We don’t often speak about our home town, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Sonic Society has a home around the world, with voices that speak to all sides of the audio drama world. Halifax is a wonderful place.
Don’t just take our word for it, look at the article by Katie Bridges about the Least Snobby Cities in the World. And come visit us!
The audio drama and Star Wars world is whirling at the news that Erik Bauersfeld passed away. Known widely as Admiral Ackbar from the famous Return of the Jedi episode of the original trilogy, Bauersfeld was known mostly as a radio man who acted for decades in our favourite medium. NPR has a great series of references to his iconic Star Wars character in this article about the Star Wars Voice Actor… Bauersfeld stumbled into the famous role while working on an audio drama for Lucasfilm. A prolific and respected radio dramatist as well as a longtime fixture of Berkeley station KPFA, Bauersfeld worked in radio for much of his life. He adapted, performed and produced full-length productions of classic dramas for radio, including the work of Eugene O’Neill, Edgar Allen Poe, Guy De Maupassant, Franz Kafka and Fyodor Dostoyesvsky.
It’s not often that Brietbart mentions audio drama, but they took the time to talk about a BBC Radio Drama that they feel gave practical tips for illegal migration out of Somalia.
Of course, one might consider that the Old Time Radio series I Was a Communist for the FBI might be giving practical tips on being a Communist during the Cold War Era as well.
Read for yourself in the article: BBC Radio Drama Gave Tips For Illegal Migrants in Somalia and decide for yourself!
If you talk to people who have been making audio drama for years there are two things that frustrate them the most:
We read this time and time again from Audio Drama Talk and the Facebook group we created back in 2009, the Audio Drama/Radio Drama Lovers Facebook Group. Member Jodi Ellyn brought us this New York Times article: And the Awards for Best Audio Fiction Go to…
The article refers to the Sarah Awards from Sarah Lawrence College to honour the best in Audio Fiction.
We love more light shone upon the audio drama world, but you can imagine our concern when the author, Joshua Barone made some erroneous assumptions about AD.
For example, Mr. Barone said, “…Sarah Awards, billed as the first award ceremony for audio fiction.” but long time listeners know that The Audie Awards and The Mark Time Awards are two far more well known awards.
We hope that Ann Heppermann, a founder of the Sarah Awards will take some time to listen to what’s out there, and realize we have a very robust community of audio drama already happening in the 21st century, and we welcome your participation.
According to Marc Saltzman, the web’s best kept secret is free radio dramas. If that’s the case, everyone in The Sonic Society has double-ultra level 45 top secret clearance.
We don’t mind that the world is catching up. We love the company!
One of my personal favourites is Boxcar 711 Old Time Radio, which pumps show after show on the feed. Once you subscribe, your challenge will be to keep up!
But Mr. Saltzman names off some of the other favourite sites like archive.org or RelicRadio.com
Read through the list to Mr. Saltzman and send him a note letting him know that you’ve always been a fan of the old and new radio drama you can find right here.
In the meantime, I’m going back to reminisce to last season’s tenth anniversary special series Sonic Echo. Good times!
Live from the Vienna Community Centre some classic old time radio will be provided Friday, April 1st and Saturday, April 2nd. Be prepared for the “Adventures of the Thin Man: The Case of the Goofy Groom,” and “The Big Story: Manhunt in Manhattan.”
Read all the details in the article Vintage Radio Plays Come to Life in Vienna and grab your tickets if you can!
At the Sonic Society we try to demonstrate that radio drama opens up conversation in the areas of social and political concern. Many communities around the world may not have wide distribution to televisions or Internet, but they have radio. Radio can teach and delight (to borrow from Philip Sidney). Case in point, from The Daily Mail, How The Archers helps abuse victims: Charity bosses say radio drama’s storyline about domestic violence has led to calls to national helpline increasing by a fifth speaks to the recent abuse of the character Rob Titchener bullying his wife, Helen Archer. According to the Daily Mail article, calls to the UK’s Domestic Abuse Help Line went up 17% and the show set up a giving page for charity refuge for abused spouses.
Read the rest of the article and consider how social conditions might improve in your area by a thought provoking conversation about the issues that affect your community.
After watching both Alien and Aliens, I was certain of one thing… all the chatter between the humans on the comm-links with the heartbeat sounding scanner would make a terrifying audio drama version if someone ever did it.
Well, they did. Or rather he did. The “he” in question is none other than the Wizard of Aud- Dirk Maggs. Hero writer/producer of Neverwhere, Batman-Knightfall, Superman on Trial, Gemini Apes and dozens more that are often considered the gold standard of new audio drama. Mr. Maggs has produced Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon, which releases exclusively out of Audible April 26th. Listen to a clip of this soundscape sorcery at this moviebuzzers article and find out about the star-studded cast! Suit up!
When I conceived of The Dead Line Anthologies at EVP Studios, I thought the narrator was a “voyeur in a wired world”. Often times, audio drama producers ask the question “Is Anyone Listening?”. I would argue that over the course of a decade, we’ve made great strides.
Samuel Morrison from The Cornell Sun asks the same question in this article Is Anyone Listening? Morrison writes about radio drama:
Discovering this medium has single handedly salvaged my slumber and opened me up to a new world of immersive storytelling armed with only the power of sound. It is visceral and real, and it attains psychological realism in a way that other mediums sometimes cannot.
Check out the rest of Samuel Morrison’s thoughts on the medium, and his plea to listen to great audio drama!
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