The Return of the Blog!

Wow, it's been a long time! Apologies to anyone (assuming there still is anyone) reading this blog, but various things (change of job, a move back to the UK and some health problems) rather took over my life, and then the longer I left it the more difficult it became to restart. Thanks to all those who contacted me - guilt, it seems, is a good motivator!

With the time away I've had a chance to think - when I decide to start this blog it was before I discovered the other excellent blogs around, and a while before Audio Drama Talk was created. I started it as a way to contact other fans and let people know about the great audio dramas I'd found (and also to get myself writing). Since then I've discovered that there are many more that I'd imagined and that they are rapidly growing in number, which is brilliant but a little overwhelming! Also because of the serialised format, I think people want to know what's good now rather than reviews of finished productions.

So I'm taking this opportunity for a little 'blog revamp' - I'll be concentrating on audio dramas I discover and am listening to (and probably some podcast audio book since I've been listening to those as well recently) as well as general news items.

So thanks for staying with me, and happy listening!

Talk Audio Drama!

Now there's a brand new place on the web now to discuss your favourite audio dramas - Audio Drama Talk. The good folks at the Sonic Society suggested the idea and Marcus Beattie has put it into practice, and very good it looks too.

The forum allows you to discuss your favourite shows, chat to fellow audiophiles and get advice about doing your own production - see you over there!

Discuss audio dramas

Are you wanting to discuss your favourite audio dramas with other listeners? I've been sent a link to Radioplay Contests which has a forum to discuss audio dramas. They also have a section for auditioning for minor roles and are starting a podcast. Darker Projects also has a forum.

If you're wanting more serious discussions about the future of audio drama there's a Modern Audio Drama forum and there are some interesting discussions at Final Rune.

If you know of other places leave a link in the comments.

NATF 2008 script contest

The National Audio Theatre has just posted their 2008 script contest. The deadline is Nov 15th - see the site for details. The National Audio Theatre also has various resources for writing and directing audio dramas including an annual workshop and online textbook "The Well-Tempered Audio Dramatist".

Experimental audio from the UK

Britain has, for a number of years, been leading the way in professional audio drama, mainly through the support of the BBC which commissions many hours of radio drama and readings each week. However with podcasting opening up the field, things are developing in the UK (see this article in the Guardian newspaper). and the BBC are starting to think about more experimental forms of audio drama. Radio 4 is making a feature film to be shown in UK cinemas in 2008 before being broadcast in digital radio. The film involves audio and visuals, however it is the audio that is the dominant method of story telling.

One great blog I've come across is the audiodrama blog (nearly the same name as this blog!). It's run by a guy with BBC connections and dedicated to 'creative' audio (particularly short, experimental work). There's even a possibility of winning a BBC commission!

Other audio drama blogs etc...

Well, now that I've written a few posts, I should let you know about a couple of other existing blogs on audio drama.

Firstly there's the great audio addict blog which is well established and has lots of cool stuff (and lots of links). Although it supposedly deals with all things audio, the majority of the posts are about audio drama, with some great news and reviews.

The other main blog I visit is Radio drama revival. They also have an excellent podcast featuring dramas (series and individual stories) from various different companies (including some you'd otherwise have to pay money for!). The blog also contains news and reviews from the world of audio drama and links to new dramas.

There are also lots of other blogs out there on specific podcasts and mainly contain information on their own audio drama - interesting but not as useful as the blogs above. Also, there may well be some out there that I haven't heard of - if so let me know!

A.D.D.

Audio Drama Disorder: the disorder where you have to listen to that episode despite being at work, because you can still be focussed and productive while listening to your ipod - right?

Welcome

Welcome to my first post! In this blog I'm planning to post news, discussion and reviews of audio dramas.

What is audio drama?
Audio drama (and for those search engines out there!) audio theatre, audio cinema, radio drama (when on the radio), pod drama/theatre/plays (when podcast) are dramatisations of stories using sound only. In the 'golden age' of radio, before TV, radio dramas were very popular, however nowadays there is much less drama on radio, particularly in the US. Some of these original 'old time radio' programs are available for free over the internet. Modern radio dramas are still being produced; the BBC in the UK has a number of new and repeated dramas available on Radio 4 and Radio 7 over the web. There are also companies who make audio dramas for sale on CD/tape.

Podcast drama
With the recent popularity in podcasting many groups are now producing their own dramas for free distribution over the web. Although many of these productions are not completely 'professional' quality, there are a lot of great stories and ideas out there, and both the quality and quantity of drama podcasts seem to be increasing each year. It's a great way for writers to get their stories heard, amateurs to have a go at acting and professionals to get experience - it always amazes me how much energy, time and soul everyone puts into these productions. So, a big thank you to everyone involved from this listener!