Why radio works: ‘TV’s off-Broadway’ June 18, 2007
Posted by William Spear in >> News, >> Out Basket, >> Radio Drama.1 comment so far
Contained within the pages of Gerald Nachman’s intelligent “Raised on Radio” (1998; Pantheon Books; New York) are nuggets of insight on radio’s passage from entertainment prominence to eclipsed by television.
Nachman coins a line which describes how Fred Allen’s biting wit and satire thrived on radio but never quite made a transition into television:
Radio was, and remains even now, TV’s off-Broadway.”
Perhaps Nachman sees a future in which radio returns to a vibrancy and eclecticity not possible with television.
Perhaps radio might become a business development tool with lower production costs, quicker turnaround times, and broader distribution than other performance means.
Perhaps radio can extend the financial life of entertainment offerings or bridge the time between offerings. Imagine audio prequels of the superheroes killed off in the back story of The Incredibles.
Perhaps radio can fully illuminate acting brilliance as a skill separate and distinct from physical appearance.
Perhaps radio might capitalize on the excitement of live theatre and generate quality, contemporary storytelling.
Radio works. Beyond perhaps, it definitely works.
# 30 #
L. A. Theatre Works: J. Edgar, by Tom Leopold, Peter Matz, and Harry Shearer, on Saturday 23 June June 18, 2007
Posted by William Spear in >> News, >> Radio Drama.add a comment
This Saturday, June 23 from 10 pm – midnight on 89.3 KPCC, L.A. Theatre Works’ The Play’s the Thing will air J. Edgar by Tom Leopold, Peter Matz and Harry Shearer.
Starring John Goodman, Kelsey Grammer, Harry Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, and Christopher Guest, J. Edgar is a sidesplitting musical about one of the most powerful men of the 20th Century. Learn about his secret love life, his need for personal privacy, and his obsession with knowing the private affairs of others. If you weren’t so busy laughing and humming the tunes, the show might upset you! The broadcast includes an interview with Harry Shearer.
Where to listen
The series can also be heard on 89.1 KUOR in Redlands; 94.1 KPFA in Northern California; 91.5 FM WBEZ in Chicago; 91.1 FM KRCB in Sonoma County; 93.5 FM KRTS Marfa Public Radio (Texas); 89.7 WGBH in Boston; 94.9 KUOW in Seattle; 88.9 FM KUNM in Albuquerque; as well as on many other public radio stations nationwide and XM Satellite Radio. Selected programs from LATW are also heard internationally over BBC World Service, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Telefis Eirann (Ireland), Radio Hong Kong, and Radio New Zealand. The L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collection is available in bookstores, libraries, through their catalog, digitally on itunes, overdrive.com, audible.com, and on the L.A. Theatre Works website at http://www.latw.org/ .
Entire schedule
To get a full schedule, go to the L.A. Theatre Works website at http://www.latw.org/ and follow the link through the “Radio Theatre Series” heading and then “Episode Guide” or go directly to http://www.scpr.org/ for KPCC.
Additional support
Additional support for the series is provided by AudioFile Magazine. Listeners can visit their website at http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/ to view 65 reviews of LATW plays and hear sound clips from them. The Beverly Hilton hotel is the official hotel for The Play’s the Thing.
# 30 #
