Open Media Review

Audio Dramas Galore

Reader Jeremiah McCoy sent this in, thanks, McCoy!

In the early days of radio the search for new ways to use the medium led to different directions. One of the most memorable was the Radio Play or Audio Drama. This art form started as traditional stage plays read into a microphone for broadcast. Later the writers and producers of radio shows began to see the potential of the medium and wrote specific stories just for the Radio. Using Foley artist and musicians to create soundscapes, radio dramas were quickly becoming the popular medium of choice.

The power of these radio plays is best shown in famous 1938 Halloween War of the Worlds broadcast. Produced by the Mercury Radio Theater and staring Orson Wells, the show literally through people in a panic as many believed the fictional broadcast about invaders from Mars was genuine.

Despite its power and popularity, radio plays in the US began to fall to wayside in the 1950’s. The popularity of television began to drive the radio shows to the background. It slowly declined to almost non existence here in the US. There were of course enthusiast groups maintaining the form. The BBC and other channels outside of the United States also continued and still continue to produce new shows.

Than came podcasting.

The ease with which people could distribute audio files across the internet allowed many people to make any sort of audio format show they wanted. The enthusiasts for radio plays saw this as an opportunity to share their love of the medium of audio dramas. New productions were popping up all the time and being distributed in a free an open manner to make sure the word got out. Now there are over a hundred audio drama productions to be found on the web. They feature full casts spread across the globe, sound effects and often featuring creative commons released music.

One of the first ones to look at is the Sonic Society. They are a podcast which features other audio drama productions. A different group is featured in every episode. As well as sometimes having their own in house productions, Jack and Shannon also interview the people making some of the best shows available today. [ed. note: This page informed me about this, which I pray will be going out on the Internet soon after the production. Squeee! Don't panic.]

Another prominent production to check out is Decoder Ring Theater. These guys do a classic radio show production with good writing and brilliant voice acting. Their two main shows are The Adventures of the Red Panda and Black Jack Justice. They are both serialized tales in the fine traditions of The Shadow and Nick Danger.

These are only a couple of the productions being released by podcast feed. There are many many more. If you enjoy a good full production audio tale these are but a couple of shows you should look into.