Tag: Jack J Ward (Page 1 of 2)

The Definitive Collection of 20 Years of Jack J. Ward’s Audio Plays

As Jack J. Ward basks in one of his finest moments- that being in the very chair that Robert E. Howard wrote not only Conan- The Barbarian, but all his great works… He was asked recently to provide a list of all the scripts he has written for all his various incarnations and basic times. As we’re coming close to the 20th anniversary of The Sonic Society (Put it on your calendar folks- it’s September 1st, 2024, Jack has provided the list so far with some tantalizing suggestions of what you can expect now that he’s completed his masters’ degree:

The Sonic Society Collection:

The Sonic Society- The World’s Largest and Longest-Running showcase of modern audio drama

Pre-Mutual Audio Network Feed (The Radio Memories Network 2005-2019): https://sonic.libsyn.com/sonicsociety/2008/06

The Mutual Audio Network Feeds (2019 and Onwards):
The Broadcast Feed (on Sundays and Mondays) https://feeds.megaphone.fm/mani
Monday Matinee weekly (2015 onwards replays) https://feeds.megaphone.fm/MUTUAL5370851038
Sunday Showcase weekly (Current releases from 2019 onwards) https://feeds.megaphone.fm/MUTUAL9188504915

Sonic Echo– Conversations with Lothar Tuppan and Jeffrey Billard – The Amigos! with guests looking at the very best of old time radio.

Sonic Speaks– Jack interviews the makers and shapers of the audio drama world

Sonic Summerstock PlayhouseThe summer season of the Sonic Society where producers from the modern audio drama community recreate old time radio scripts for fun with their contemporary acting troops!

Sonic Retrospectives– Our tribute summer series for those who have left the modern audio drama community too soon (SADLY ONGOING)
Bill Hollweg
Mark Bruzee

JACK WARD’S PRODUCTIONS AND SCRIPTS:
All produced scripts can be found at the Sonic Cinema Podcast or through Sonic Cinema website

The Sonic Cinema Production Classic Series: 2003-2005
The Shadowlands– Shadowlands Theatre was the premiere original anthology series from Jack J. Ward. Combining Suspense and Dark Fantasy, this exciting series became the basis for the Deadly Sins Series and other compelling tales of mystery, and horror.

  • The Seven Deadly Sins- A seven-part series of original tales from dark comedy to darker horror, plays of the past to terror of the future exploring the turning parts of the soul. Six parts completed: (Pride: And Low, Thou I Walk, Envy: Completion, Greed: Ghosts of the Present, Gluttony: Soul Survivor (Ogile Award Honorable Mention), Lust: Spin, Spin, Spin, Wrath: The Hitchhiker)
  • Graves’ Shift Starring Phillipa Graves– “Open for Business” The pilot first audio drama script written by Jack Ward from his time in university exploring the noir tales of his female detective
  • Biff Straker and the Spaceways (Old World)– The one-shot pilot episode of Jack’s parody of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon with his own pulp hero, Biff!
  • Remotely Possible– A single Shadowlands episode exploring remote viewing and the depths of fear
  • Hill Manors- “More Action than a Burma Railroad” A live tribute to the great “Fawlty Towers” series by John Cleese & Connie Booth
  • Firefly- Old Wounds– The Internet’s first fan fiction of the science-fiction classic “Firefly”.
  • The Dead Line Anthology- Tales of crime drama inspired by Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Initial run included: Goth Girl, Jeremiah Crandal- Funeral Detective, Messages, Right Number Wrong Party, The Replacement Show, Rule of Three)
  • The Dead Line Shorts Anthology- less than a half hour presentations of this series (Initial run included: Anniversary, Choice, Deathbed Confessions, Duel, Fiend to the Old, John, Lighter, Night Driving and Sherry)

Electric Vicuna Productions: 2006-2021

  • Firefly- Old Wounds “Wedding Day” – The much demanded follow up to the Internet’s first fan fiction of the science-fiction classic “Firefly”.
  • The Wave Front Anthology- a science fiction collection that explores futuristic societies, distopic nightmares, technological travesties and bleak tomorrows. (Initial run includes: Borrowed Time, Black Knight, Alone in the Night (Mark Time Silver award winner), Voting is Anonymous
  • The Wave Front Shorts Anthology- less than a half hour presentation of this series (Initial run includes: Acquisitions, Alien Invasion Cancelled, Distant Voice, Galaxy Master versus the Varn, Name Please, Nanites, Pets, Reservations, Spring, Trans-Humanity, Voices)
  • The Dead Line Anthology- (Continued run includes: “Faith” also as the final Deadly Sins Script for “Sloth”, Daybreak, Coach #6, Clay Pigeon Shooting)
  • The Dead Line Shorts Anthology- (Continued run includes: I’m Home)
  • Darker Musings Anthology Series-  an anthology series of fantastical mystery and terror.
    Inspired by Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone, Darker Musings always includes an air of another world that may be an alternate universe, or a terrifying nightmare, one in which the characters can not wake up.(Initial run includes: Breathing Space (one-man show), Muse of Madness, One by One, and Phil Morris~ Celestial Lawyer
  • The Darker Musings Shorts Anthology- less than a half hour presentation of this series (Initial run includes original and original adaptations of: Barney, Bravery. Plague Studies, The Chaser, The Monkey’s Paw, and Tulpa)
  • Gate, a coming of age fantasy series in 10 parts; Gate McNeil, a young girl, discovers she is the one person in the world who can challenge the darkness and demons threatening to take over the world
  • The Jack and Shannon Show- in an homage to great sit-coms of old, two hosts of the Sonic Society fictionalize their life and friends (3 Seasons)
  • Spaceways Starring Biff Straker (New World)– imaginary pulp hero Stephen “Biff” Straker takes part in a secret experiment to prove Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relative Time. The experiment goes wrong and Straker is thrown from the 1990s into the 31st Century! – STILL IN PRODUCTION
    The reboot fun action series, no longer a straight parody. (Initial 5 episode run: Year Zero: The Future is Now, The Haunted World, The Fallen Angel, The Pool of Death, The Man Called Methuselah – STILL IN PRODUCTION
  • Consortium Comics Anthology- is a collective series of superhero shorts by Jack J. Ward (Initial run includes: Blue Defender, Any Man) – STILL IN PRODUCTION
  • Action Adventure Audio Theatre, pulp-pounding adventures inspired by the OldTime Radio series Escape (Initial episode: The Most Dangerous Game) – STILL IN PRODUCTION

The Sonic Cinema Production Returns Series: 2022-

  • Retro Rockets Anthology- From the far-flung silver age of science fiction, comes a new anthology. (Initial episode: Spirit Drive) – STILL IN PRODUCTION
  • The Wave Front Anthology- (Series continues with: Market Crash) – STILL IN PRODUCTION
  • The Christmas Wreath- Seasonal stories to touch the heart and delight the ear (Initial release: The Gift of the Magi) – STILL IN PRODUCTION

Jack Ward adaptation Scripts Produced for Colonial Radio Theatre:

  • Dead AheadOn a restless ocean, a group of weary survivors contemplate their grim fortune: What had started out as a fun little fishing trip soon turns into a nightmare of damnation, trapped on a floating prison.
  • Vincent Price Presents Volume 3 “The Best in the Universe” Dramatized by Jack J. Ward, from a story by Paul J. Salamoff. Assignments on frontier planets always irritate intergalactic mob hitman Randall Stiles and his partner Jake Mackey, and this mission would soon prove why.

New Series Currently in Production (Unreleased):

  • Prairie Fire- an audio drama Weird Western 10 part series
  • Flight of the Airmen- At the turn of the 20th century who are the protectors of the skies for this strange modern age? Canada’s The Airmen!
  • Wingman– Ripped from the archives of the fictional radio theatre of the 1930’s. Wingman and Fly Boy save the world from Nazis infiltrators and evil criminals in America!
  • Adventures by North!- In the early 20’s in Canada, a group of adventurers found their way exploring every mystery this vast country concealed!
  • The Fates of Mace Windu- By mass request this audio Star Wars fan fiction six-part series explores what happened to Mace Windu at the end of George Lucas’ prequel
  • John Carter- A Princess of Mars- The original Science Romance of the first of the pulp space heroes is explored through the first full-audio drama adaptation of the best-selling novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs!
  • Proximity– A Third Age (First Person) account of humanity’s attempt to reach the Proxima star system.

Other things to look for. Script collection books on many of these series, and upcoming work through The Mutual Audio Network.

Special Thanks to Lothar Tuppan (The Ninth Tower Productions) and Jeffrey Billard (Audio Groove Cats Productions)- THE AMIGOS!, David Ault co-host and the “Kevin Bacon” of 6-Degrees of separation in Audio Drama (David Ault Actor, Narrator, and Science Communicator), and the rest of the United Artists of Audio from Mutual- Pete Lutz (Narada Radio Company), John Bell (Bell’s in the Batfry), JV Torres (The Rise of King Asilas), Scott Mosher (CNY Table Reads). Joshua Price and the Queen of Audio Drama herself Tanja Milojevic (LightningBolt Theater of the Mind), Richard Frohlich (Texas Radio Theatre), Richard Summers (aka Captain Radio!) and Austin Beach (Broken Bard Studios) who constantly and eternally inspire, collaborate, and support his work!

Great Day for the City

Re-imagined Radio proudly presents an incredible new release of Archibald MacLeish’s “The Fall of the City” originally released from The Columbia Workshop, one of radio’s most inventive series during its Golden Age! This modern retake melds the classic tale with the original script from Jack J. Ward, “Great Day for a War”.
Listen now on the website, or join us on the Sonic Society’s release of the show on May 22nd!

CAST

The Fall of the City featured members of The Willamette Radio Workshop
Sam A. Mowry
Chris Porter
Linda Goertz
Holly Spencer
Tim McKinney
Ricardo Delgado
Mark Homayoun
Adam S. Moore
Alticus Mowry

Sound Design and engineering by Marc Rose
Recording by Robert Kowal and Michael Gandsey
Foley conductor Martin Gallagher
Produced by Sam A. Mowry, Robert Kowal, and Marc Rose
Co-Producer Cynthia McGean
Directed by Sam A. Mowry
Recorded at PCC Sylvania in Portland, OR
Produced by special arrangement with Mr. Richard B. McAdoo

Great Day for a War featured The Voices
Sam A. Mowry as Daniel Stone
Mago Weston as Anna-Marie Hammond
Sam Gregory as GlobalWeb Announcer
Eric Newsome as GlobalWeb News Service Announcer
Eric Newsome as President
Stephanie Crowley as Sheila MacDonald
Produced by special arrangement with Jack J. Ward

CREDITS

The Fall of the City written by Archibald MacLeish
Great Day for a War written by Jack J. Ward
Sound Design, Music, and Engineering by Marc Rose of Fuse
Social Media by Regina Carol Social Media Management
Promotional Graphics by Holly Slocum Design
Curated and Hosted by John Barber

RESPONSES

Just so tickled pink to hitch my star with “The Fall of the City” in this amalgam. Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity!
— Jack J. Ward, author of “Great Day for a War”

We’re thrilled and excited to hear this amazing fusion of the classic, “The Fall of the City” with an unproduced Jack J. Ward script “Great Day for a War”!
— Sonic Society

Back to the Past

With thanks to Theresa Martin who discovered this old gem while researching. Time to reminisce. Twelve years ago, I released my first book of scripts The Shadowlands. Here’s the article from Muskoka Region News:

Former Parry Sound High School teacher Jack Ward recently released this book of plays written for radio.

HALIFAX – Jack Ward loves radio drama. A previous teacher of English, drama and computers at Parry Sound High School, he’s been writing his story ideas. Although he now lives in Nova Scotia, Parry Sound continues to be a source for his inspiration. “It’s the people and the bay,” said Mr. Ward. “This dichotomy of living in a small community that is filled in the summer with big city folks. Parry Sound is the kind of place you would want to raise your kids, as seen by so many of my old students who still speak fondly of growing up there.” Mr. Ward teaches occasionally and has been working as his own consultant for computer software. While in school he headed the computer club, guitar group, and helped out with drama and the student newspapers. Now add author and playwright to his credentials. Shadowlands Theatre was a concept Mr. Ward came up with while finishing his English degree and attending Guelph University. He was hosting different literary radio shows for the campus radio station, and knew that a “twilight zone” like radio series would be a lot of fun. “After all, radio is the ultimate medium for story telling,” he said. “It requires no sets, no makeup, and much more imagination than television or movies. And with people constantly on the go, books on tape are at a premium for commuters and those who love to listen to drama.” Ten years later, and the dream has taken flight. With his friend Andrew Dorfman, Mr. Ward has gathered dozens of interested actors together and written an impressive series. More than 26 radio plays, all approximately 45 minutes long and all varying in subject matter from comedy, mystery, horror, suspense, fantasy, and science fiction. Collectively called The Shadowlands, Mr. Ward delves into moral questions and political quandaries of the day. His two-part episode Great Day for a War, explores a fictional event in a global news broadcast when the United States declares war on an African nation, because of recent terrorist attacks. Sound familiar? He has more mini-series in his toolbox. From a hard-boiled detective by the name of Phillip Graves in his four-part Graves Shift series or a hilarious parody of Buck Rogers with Biff Straker and the Spaceways! Mr. Ward is looking to catch both young and old audiences alike. Already his talent has caught the eyes of the publishing world. His book, Shadowlands Theatre: The Deadly Sins Scripts has been released by Crystal Dreams publishing in the U.S., and he recently released his first radio play, in the classic thriller style called Right Number, Wrong Party over CKDU-97.5-FM in Halifax. More information about Mr. Ward, his book and compact disc recordings of his plays can be found on his website: www.shadowlandstheatre.com. (now of course www.sonicsociety.org or www.evicuna.com– J.W.)

The Dead Rise!

DeadAhead3It’s Here! It’s Here! Colonial Radio Theater’s exciting and bone-chilling horror, Dead Ahead adapted by our own Jack J. Ward from Mel Smith‘s original tale:

“On a restless ocean, a group of weary survivors contemplate their grim fortune: What had started out as a fun little fishing trip soon turns into a nightmare of damnation, trapped on a floating prison. The continents have been hit by a plague that has turned humanity into living corpses – leaving our castaways at sea to fend for themselves! With provisions low, hope comes in the form of a luxury liner sailing into view on the horizon… All they needed to survive would be on board, but who among them has what it takes to find out what happened to its crew and passengers?”

Get your copy at CRT, Audible or Amazon today!

 

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Into the Water…

From the amazing studio that brought you Powder River, The Martian Chronicles, Captain Blood and other thrilling tales- now adapted from the pure zombie nightmare comic- Dead Ahead! Written by Mel Smith and adapted for radio by Jack J. Ward, this terror-filled blood bath will keep you away from the water, and safely aboard while the moans from the unliving remain.. Dead Ahead. Listen to this trailer and look for the summer release from Colonial Radio Theatre in August!

 

I’m givin’ her all I’ve got Cap’n!

After a harrowing near week, the EVP server is back online again, which means for those who are interested not only is Electric Vicuña Productions website back up, but Jack J. Ward‘s woefully neglected site of writing news, as well as a myriad of behind the scenes projects that we keep under careful lock and key for the future.

What are those things you say? Well, script databases of notes, administrative checklists and workflow applications to aid in the day-to-day collections and operations. It’s pretty impressive, some of the projects that have been shepherded along the way.

In the meantime, if you’re hankering to join something, why not meet up at the Facebook group for Electric Vicuña Productions? Major announcements for new productions will show up there too!

And thanks for your patience!

Jack   🙂

Episode 275- Horn of Alarm

Jack wanders alone and lost in the sand tunes… before a strange figure beckons him onwards. “Strange Fate of Matthew Hornblower” and “Jack Sampson and The Roof of the World Part 1” by Broken Sea Audio are featured.

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