The Playgoer: WNYC Revives Radio Drama

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

WNYC Revives Radio Drama

We're in a Depression again, so why not bring back radio plays!

The local NPR, WNYC is launching a new program in a new studio for live broadcast performance that will feature, among its many programming offerings, something they're calling "A New Theater of Sound."

One of the planned initiatives of The Greene Space is "A New Theater of Sound," for which The Greene Space "will collaborate with theatre groups to re-imagine audio theatre for the 21st century."
So far, the programs are riffs on and/or revivals of radio classics (like "War of the Worlds"). But let's hope this leads to some new commissions for playwrights and gigs for actors!

3 comments:

www.rrca.com said...

WNYC is not reviving audio drama. It is alive and well and can be heard every day on Serius/XM. I am the creative director of The Radio Repertory Company of America (www.rrca.com), and over the past 10 years actors such as Ed Asner, Barbara Harris, Claudia Christian, Traci Lords, Ellen Muth, and many others, have starred in our productions. While we don't do live broadcasts (our work is recorded in a studio), we are the sound of 21st century radio, and not a nostalgic look back.

Playgoer said...

Thanks for sharing your site with us, RRCA. You have every right to claim credit.

And for the record, I agree that live broadcasts are not essential for good radio drama--arguably even a hindrance.

Daniel Bourque said...

It's worth noting that over in the UK Radio Drama is alive and well and well listened to on the BBC. New plays like The Black Watch and Rock 'n Roll have all had productions in radio versions, and it's also not uncommon for shows on TV to have second (or even third) lives as audio plays.