Audio Theater Galore This October

For us audio dramatists, October is our Christmas.? Something about the nature of the season — with its penchant for spooky stories told around campfires, couches or cauldrons, combined with a love for eerie music and things that go bump in the night — makes our nigh forsaken artform spring to life to a surprising part of the population… including public radio!

Nearly even producer out there is making the most of this, including myself, and as I’ve been scrambling to put together the utterly frightful Halloween special, I’ve heard about similar efforts by many other excellent artists… So, to suit your audio listening, here are some other tales to tickle your eardrums with this October!

First would be the FreeQuincy Radio Theater.? They’re a passionately local theater group from Wisconsin, bringing the best elements of classic and new audio drama to their live presentations.? In celebration of the spooky holiday, they’re featuring several new and older works:

Sunday October 14th = Alex Stoli, Private Detective: The Act of Jealousy

Sunday October 21st = When Lightning Strikes

Sunday October 28th = Spring Cleaning Invasion

October 31st = Gangster’s Ghostcapades -FreeQuincy Radio Theater’s first studio recording.

Another exciting announcement came from Willamette Radio Workshop — now, I’m remiss in not having featured their outstanding work yet, but the WRW is a training ground for some excellent dramatists and produces some of the best-sound work you’ll hear anywhere.? Not the least among their great talents is the outstanding work of Sam Mowry, whose bold and commanding voice is far better suited for interesting audio drama roles than radio commercials (at least in *our* humble opinion…)

Hear their contribution to the horrorsphere this Halloween with excellent renditions of Frankenstein and The Confessions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Off the beaten path from horror is a third episode of Dick Dynamo, the absurd transdimensional adventures of a man who is “ready to pack a punch to any villain or meager elderly lady who stands in his way.”? You will find the stories are incredulous as they are amusing, and an apt satire that still honors the works of its origins.

Also, while not producing any new works for the holiday, I’d be remiss in not noting another great producer of audio stories.? The Wireless Theatre Company is a UK-based producer of a range of great stories, tackling the comic to the tragic, with some of the finest writing, acting, and directing talent.? Best of all, it’s all free and available via digital downloadable!

Finally, on Halloween, rumor has it that Dreamseed will finally release the first episode of “Soul Rift,” the series about psychic ghost-hunting detectives.

All of these stories are well worth your ears, and I hope to get the time to review and feature them in greater depth in the coming weeks on the show… And until then, keep your ears open!