Line producer Matthew Boudreau takes over while David Rheinstrom is away in France. This week's story is A Dread Light Shine in the Serpent's Sky, a collaborative audio fiction piece created for 11th Hour Productions by the folks at Audioblivious Productiobs, Jim Robbie and the Wanderers and Koach Studios. 11th Hour Audio - http://www.11thhouraudio.com Audioblivious Productions - https://www.audioblivious.com/ Jim Robbie and the Wanderers - http://jimrobbieandthewanderers.com/ Koach Studios - ht...
Jun 17, 2017•35 min•Ep. 460
Professor Neil Verma joins me to discuss his essay series, “The Case for Audio Drama”. He’s a professor of Sound Studies at Northwestern University, and a longtime scholar of audio drama. We discuss the history of the form, and areas of his particular interest: radio drama from the 30s through the 50s. But we don’t just talk about old stuff! Professor Verma is as excited as I am about the audio fiction being produced today. Join us as we connect the styles and conventions of the vibrant old stuf...
Jun 10, 2017•50 min•Ep. 459
As a note, Alexander Charles Adams now uses they/them pronouns. This week, Alexander Charles Adams of SMASH/CUT joins me to discuss their piece, “Hi, I’m Mattie (HIM)”. Matthew Cavan is an actor and drag queen in Belfast, Northern Ireland; they came out about their HIV-positive status in 2010, and has since faced a torrent of criticism, shaming, and even death threats. The piece we’re playing today, “Hi, I’m Mattie”, is a verbatim piece -- that is, the script is taken word-for-word from interact...
May 28, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 458
Ahh, ancient Greece. Hot nymphs, raging orgies, much wine, song, and occasional transformations into a goat. All well and good, right? Well things are more wacky than ever in the sizzling and scandalous interpretation of the myth of Orpheus done by Roger Gregg, The Stuff of Myth. This great production won a Gold Ogle in 2007 and has gotten rave reviews as a stage play. Now hear what the buzz is all about in Parts 3-4 of The Stuff of Myth.
May 20, 2017•53 min
NOTE: This interview took place before Daniel Mallory Ortberg came out as a man, so you'll hear me call him by his previous name and use female pronouns. Here are the rest of the show notes as they ran in May 2017: We conclude our two-part conversation series around The Handmaid's Tale, which you can find in an Audio Drama form over at Secrets, Crimes, and Audiotape. This week, I had the great pleasure of talking to Mallory Ortberg, a writer, culture critic, and advice columnist. She's Dear Prud...
May 14, 2017•40 min•Ep. 457
Ahh, ancient Greece. Hot nymphs, raging orgies, much wine, song, and occasional transformations into a goat. All well and good, right? Well things are more wacky than ever in the sizzling and scandalous interpretation of the myth of Orpheus done by Roger Gregg, The Stuff of Myth. This great production won a Gold Ogle in 2007 and has gotten rave reviews as a stage play. Now hear what the buzz is all about in Parts 1-2 of The Stuff of Myth.
May 07, 2017•53 min
Podcaster, culture critic, and ne'er-do-well Margaret Willison (of Appointment Television and NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour) joins me to talk about THE HANDMAID'S TALE -- specifically, the 2000 production by John Dryden that ran recently on Secrets, Crimes, and Audiotape (our sibling show on the Wondery Network). Join me and Margaret as we alternate between quality goofs and serious discussion. Margaret's newsletter, TWO BOSSY DAMES: tinyletter.com/twobossydames Margaret's podcast, APPOINTMENT TE...
Apr 29, 2017•34 min•Ep. 456
Today RDR from the Vault launches a series of episodes highlighting Roger Gregg, playwright master of Dublin, Ireland. Roger pioneered his own audio sound, a wacky blend of Captain Beefheart sonic assault and an intimate, fine theatre sensibility. He produced for RTE - that’s the public radio of Ireland- for the better part of a decade and since parting ways with them has continued on mostly on stage but ocacsionally gracing us with an audio piece. What we’ll hear today is one of the latter type...
Apr 22, 2017•51 min
This week, things are going to get spooky at Radio Drama Revival as we delve into the world of horror audio fiction. David talks to Marc Sollinger and Dan Powell, the evil minds behind Archive 81 and The Deep Vault. They discuss the horror fiction that makes them tick, how to construct audio fiction that’ll make your skin crawl, and what it’s like to collaborate with one of your closest friends. We’ll also take a listen to the first episode of their show Archive 81, which is about a young man wi...
Apr 15, 2017•58 min•Ep. 455
Re-play of the 2012 BBC Series "The Mumbai Chuzzlewits," adapted by Ayeesha Menon from the Charles Dickens novel "Martin Chuzzlewits," and transposed to Modern India. Produced by John Dryden of Goldhawk Productions. Convinced his relatives are after his money, miserly old recluse Martin Chuzzlewit (Roshan Seth), adopts orphan girl, Mary (Nimrat Kaur), to be his carer. As she will inherit nothing upon his death, he believes she will do her utmost to keep him in good health. But when his grandson ...
Apr 07, 2017•58 min
My Wondery Network pal Lindsay Graham joins me to talk about his political thriller series, TERMS, in which a terrifying demagogue captures the U.S. Presidency. The outgoing president does everything in his power to stop him, by pulling out some astonishingly dirty tricks. There's something in it for folks of every political persuasion. It's a fabulous show, and not to be missed! We play the first two episodes of TERMS, and then Lindsay and I sit down to talk about the show's origins, his theory...
Apr 01, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 454
Re-play of the 2012 BBC Series "The Mumbai Chuzzlewits," adapted by Ayeesha Menon from the Charles Dickens novel "Martin Chuzzlewits," and transposed to Modern India. Produced by John Dryden of Goldhawk Productions. Convinced his relatives are after his money, miserly old recluse Martin Chuzzlewit (Roshan Seth), adopts orphan girl, Mary (Nimrat Kaur), to be his carer. As she will inherit nothing upon his death, he believes she will do her utmost to keep him in good health. But when his grandson ...
Mar 29, 2017•58 min
Children's author, jazz bassist, and entertainment impresario Chris Tarry joins me for a talk about his production, THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL. We play the first episode of the show -- a kind of thriller-adventure for middle schoolers -- and talk about his musical history, telling stories that represent all kinds of kids, and the importance of getting into Good Trouble.
Mar 20, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 453
Re-play of the 2012 BBC Series "The Mumbai Chuzzlewits," adapted by Ayeesha Menon from the Charles Dickens novel "Martin Chuzzlewits," and transposed to Modern India. Produced by John Dryden of Goldhawk Productions. Convinced his relatives are after his money, miserly old recluse Martin Chuzzlewit (Roshan Seth), adopts orphan girl, Mary (Nimrat Kaur), to be his carer. As she will inherit nothing upon his death, he believes she will do her utmost to keep him in good health. But when his grandson ...
Mar 13, 2017•58 min
Join me as we dive into the world of The Penumbra, an anthology series that updates classic genre stories with some well-deserved representation. We play their revised Part I of Juno Steel and the Murderous Mask, and chat about genre fiction, the philosophy of science fiction, and Problematic Faves.
Mar 04, 2017•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 452
By special permission from Tom Lopez (AKA Meatball Fulton) we have another edition of RDR in the Vault! While exploring a cave in Belize, Jack Flanders hears a voice calling his name. Deep within, he discovers a woman who appears to have risen up out of the cave floor. Her entire body is covered in tiny calcite crystals. Jack wonders, “Is she a Mayan goddess of the Underworld?” But then he wakes up. Jack keeps having these dreams, being lost in a cave until finally in the jungles of Belize, he f...
Feb 25, 2017•30 min
Multimedia artist Richard Penner joins me for a chat about his surreal, experimental microfiction show, The Infinite Now, a program that features a mysterious entity known only as The TIMESCANNER. Richard and I talk about the origins of the show, the nature of time, love, and the beautiful poison of chemical pigments. If you head over to theinfinitenow.org , you can catch an EXCLUSIVE interview I did with the TIMESCANNER himself. It's pretty friggin' sweet....
Feb 18, 2017•56 min•Ep. 451
By special permission from Tom Lopez (AKA Meatball Fulton) we have another edition of RDR in the Vault! While exploring a cave in Belize, Jack Flanders hears a voice calling his name. Deep within, he discovers a woman who appears to have risen up out of the cave floor. Her entire body is covered in tiny calcite crystals. Jack wonders, “Is she a Mayan goddess of the Underworld?” But then he wakes up. Jack keeps having these dreams, being lost in a cave until finally in the jungles of Belize, he f...
Feb 11, 2017•30 min
I had the opportunity to talk to Ann Heppermann, the founder of the Sarah Awards, and a co-host of the marvelous audio art podcast SERENDIPITY. We talk about the origin of the awards, her fictitious self on the podcast, and her history working with audio tape. Enjoy!
Feb 05, 2017•38 min•Ep. 450
By special permission from Tom Lopez (AKA Meatball Fulton) we have another edition of RDR in the Vault! While exploring a cave in Belize, Jack Flanders hears a voice calling his name. Deep within, he discovers a woman who appears to have risen up out of the cave floor. Her entire body is covered in tiny calcite crystals. Jack wonders, “Is she a Mayan goddess of the Underworld?” But then he wakes up. Jack keeps having these dreams, being lost in a cave until finally in the jungles of Belize, he f...
Jan 27, 2017•30 min
Can you believe it? This podcast has been around for A DECADE! I'm so grateful for the trust you've put in me, that Fred and the team have put in me, to helm this show. And what better way to honor our tenth anniversary than with a star-studded funstravaganza? I play an episode of Ryan Estrada's brilliant stumbleheist adventure, BIG DATA. Then, I sit down with Ryan, a cartoonist who made his way to audio fiction. Here's to ten more years of Radio Drama Revival! Thanks for sticking with us....
Jan 21, 2017•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 449
This week, we’re playing Wynabego Warrior: The Tale of John Waynnabe ( eagle screech ), the wacky western epic by Audioblivious Productions. John is a mysterious drifter who drives around the West(ern part of Kentucky) in a souped-up RV, righting wrongs. It’s a rollicking good time! Later on, I chat with Austin, who co-founded Audioblivious Productions and plays John in the show.
Jan 17, 2017•47 min•Ep. 451
I'm all about the growth mindset: the idea that you can always improve yourself and your work, and to me, nothing embodies that more than JIM ROBBIE AND THE WANDERERS, a constantly-evolving production that puts fun, ingenuity, and optimism where you'd never expect it: the apocalypse. The world is different, scorched, sunk, and changed, but that doesn't really seem to bother our heroes, a wacky traveling band composed of two humans and a tin-can robot. Their off-kilter adventures take them throug...
Dec 24, 2016•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 448
This week, we explore HECTOR VS THE FUTURE, a bleakly-funny comedy podcast, recorded live in London by members of the creative team that brought us WOODEN OVERCOATS. Created by comedy writers James Huntrods and James Hamilton, HECTOR VS THE FUTURE is the story of two rival museums: the Uptodateum, the most au courant museum in town, and the Obsoleteum, a rusted hulk of an institution. We're playing Episode 3 of the show, and after the feature, I'll speak to director Andy Goddard and composer Oði...
Dec 10, 2016•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 447
This week, Our Fair City’s executive producer, Jeffrey Gardner, joins me for a chat and a deep dive into one of his favorite episodes, the season 4 finale of OFC. Warning: this episode contains spoilers for, y’know, the first four seasons of Our Fair City. Proceed with caution! After the feature, Jeffrey and I discuss the piece, the power of myth, embarrassing stories from childhood, and self-care for artists.
Nov 26, 2016•57 min•Ep. 446
We're belatedly celebrating World Audio Drama Day by bringing you two fabulous and spooky productions from 11th Hour--the annual tradition wherein audio dramatists of every stripe come together and make spine-tingling, spur-of-the-moment audio fiction in the month of October. Producers Eli and Matt are on-hand to explain. First, you'll hear 11th Hour Northeast's HEAVENLY DECEPTION, a 70s-cult thriller that takes place in a sleepy little beach town. Then, I briefly interview Steve Schneider, the ...
Nov 12, 2016•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 445
Host emeritus Fred Greenhalgh is back to try out the sofa and tell us about his new podcast, "The Dark Tome." What if there was a book that literally opened up doorways to other worlds? Where would it lead, and could you handle what you found on the other side? Cassie, a wayward teen, is about to find out. One day, after she wraps up community service at a local hospital, she stumbles out of the basement of a spooky bookshop and into a story set on a devil's staircase in a remote Italian village...
Oct 29, 2016•44 min•Ep. 444
This week, I play Episode One of Gareth Stack's startling psychological thriller, "The Wall in the Mind". It's the tale of a city split down the middle, and a woman whose life split with it. Claire O'Hanlon was a young woman in 1989 --an Irish national on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall--when she was arrested by the Stasi, the East German secret police. After months of imprisonment and interrogation, Claire was set free, only to find the world had changed; the Wall had come down, and her lov...
Oct 15, 2016•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 443
This week, say goodbye to Spooktember and HELLO TO SHOCKTOBER! Thunderbolt We’re beginning a month of spookitude, commencing with John Ballentine and Campfire Radio Theater. This piece is called “Woods Ferry”, about a band of weekend treasure hunters who travel to a South Carolina ghost town, only to discover ~exactly~ why it was abandoned. This is a binaural piece; listen with headphones if you can!
Oct 01, 2016•34 min•Ep. 442
This week, we're taking a little detour into UNCANNY COUNTY, the brainchild of playwrights Alison Crane and Todd Faulkner, both proud children of Oklahoma. I play an episode of theirs, "Coulrophobia" (which is about spooky, spooky clowns!), and then the three of us have a little chat. Alison tells me a secret! Todd reveals the travails of creating custom foley for an army of [SPOILERS]! We talk at length about the unique qualities of Oklahoma that inform UNCANNY COUNTY; then Alison reads our hor...
Sep 03, 2016•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 441
