Radio Theater on the Web

RadioDrama Mailing List. An E-mail list for those interested in modern audio theater. Here's how you can join:

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Alien Voices - http://members.tripod.com/~MaryJensen/alienvoices/ - (CA) - Alien Voices was a company of Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie, both of Star Trek fame. The company is dedicated to bringing out audio versions of classic science fiction stories. They did four productions, including Wells' The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and then quit. This link is to an unofficial website, sanctioned by Nimoy and de Lancie. It does contain audio samples.

AM/FM Theater - http://www.amfmtheater.com/ - (Lowell, MA) - AMFM Theater is the home of The Grist Mill, featuring original audio horror short stories. Produced by Scott Hickey. Most recent production is Joe R. Lansdale's God of the Razor, which is excellent. Does contain audio samples.

Atlanta Radio Theater Company - http://www.artc.org/ - (GA). They like Science Fiction, horror, & H.P. Lovecraft, but they've done a wide variety of stuff. They perform every year at DragonCon, science fiction convention in Atlanta, GA. The only audio group licensed to produce Robert Heinlein short stories: The Dean's List is an excellent series. They have won two Mark Time Awards.

AudioDrama.com - http://www.audiodrama.com/. The page of a pair of voiceover actors. They only list two productions they have been involved with.

Audio Publishers Association (APA) - http://www.audiopub.org/. Home page of the trade organization that publishes so many of the tapes you listen to, or should be listening to. Books on tape, audio drama, anything in spoken word recording. They also present the Audie Awards each year.

Audio Theater - Mind Movies - Radio Drama - http://www.audiotheater.com/. This is a very thorough site dedicated to audio theater of many kinds. Sort of like mine, except that they have lots of lists without much description or review. They do have links and resources that I don't have. Good organization. Includes audio books, audio theater, audio hardware and software makers, even links to Film Sound sites. Look for their page on Who Does Audio Theater?, for a web site list of publishers, producers and distributors.

BBC Radio - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/ - (British Broadcasting Corp.). Listings of what's on BBC Radio channels. There is still a lot of drama and comedy there. They just keep cranking them out, year after year. Never give up, and that's great for all of us who like to listen. Radio 2 is the home of the Dr. Who radio series. (Watch out for their on-line magazine "RadioTimes", because it's about BBC TV, not radio at all. Go figure.

• You can order BBC Radio tapes from the BBC America web site at http://www.bbc-worldwide-americas.com/. It is NOT their complete catalog. There's also some at an Australian source, The ABC Shop On-Line at http://shop.abc.net.au/.

Beyond 2000, now 2000-X - http://www.irasov.com/future.htm. (CA) - Yuri Rasovsky's 2000 series of classic science fiction stories, 2000-X. Stories by Heinlein, Jules Verne, Ursula K. Le Guin, Harlan Ellison H. G. Wells, Connie Willis, A.E. Van Vogt, Ray Bradbury, and many more. Performers like Robin Williams, Samantha Eggar, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Foxworth, Arte Johnson, David Warner, Nancy Cartwright, Phil Proctor and Melinda Peterson, and more. It was originally titled Beyond 2000 (hence it's position in this list), but the threat of petty litigation caused him to change the name of the series. Aired on NPR Playhouse, when there was one. Many available on tapes and CDs. (Try ZBS.)

Blue Ridge Radio Players - http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/bibliographies/blueridgeradioplays.asp. Aka: the National Audio Theater. Makers and distributors of audio theater, especially for the blind and people with disabilities. Originally chartered by the State of North Carolina, they distribute a lot to libraries. They don't seem to have a website of their own any more, but the above will get you to a Missouri state library where you can order tapes. Their version of The Monkey's Paw, (29 minutes) available in MP3 download from http://www.audiobooks.org/

Boundary Waters Dramedy Dept. - http://www.bwatersmedia.com/page52.html - (Aurora, IL) Several CDs available of original work. They aren't in production any more, but this page can tell you where to find more info on their past productions. Shame, I was looking forward to "Zone Jumper."

California Artists Radio Theater - http://www.calartistsradiotheatre.org/. They produce regularly, doing adaptations of classic literature and original dramas. They have a very distinguished list of Hollywood actors in their casts. You can hear samples of their programs and purchase CDs on the website.

The Adventures of Captain Hudson - http://www.captainhudson.com/. A 5-hour "audio cinema" production with the sensibilities of an Old Time Radio series, but is a brand new story using modern writing and audio technology, digital sound effects and a full musical score. The story takes place in 1936, and is about a pilot and his cronies at a remote airfield in California. The website is of a superb design, and works well.

CBC Radio Drama - Monday Night Playhouse. (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/index.jsp?program=Monday+Night+Playhouse - Canadian broadcasting has a longer history of radio drama than the American media does. This is a listing for their series on Radio 2.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater - http://www.cbsrmt.info/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi. - Himan Brown's old CBS Radio Mystery Theater programs were very popular. This is a fan site with info about the episodes, where you can trade for tapes, discussion forums, and more. Also deals in other OTR adventure shows. Requires registering to participate.

Cephalopod Productions - http://www.cephalopod.com/. Producers of "The Apotheosis Saga", winner of a Gold 1996 Mark Time Award for best original production. A really excellent audio show and story, in 9 (of 10) episodes, available as podcasts. All done on Macintosh computers, no less. Final episode still promised.

Colonial Radio Theatre - http://www.colonialradio.com/. (Boston, MA) - The Colonial Radio Theatre On The Air produces American history based audio theater and other classics of American literature . They research the history and try to stay accurate to events. Acting on the productions is uneven, but the stories are engaging, and boy are they good at battle scenes! They are still producing and up to date. Their web site includes sample sound files from some programs, and you can order them directly or from some other catalogs, including LodesTone, or download many from Audible.com.

Comedy-O-Rama - http://www.comedyorama.com/radio/radio.htm. by Joe Bevilacqua. RealAudio files of comedy, especially Old Time Radio shows, and a number of original productions of his own. Try out The Listening Room, to hear the latest productions.

The Cosmic Forces - http://www.the-cosmic-forces.net/. The Soul Patrol are not angels, but they are sent with a mission from a higher source to bring ironic retribution to people who do evil. At least that's the impression I get from these stories. Short episodes of about 15 minutes each, to listen to in RealAudio format. Episode 6, "Bridge of Indecision", won an Ogle Award for Best Fantasy Audio Production of the Year. Site doesn't seem to have been updated since 2002.

Crazy Dog Audio Theatre - http://www.crazydogaudiotheatre.com/. (Dublin, Ireland). Home of Roger Gregg and his Mark Time Award winning audio stories of Bill Lizard, the guy with the cell phone that dials up other dimensions. Crazy Dog has done several series for RTE (Irish National Radio) and is working on their second series for the BBC. Great website for interviews and production information on audio theater.

Dirk Maggs, producer - http://www.dirkmaggs.dswilliams.co.uk/main%20page.htm. - Dirk Maggs is the producer of the new phases of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the BBC. He has done really excellent work since about 1988, including superhero comics, mysteries, science fiction, comedies, and variety shows. The site is full of info, few graphics, and no audio samples. Productions listed in numerous ways; by category, by year, alphabetically, etc. Impressive biography and credits.

Ask Dr. Science - http://www.ducksbreath.com/. - Go ahead. Ask Dr. Science. He knows more than you do. Want to submit a question to Dr. Science? This page tells you how. It also contains who and why, sound files and more. They are offering a Duck's Breath DVD of their work.

FinalRune Productions - http://www.finalrune.com/. - (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) Frederick Greenhalgh seems to have a lot to say about modern audio drama. He has new productions available on his site, along with several articles he's written on the state of the art. He hosts a program on WMPG in Portland ME, called Radio Drama Revival. A busy fellow with a real passion.

Firesign Theatre - http://www.firesigntheatre.com/. The official home page for the 4 or 5 Crazy Guys. Lots of crazy stuff, including new writings by Firesign members, and sounds from and info about their latest works together and separately, including some cool animations. There are links to a number of other web sites that have Firesign information.

Free Quincy Radio Theatre - http://www.freequincy.com/. Recreators of classic OTR, in southeast Wisconsin. Some live performances broadcast and streaming. (WTKM, Hartford, WI.)

Jim French Productions - http://www.jimfrenchproductions.com/. Makers of Imagination Theatre (see below). They have been doing this a long time. New stories and productions using Old Time Radio techniques and sensibilities. Known for their Adventures of Harry Nile mysteries.

Generations Radio Theater - http://www.radiotales.com/ (New address) - Generations Radio Theater has produced a series of dramatic readings of classic American literature marked by a top-to-bottom musical score fully integrated into the text. The site offers a listing of past programs, information about the series, and a number of MP3 sound samples from the programs broadcast via the now defunct NPR Playhouse.

GraphicAudio™ - http://www.graphicaudio.net/ - (Bethesda, MD). "GraphicAudio™ offers a unique storytelling experience that is brought to life with professional actors, scoring, and sound effects." Lavishly produced audiobooks with full cast for scenes. They seem to like large scale death-and-destruction Galactic Empire type novels. Intended for mature audiences. You can get a sample download, and they have a monthly podcast with interviews as well as trailers.

Great Northern Audio Theatre - http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/ - (Minneapolis/St. Paul). Producers Jerry Stearns and Brian Price create audio theater full of whimsy, original ideas and delightfully likeable characters. Great Northern includes work by each of the pair separately, and a number of works by the two of them together.

Growler Radio - http://www.growler.com/. Sophisticated storytelling for children. Their website shows them to have an extensive catalog of tapes and CDs aimed at children. "We use a huge palette of effects, sound design, music, kids, unusual voices, and audio environments all focused to maximize the storytelling power of sound.  And since listening in on the action is more interesting than listening to a storyteller, we NEVER use a narrator.  Growler stories are known for sophisticated audio production, richness of story content, and hefty doses of non-traditional thinking."

Hub City Spoke Repair - http://www.exit109.com/~hubcity/. (Jackson, NJ.) Sketch comedy from New Jersey, of all places. 42 episodes over 9 years. Don't appear to be producing now. Gave all their old episodes to be broadcast by Live365, which is annoying.

Imagination Theater - http://www.transmediasf.com/imag.html. Although I wouldn't agree, necessarily, with their claim that they do "the best radio drama in 50 years", they are producing a full hour each week in front of a live audience. And it's pretty good stuff, too. It airs on WCCO-AM radio in Minneapolis, Saturday nights at 11:00 PM and another hour at Midnight. Reminiscent of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater of a few years ago.

The Independent Eye - http://www.independenteye.org/ (CA). "The Independent Eye is a progressive theatre ensemble, now more than 30 years old, devoted to creating new plays and new visions of classics. Based in northern California, our work reaches a national audience through touring, public radio, and publication." Their listings for public radio programs look pretty good, though I haven't heard it myself.

Independent Radio Drama Productions - http://www.irdp.co.uk/ - (UK). One of the biggest and most certainly the best radio drama production companies in the United Kingdom. I've heard a number of their pieces on National Public Radio here. The Web Site has information about their broadcast schedules, tapes available from them, and some excellent tips on writing radio drama. Recently Tim Crook has published here a chapter from his forthcoming book about "International Radio Drama." Excellent reading. I've never met them, but I like them already.

L.A. TheatreWorks - http://www.latw.org/. (Los Angeles. CA). Producing classic and contemporary radio theater, with some of the best known actors in Hollywood. The ones I've heard have been very good. Performed live, though you would never know from listening to it. They have a catalog of tapes available through their website, too. Producing Director, Susan Loewenberg.

Last Summer Productions - http://www.lastsummer.com/ - They have changed their focus on the website, and it leads to a lot of stuff unrelated to audio theater. You can still find their high fantasy production called Ebon Storms, based on a roll playing game. Samples are available for listening on their web site, as are CDs of Ebon Storms and their other production, The Will of Osiris.

Little Evil Things - http://www.littleevilthings.com/ . Short horror stories performed by one voice, to sound effects and music. They come well reviewed, though their short on-line examples don't really give you enough of an idea of how good they are over a complete story. Five volumes available on CD or cassette.

LodesTone Catalog - http://www.lodestoncatalog.com/ - (Bloomington, IN). This is a GREAT catalog of audio theater, videos, Firesign Theatre, Norman Corwin, and much more! Has some audio sites that even I don't list!

Mark Trail Radio Theatre - http://www.kfai.org/programs/mtrt.htm (Minneapolis, MN). Though the website is still there, it hasn't been aired in some time, and the Friday Night Poker Party isn't on the air any more either. Babs took the previous week's Mark Trail newspaper comic strip, rewrote it into a hilarious take-off on the story, and put it all together into one of the funniest and hippest radio comic strips anywhere. Just read the story synopses on the Web Site for a hint of how good this is. Won a Silver Reel Award from the NFCB for best radio drama. Great stuff!

Mind's Ear Audio Productions - http://www.minds-ear.org/index.htm - (Bloomington, IN). A fairly new production company. Recent production of French Quarter, a 13-part series about modern day New Orleans, won a Golden Headset Award from Audio World.

New Hampshire Radio Theater - http://www.nhrt.org - (Nashua, NH) - New Hampshire Radio Theater -- "the best way to describe it is -- we are a "we are the world" of NH radio -- people from many different stations come together during Halloween and Christmas to put on benefit live shows for charity (M.A.D.D. and the NH Association for the Blind) and have them replayed on a network of about 19 stations in NH."

Otherworld Media - http://www.otherworldmedia.org/. (Freeland, WA). Producers of "The 50th Anniversary Production of the War of the Worlds" and many other excellent audio theater works. Judith Walcutt and David Ossman have many years of experience and some spectacular productions available: "Wonderful Wizard of Oz", Raymond Chandler's "Goldfish", Norman Corwin's "We Hold These Truths", "Empire of the Air", "The Red Badge of Courage", for example. No audio samples, but links to GeorgeTirebiter.com and LivefromtheIslands.com.

Otherworld News - http://www.otherworldnews.com/whiskey_radio.htm. - It's all laid out as though it were a sort-of tabloid newspaper website, with stories and staff information. But it's most important link to us is that of "The Mystery of Whiskey Flats", an "Audio Journal" about a disappearance. Two 15-minute episodes available for download in Windows Media Player format. Very good production. The link above is directly to the audio journal page, but there's more to look at.

Radio College - http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=3. (San Francisco, CA). Now hosted by AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio. Here they are compiling articles about the production of audio by some of the best in the country. A very good resource for writing, producing, directing and listening. Don't seem to have anything directly related to audio theater any more.

Radio Repertory Company of America - http://www.rrca.com/ - (NJ). Producers of the detective stories of "Garson Krebs". Good homage to the hard-boiled dicks, played straight to great comic effect. There are ten episodes so far. "The Brooke Sisters" series is about two wonderfully eccentric ex-criminals who now help solve murders. A Sci-Fi story with Marina Sirtis of ST:TNG titled "Flight of the Bumble Bee" is available. The Anne Manx series, with Claudia Christian, of Babylon 5, now has three stories in it, and a fourth is on the way. It's quite good fun.

Radioteatern - http://www.yle.fi/radioteatern/english/index.htm - (Swedish Radio Theater in Finland) This is the English Language page, though they have Finnish and Swedish versions, too. I just like the concept of this: as though we were doing radio especially for French-Canadians.

The Radio Works - http:/www.suemedia.com/. (New York City) The Radio Works is a showcase of modern radio theater eminating from Hempstead, NY, on Long Island. They distribute examples of the works of contemporary producers from all over the country to stations in 32 states and Australia. They have been around for 15 years, and definitely cover the wide diversity of program that is available out there. We air some of them on Sound Affects.

Searcher and Stallion - http://www.searcherandstallion.com/ - (Salt Lake City, Utah). Started out as a "narrative drama" with music and sound effects, but they have moved into full cast productions now. Reasonably well written, good music and effects. Good characters and little science fictional touches - like the space suit. Web site has an image, a description and email address, and nothing else.

Seeing Ear Theatre - http://www.scifi.com/set/. Part of the Dominion, a product of The Sci-Fi Channel. A virtual radio station for a high tech age. They have RealAudio feeds of classic OTR science fiction, and original works, too. Some very good imaginative stuff. Give a listen. Produced by Brian Smith, including a series by J. Michael Straczinski, of Babylon 5. No more being produced, so listen to what is there before they decide to take it away.

Shoestring Radio Theater - http://www.shoestring.org/ - (and Movie Magazine). (San Francisco, CA.) They have an impressive record, having been at it for a long time. They have corporate sponsors so they can distribute a show every week via the Public Radio Satellite. Pretty good scripts, good production. Acting has been their weakest point, I think.

Sound Affects: A Radio Playground - http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/sound_affects/sfx.html (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN). I host this weekly program on KFAI-FM. A half-hour, Saturdays at 3:00 PM. 90.3 or 106.7 FM. Also available in realtime and archived on-line at www.kfai.org. Current Schedule. Radio drama, comedy, and the unexpected juxtaposition of audio works.

Soundings... by Jeff Green - http://www.strangermedia.com/soundingenter.html - (Ottawa, Ontario.) This is an unofficial website devoted to the audio theater of Jeff Green. This guy is really good! The shows are intricate, fun to listen to, and very well produced. A flashy splash screen entry point and a strange looking website, but it is called Stranger Media after all. Jeff's terrific tapes are available through this website, or from the LodesTone catalog.

Soundmind Theater - http://www.soundmindtheater.com/. These guys are certainly covering the gamut of stories, with "Curse of Dracula", "Captain Kruton, Space Marshall of the Universe" and the new Civil War production, "Antietam: The Lost Command." Clearly they aren't tied down to any particular style. Website hasn't been updated since 2001, and no new productions are listed.

Stage Shadows Productions - http://www.stageshadows.com/. (NY, NY) "Radio Like You've Never Seen It!"™ "We have been producing fully sound-scaped audio theatre for 6 years now. During our season, we produce monthly before a live audience at The Museum of Television & Radio in midtown Manhattan. Our shows air over WFUV 90.5 FM in New York." They also accept scripts from writers. See their guidelines at http://www.stageshadows.com/scripts.html.

Yuri Rasovsky - Audio Dramatist - http://www.irasov.com/. The irrascible Yuri has done some remarkable work over many years. Recently released some good science fiction for public radio in the 2000-X Series. He's also done some really good "highbrow" work, like his 5-part series on Ben Franklin in London, Craven Street. .
Yuri has finished his book on Audio production, "The Well-Tempered Audio Dramatist", and it is posted on the web by the National Audio Theater Festivals (NATF) at http://www.natf.org/wad/. They are also taking orders for a printed book edition.

ZBS Foundation - http://www.zbs.org/ - (Upstate New York). Makers of "RUBY, The Galactic Gumshoe," various adventures of Jack Flanders, and lots more. Really, really good! Well written, great production, and don't take themselves seriously. Fun to listen to. (See more details in my Science Fiction on Radio page at http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/sf_radio/SFradio.html.)

Most recently released "Stars and Stuff", some older stories out for the first time on CD. Cool imaginative light fantasy. RUBY 5 is out, AND a new Jack Flanders adventure, Return to Inverness. He's also released The Best of Saratoga Springs, two CDs of episodes from the lengthy episode series, and some material from the RUBY archives on CD. Some ZBS mysteries came out in 2003, including Fat Cats 2, a mystery set on an Island in the Hudson River. RUBY 7 is in the planning stages. Always something new going on in upstate New York.

ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha - The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Appreciation Web Site - http://www.zz9.org/. (England). A homey little web site for proper appreciators of the Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Show, aired first on the BBC in 1978, and a world-weird phenomonon since then in books, Television, audio books, and someday to be a movie. (Douglas Adams died of a heart attack in May, 2001. We miss him enormously. And his favorite version of the Hitchhiker's Guide is the radio production.)

Old Time Radio

"The radio play, a new form of dramatic interest, is increasing rapidly in popularity. Go to a movie and then come home and listen to a Radario and you will have received two exactly opposite theatrical effects. Perhaps, in the near future, you may have both movie and Radio broadcast to you.
"Of course, scenes and acts from current plays are often broadcast, but many eastern stations now have their own theatrical groups and give plays especially adapted for Radio use. Pretend you are blind and listen to these plays. The better your imagination, the better the play." -- Radio Digest, Oct. 27, 1923

Old Time Radio (OTR) WWW Page - http://www.old-time.com/toc.html. Maintained by Lou Genco, of Airwaves and rec.radio.broadcasting. Includes lists of OTR Clubs and Libraries, history and articles on OTR, and lots of related links. Very comprehensive.

Radio Days - Jim Widner's OTR Page - http://www.otr.com/. Program Logs, sound files, and lots of Old Time Radio drama resources. Also, Jim wrote a book, with Meade Frierson, titled SF on Radio: A Revised Look at 1950-1975. Good introduction to the subject, or good info for the afficianado.

The Vintage Radio Place - http://www.otrsite.com/. A site created by the gentleman who started SPERDVAC, a club for Old Time Radio enthusiasts and collectors. Lots of good information, links, and a great attitude. He truly loves the stuff.

U Memphis Radio Program Archive - http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mbensman/. Maintained by Professor Marvin R. Bensman, J.D., Ph.D. BIG graphics on first page, that takes a long time to load.

Yesterday USA - http://www.yesterdayusa.com/. An on-line "SuperStation" broadcasting OTR programs 24 hours a day. Lots of articles about the behind the scenes of OTR, like the history of the NBC Chimes. Neato!