stepford Wives meets The Shining. Thank you, Jeff.
	4 – The Buoy (Part 1 and Part 2) The Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater has been at it for a while, and “The Buoy” is perhaps the crowning gem of their productions. This is a good classic New England ghost story, which packs an even stronger punch because of its eerie parallels to the classic Poe tale, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” A man “from away” winds up tied to a buoy as the tide comes in, and recounts his terrifying tale. As the water gets higher, and no escape is in site, the real terror sets in…
	5 – Halloween in July The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine aired this back in March, but it is much better fitting for Halloween. Breaking the trend from the rest on the list, this is not strictly audio drama, but hosts Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich did a splendid job bringing the text to live. Writer Kevin Anderson also has a script in the mix for my upcoming Halloween Live Radio Drama.

BONUS! ZBS Comes out With Sticks… For Fricken’ Free!

Remember Chris Dueker‘s review of Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks? It’s a gore-ious take on a short story delivered to you with the eerie splendor of binaural sound. That means it is perfect for your iPod or other mp3 player of choice.


Download audio file (Sticks-Halloween.mp3)
Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks by ZBS
Enjoy!!!

Promising Productions looks to the result of efforts from two talented journalism, marketing, and multimedia professionals who have turned their efforts to radio drama in order to get some new, original plays out there. Pluto is an indication of great things to come.

On a mountaintop in Chile, a dying scientist, his daughter, ex-wife, and a boyfriend find themselves looking to the skies, and themselves, for answers about mysteries near and far to the far. Part 1 of 2 today.

Download audio file (rdr-podcast139.mp3)
Radio Drama Revival – Episode 139

Darker Projects, Brokensea, and Pendant Productions all come to mind as groups who regularly or occasionally use this method. And if you know what you’re doing, it can come out very well!

Of crouse, if you’re just starting out, there are a lot of beginner’s errors you can make that result in uneven, or unusable, results. Which it was why it was so great to come across this presentation by Richard Elen, who presented this talk at OpenTech 2009 in London on producing “Radio Drama At A Distance” using Skype:

Thanks, Richard, for this fantastic presentation. This really sums up just about everything the basic audio drama technician needs to know to get started. We’ll be corresponding with Richard via email and featuring his feedback here in a couple more weeks.

My Two Cents: Yuri Rasovsky is one of the finest audio dramatists alive, and in my humblest of opinions, this is the finest work he’s produced to date. A true love of hard boiled fiction is apparent from the first hammering piano notes that introduce this tale of betrayal heaped on betrayal with a good bit of greed, murder and a priceless statue thrown in.

The blend of sizzling performances, sordid sound effects and a haunting score is as fine as a single malt scotch paired with a Cuban cigar. The cast is all star. Michael Madsen’s Sam Spade is as grizzled as they come, eclipsing the old time radio star, and accompanied by seductive Sandra Oh as femme fatale Brigid O’Shaughnessy. You’ll not find a single soft moment in the entire story. It comes on strong, hits hard, and will have you breathless until the shockingly perfect conclusion.

Man, oh man this is good. Wait, you tell me there was a movie? Forget about the movie, listen to this instead.

Check this out on Blackstone Audiobooks

?Drizzle? is the story of a bitter business man who, through the aftermath of a random event, begins to look at life differently. For all of us who feel a little too hung up in the rigors of staying on top of the same-ol-routine, let a listen to Drizzle free you to see beyond the clouds.

Just so we get it out in the open, I?m Frederick Greenhalgh, the writer/director/producer over at FinalRune Productions, your source of original radio drama by new and outstanding (so I imagine) writers, so the perspectives of this site are not entirely unbiased?not that anything anywhere, let alone on the web, ever has been.

I will restrict myself from reviewing my own works for obvious reasons, but this will not stop me from shamelessly self-promoting all new releases and chatting up my friends and other collaborators. Having only been an audio theatre producer for about a year now, I?ve quickly found that it?s a small world and we can all use as much free press as we can get.

So I hope you enjoy this little blog, and I?m going to try and make it worth your while to come back often. Expect links to great pieces of audio soon, reviews of the stuff I?ve been listening to (Roger Gregg with Crazy Dog Audio Theatre, Brian Price with Great Northern Audio, AM/FM Theatre by Scott Hickey, and others?).

A place to keep your mind and ears open. Welcome to Radio Drama Revival!