Radio Drama Revival

This week, I chat with Eric and Amanda, two of the minds behind Join the Party, an inclusive audio drama powered by roleplaying game mechanics. We played an episode of their show in Episode 492; join me as I chat with the two of them about:Making the hobby accessibleActual-play podcasts like The Adventure ZoneMaking space for queerness and women in nerd cultureTweaking game mechanics for storytelling purposesFleeting Carly Rae Jepsen referencesAaaaand more!

This week, we're playing an episode of the roleplaying podcast Join the Party, a hybrid actual-play and audio drama by some talented producers and performers out of New York. Gather round the table and get immersed in DM Eric's tale of the Concentric States. Inara, Johnny, and TR8C must be fleet of foot and quick of wit to catch up with the Red Throat gang, who have captured the beloved Prince Alonzo!Actual-play RPG podcasts have spiked in popularity recently, and I wanted to highlight a successful and compelling one. Join the Party uses collaborative storytelling and imaginative game mechanics to help produce something new, interesting, and exciting.More Join The Party links:- patreon: patreon.com/jointhepartypod- twitter: twitter.com/jointhepartypod- facebook: facebook.com/jointhepartypod- instagram: instagram.com/jointhepartypod- tumblr: jointhepartypod.tumblr.com- merch: jointhepartypod.com/merchCast & Crew- Dungeon Master: Eric Silver- TR8c (Tracey): Brandon Grugle- Inara Harthorn: Amanda McLoughlin- Johnny B. Goodlight: Michael Fische- Creative Contributors: Connor McLoughlin, Julia Schifini, Heddy Hunt- multitude: multitude.productions

In this episode, we play Kane and Feels, Paranormal Investigators, a new series from Skaði's Symphony. They're a production team out of the UK with a neo-noir that blends Jungian psychology with, in this case, Norse myth.In this week, Kane and Feels take on the case of "The Frozen Child".

Harry wanted to be alone, and so he was: as alone as a person can be, transmuted into tachyon particles and hurled into deepest space, with nothing but an artificial intelligence for company. He was alone, and then, gradually, he wasn't. Harry and his friend Cailyn, are commanders on distant power stations with nothing but their AIs and their correspondence for company. Harry and Cailyn receive an application that allows them to upload virtual surrogates of themselves so that they can communicate "in-person", and it's the connection forged via those surrogates that might just save the universe.

This week, we're featuring Earbud Theater's "The Sounds Below", a chilling tale about a man plagued by panic and sleeplessness. Chris, unable to shake the trauma of his brother's death in a car accident, is making no headway with his therapist, and one night he goes wandering into the city, stumbling upon a strange little shop. The shopkeeper claims she sells the cure for fear. Would you buy it?

This week, we're exploring Christopher Reynaga's Point Mystic, playing "White Rabbit, Parts I and II" from that show. Point Mystic is a fiction show done up in a narrative-nonfiction style, à la This American Life—it's about Christopher's family, and the spookiness of the town they inhabit. The White Rabbit cycle was created in collaboration with Christopher's wife, Marguerite Croft, and their son Fox—and all three of them act (quite ably) in the show.It's a fascinating mixture of nonfiction interviews and fiction segments, but presented in such a way that each supports the other, which isn't as common as you'd think.

It's our Christmas spectacula-a-a-a-a-ar! Settle in for a long winter's DELIGHT as we present Sassquach Radio's Deck The Halls (With Matrimony!), a Christmas romantic comedy.Then stick around, because I interview the writer/director, Ashley Quach, and the show's star and producer, Paula Deming. It's a fabulous time and I hope you'll join us.In this episode: smooch foley! audio drama origins! foot foley! creative freedom! and butt foley. We have it all covered, this Christmas season.

This week, join us as we go urban-exploring in a spooky, abandoned house with Five Levels of Fear, a new audio series written by Sable Jak, and directed, designed, and edited by our very own Matt Boudreau and Eli McIlveen.You can find out more about Five Levels of Fear by searchin' for it on that internet!

Peri is a quiet woman who keeps to herself in a lighthouse overlooking the ocean, but one day, she wakes up somewhere totally unfamiliar; she's still in the lighthouse, but the lighthouse no longer overlooks the ocean...It's The Far Meridian by Eli Barraza, a writer and actor on ars PARADOXICA and a thoughtful, fascinating creator.Join us as we listen to the first two episodes of The Far Meridian's first season; then Eli herself joins me for a conversation about the origins of this show, magic realism, and dope space news.Donate to the paypal link on our website!

Northwestern University professor of Sound Studies Neil Verma joins me for a segment we call GOING DEEP. This week, we're exploring the classic horror of Arch Oboler's Lights Out, in a 1943 episode called "Murder in the Script Department". After the feature, Professor Verma teaches me about what was going on in this period of audio drama, I learn about how Oboler was a scriptomaniac man-about-town, and how voice actress Mercedes McCambridge (of EXORCIST fame) exerted absolute control over her instrument.Neil's book, Theater of the MindOur Paypal link (set up a sustaining donation today!)

What a suntabulous bicuspid of a day! It's time for the Sunshine Smile Hour, a dental hygiene-themed children's program! Oh golly, this is a good one, and ain't that the tooth.So this episode is utterly wackadoo: imagine a musical comedy along the lines of Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, or Reefer Madness, with a solid helping of noir pastiche and cosmic horror alongside. The Fall of the House of Sunshine is like if you put all of the above musicals into a high-powered blender along with a collection of H.P. Lovecraft short stories, a pint of ether and a handful of dexedrine. It is hilarious! It is offensive! It is stylistically all over the place! It is RELENTLESS!And I love it? You will too, I reckon.

This week, we're presenting writer, director, and film professor Faith McQuinn's Boom, a story of loss, recovery, secrets, and murder. Porter, the protagonist, must deal with the murder of his best friend—and the police consider him the prime suspect. We get inside Porter's head as he struggles to come to grips with the crime and reassemble his life.Faith gave us episodes 1 and 2 of Boom for you. Listen, follow and subscribe!Find out more about Faith McQuinn!Our sweet sweet PayPal donation button!Content warning: violence, murder

Bronzeville is a story of the Great Migration: it follows Jimmy Tillman (Larenz Tate), a papermill worker from Arkansas who kills a strikebreaker and flees to Chicago to find a new life for himself, tracing the steps of millions of Black Americans who migrated from the rural South to the urban North in the mid-20th century.Jimmy makes his way to Bronzeville, the legendary Black neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, where he falls in with the Copeland family, the operators of a policy racket—an underground lottery—that functioned like a bank when white-owned banks wouldn't lend to Black people. Everett Copeland (Wood Harris) is doing a spell in federal prison for tax evasion, so he asks his old lieutenant Curtis "Eyeball" Randolph (Laurence Fishburne) to get back into the game.(Yeah for real this is a star-studded episode! I can scarcely believe it myself.)We play episode 1 of Bronzeville, and then I talk to two of the producers, LaRon and Lahmard Tate, about the show's origins, productions that are too Black for TV, and the Tate family's Chicago history.CW: violence, racist languageHEY ALSO we have a PayPal button that I forgot about? Give us dollars, please.Credits inspired by Zev Chevat.

We're celebrating AUDIO DRAMA DAY by featuring some works from 11th Hour Productions, the once-a-year marathon audio drama production festival where dramatists from all the world over come together to create magnificently creepy fiction.We're featuring two pieces this year: Shadows of Halloween, written by Neil Gustin and created by 11th Hour US East, and Ivory Towers, written by Richard Brooks and created by 11th Hour UK.Stick around for the credits for the thrilling conclusion of Radio Drama Revival and the Ham of Mallorca.

New York playwright and audio dramatist Mac Rogers joins me for a discussion about craft, aliens, and influences as we excerpt some of his new thriller, Steal The Stars, a co-production between Tor Books and his own production company, Gideon Media.Steal the Stars is the story of Dakota "Dak" Prentiss, the security chief at Quill Marine, a secretive private military contractor. Quill Marine is built around the biggest secret of all time, and new recruits have to be taken down to see the secret—to see if they can handle it. But a new recruit, Matt Salem, turns out to be more than Dak herself can handle. In the sexy love-type way, I mean.This is a story of forbidden love, aliens, and a big old friggin' heist, baby.#SPOOPTOBER continues!

It wouldn't be a monster episode without MONSTERS, would it?! Awww yeah it's zombie time!American podcast legend KC Wayland joins me for a chat about craft, zombies, and Force Multipliers of Art.We're gonna play an episode of We're Alive: Lockdown, the miniseries that combines a jailbreak with horror-survival adventure. SPOOPTOBER CONTINUES, as we bring you yet another episode to thrill and perturb!

A double-feature this week as we begin our October horror series!First, from Paragon Collective and the makers of Darkest Night, it's Deadly Manners, a new murder mystery show narrated by LeVar Burton (Star Trek, Reading Rainbow) and starring Kristen Bell (Frozen, Veronica Mars) and Anna Chlumsky (Veep).CW: racism, misogyny, and murder!Then, it's a chilling tale of family business in Rites of Autumn, a spooky little tale of tradition, pumpkins, and more murder. That comes to us from John Ballantine of Campfire Radio Theater.CW: more murder, gruesome descriptions

This week, I'm joined by Ellen Winter and Chris Littler of Chamber Band to talk about their new podcast for Two-Up Productions, the production company that brought you Limetown.36 Questions is a fabulous PODCAST MUSICAL starring Jessie Shelton (Hadestown) and Jonathan Groff (Glee, Spring Awakening, Hamilton) and you should go and listen to it right now, before you listen to this interview. Go ahead! I'll wait. You'll love it.Chris, Ellen, and I discuss:The creative process!Snow-shoeing!How J-Groff doesn't know what a duck isLin-Manuel Miranda loving the showIn The Goo with Ellen and Chris...and much more!

Two foul-mouthed Scottish paranormal investigators travel to the misty island of St. Caillic to uncover the secret of a terrible anniversary--it's A Scottish Podcast, the newest creation of former Audio Drama Production Podcast hosts Robert Cudmore and Matthew McLean.Robert and Matthew play Lee and Dougie, two washed-up, cynical castaways from the music biz who decide to strike out as paranormal podcasters. What you'll hear today is multiple episodes stitched together by Robert and Matthew, and sent over with love.

Scholar and dramatist Lance Dann joins me as we play the first episode of his techno-thriller, BLOOD CULTURE.It's a trans-media project, consisting of not just a radio drama, but of an AR game that begins with this in-world website (as well as plenty of goofy easter eggs in the credits page).Blood Culture is the story of A'isha, an employee of an enormous biotech firm called Meta. Meta's interns are falling ill and dying at an alarming rate, and it's up to A'isha, and her childhood friend Livy, to investigate.After the feature, Lance and I discuss tech culture, the research that went into this production, and seeking a diverse set of creative partners.

We're premiering INHALE, the latest miniseries by Rick Coste, the unstoppable, unbelievably prolific audio drama producer from New England.Tracy Tanner is an unassuming librarian in the small town of Hemlock, Massachusetts—but Tracy isn't her real name, and she isn't just a librarian. Tracy is a superhero—and she's not supering anymore.Join me as we dive into Tracy's secrets in this exciting new miniseries!Rick Coste Productions

This week, we explore EOS 10, a medical comedy in space. Dr Ryan Dalias is a young doctor, recently assigned to a posting on EOS 10, a station in deep space. Dalias's job, ostensibly, is to manage his alcoholic superior, Dr. Horace Urvidian—a brilliant but curmudgeonly xenobiologist. Together with Nurse Johns and Levi, a disgraced prince-turned-chef, the four of them have numerous wacky hijinks.This episode, "Up, Up, Up," contains adult situations and themes of, well, boners.Links:EOS 10's websiteEOS 10 on TwitterNeil Verma's article that mentions this episode of EOS 10

It's a spine-tingler this week, as we dive into the twisted world of Darkest Night with a little story called "Horns Limo Service".Darkest Night is a horror anthology series from the Paragon Collective, and what makes it special is its binaural recording setup. It's similar to what Campfire Radio does: it puts you inside the action. Not a lot of audio drama companies do this, and it's really neat!After the feature, I have a chat with Alex Aldea, the director and producer of Darkest Night. We talk origins, horror, sound design, and all kinds of spoopy junk.Enjoy!

Why do we climb? Why do people look at the tallest mountains in the world -- vast, inhospitable places -- and say, "I want to climb to its summit"? When you're up there, what do you become? What do you give up?We're exploring those questions today in a new drama by JJ Wang from Netizen Playhouse:The Embrace: Nights on Killer MountainThe story follows an Australian mountaineer, Zoe, who wants to be the first woman to summit Nanga Parbat, one of the deadliest mountains in the world, in winter.Follow JJ Wang and Netizen Playhouse on twitterOr check out their Bandcamp page!

This week, it's the Stories of Mahabharata, retold by Sudipta Bhawmik, a multitalented playwright, storyteller, and engineer. With music and immersive sound design by Avi Ziv, Bhawmik animates this ancient Indian epic, rendering it in English to delight those that have never heard it before as well as those who were raised on the stories.The Mahabharata is thousands of years old, and originally in Sanskrit. It tells the story of two groups of warring cousins -- the Pandava brothers and the Kaurava brothers -- who fight over the throne. But it's more than just a war story; it's a story of love and curses, righteousness and evil, tricksters, poisons, and monkeys.We're featuring episodes 30 and 31 of Bhawmik's retold Mahabharata: first, Bheema (a Pandava brother with enormous strength) encounters Hanuman. Then, a story of Arjuna (another Pandava, and the greatest archer in the world).Stories of Mahabharata@MahabharatAudio

This week, we dive into the fabulous world of The Axe and Crown -- (our very own) Eli McIlveen's spinoff miniseries from Alba Salix, Royal Physician. It's a fantasy world where the most immediate dangers aren't dragons or wizards, but yuppies threatening to gentrify your neighborhood.Gubbin is a salty old troll who runs a tavern called The Axe and Crown. It's a dive bar on the bad side of the river. Stan is a human, and the naive new landlord who thinks he can renovate the place.What we've got today is a little sampler that Eli threw together of episodes 2, 3, and 4: it'll be enough to whet your appetite, I reckon!The Axe and CrownAlba SalixCheck out the interview I did with Eli when we first ran Alba Salix on RDR.

Writer/director/producer Jessica Best joins me to talk about her new science-fiction mystery adventure, THE STRANGE CASE OF STARSHIP IRIS.Best is part of the recently-formed Procyon Network, a podcast network whose mission is to create inclusive fiction. All of them are fabulous people.We're going to play Episode 2 of Starship Iris, which is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-tragic, deeply thoughtful adventure in space. Imagine FIREFLY with a mostly-female cast and a badass Hufflepuff for a ship's captain and you're, like, halfway there.Starship Iris on Tumblr: https://iriscasefiles.tumblr.comStarship Iris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarshipIrisUs: https://twitter.com/RadioDramaSubmit! at http://www.radiodramarevival.com/

This week, we play an episode of an experimental podcast called PODCAST MEANDER, which kind of skirts the border between autobiography and fiction. Dan Leone plays/is a character, also named Dan, who has thrown away his old life (or attempted to). After secretly saving for years, Dan quits his job in Connecticut and heads west, unsure of what he wants to do with his life.In the episode you'll hear today, Dan comes to suddenly on a train, unaware of where it's going, why he's aboard, or where he left his car.It's an intriguing mix of documentary, interview, and fiction, and I think you'll like it.CW: mental illness, substance abuse, politicshttp://www.podcastmeander.com/episodes-1/

This week, line producer Matthew Boudreau hooks us up with some binaural horror from the Wireless Theatre Company with The Autopsy.For more great audio from the Wireless Theatre Company, including the stunning Springheel'd Jack Saga, visit their website at http://www.wirelesstheatre.co.ukA couple of notes:Binaural sound attempts to authentically recreate how we hear. Listening to this episode with headphones is highly recommended.The Autopsy contains some visceral and graphic audio material. If you’re squeamish, we advise using your own discretion before listening.

This week Matthew continues hosting for David as we feature B.I.L.I. from London's own O'Neill and Freeman.For more O'Neill and Freemanhttps://soundcloud.com/oneillandfreemanCheck out James O'Neill's terrific sculpture work:http://aplaceforclay.wixsite.com/sculptor

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.comAudioblivious Productions - https://www.audioblivious.com/Jim Robbie and the Wanderers - http://jimrobbieandthewanderers.com/Koach Studios - http://thefallaudiodrama.wixsite.com/koachstudios

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 stuff to the vibrant new stuff!Prof. Verma’s writing:Arts of Amnesia: The Case for Audio Drama, Part One:http://ro.uow.edu.au/rdr/vol3/iss1/5/Arts of Amnesia: The Case for Audio Drama, Part Two:http://ro.uow.edu.au/rdr/vol3/iss1/6/https://www.amazon.com/Theater-Mind-Imagination-Aesthetics-American/dp/0226853519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496896536&sr=8-1&keywords=neil+verma

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 interactions that Mattie had on the gay dating app Grindr, where they disclose their HIV-positive status up-front.Afterwards, Alexander (the producer of the piece) joins me to talk about the origins of SMASH/CUT, and many other things besides!Check out their new kickstarter, here:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adamsintheatre/847488277?token=3b1a1021Take the Wondery Survey here:http://www.wondery.com/surveyIf you feel moved to donate to HIV/AIDS-related causes, check out the GMHC: http://www.gmhc.org/

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.

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 Prudence over at Slate, and she used to run a magnificent site called The Toast.In this episode, we discuss: The Handmaid's Tale and White Feminism How to avoid becoming an Internal Expat* Fending off the Republic of Gileadand much, much more!

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.

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/twobossydamesMargaret's podcast, APPOINTMENT TELEVISION: atvpodcast.comA Handmaid's Guide to Cambridge, by Margaret's pal Rachel: rachelbythebooks.com/blog/2016/2/28/the-handmaids-guide-to-cambridgeSecrets, Crimes, and Audiotape: http://wondery.com/wondery/shows/secretscrimes/

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 types, from the post-RTE era of Roger’s work, done during his work as a theatre instructor at the Gaiety school of Acting in Ireland.This is “Heart of Morphine”Morgan O’Brien hangs in limbo between life and death, and finds the afterlife a much wilder place than he imagined. Confused, frustrated, and alone, he is forced to confront the reality of his actions made while alive. But is there still time to go back and change things?

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 with a new job, recordings from an uncanny apartment building, and the dangers of listening.

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 Mickey (Zafar Karachiwala) falls in love with her, Martin's plans are thrown into disarray. Disinheriting him, Martin triggers a complex web of deceit, betrayal and manipulation as the extended family and hangers-on close in, in pursuit of his fortune.Mickey returns to India determined to show his grandfather he is a changed man and to marry Mary, the love of his life. But, in his absence, things have changed; the old man now appears to be under the control of the scheming Pinto who will not let Mickey near him. And Thomas has fallen in love with Mary... Meanwhile the hapless Joseph loses all his money in a Ponzi scheme. With his debtors closing in, murder seems to be the only way out...

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 of politics, and Nazi-punching.Meanwhile, our producer Eli is starting up a crowdfunding campaign for season 2 of his magnificent series, ALBA SALIX, ROYAL PHYSICIAN. You can find out more by going to http://albasalix.com/season2This episode of Radio Drama Revival is brought to you by Bose! Check out their fancy listening devices at http://bose.com/podcast

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 Mickey (Zafar Karachiwala) falls in love with her, Martin's plans are thrown into disarray. Disinheriting him, Martin triggers a complex web of deceit, betrayal and manipulation as the extended family and hangers-on close in, in pursuit of his fortune.Disinherited by his grandfather, Mickey Chuzzlewit escapes India and tries to make his fortune in Dubai. In his absence, the scheming Pinto and murderous Joseph join forces in an attempt to get hold of the old man's fortune. And while Thomas's feelings grow for Mickey's fiancé, Mary, a mysterious lodger with a terrible secret moves in next door ...

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.

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 Mickey (Zafar Karachiwala) falls in love with her, Martin's plans are thrown into disarray. Disinheriting him, Martin triggers a complex web of deceit, betrayal and manipulation as the extended family and hangers-on close in, in pursuit of his fortune.Told from the point of view of orphan Thomas (Karan Pandit), an observer into the world of the Chuzzlewits, this is a fast-paced drama full of intrigue, romance, suspense and murder...

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.

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 finds the cave he’s been dreaming about. And within, he discovers something even more extraordinary, the skulls of two crystal maidens. The words they whisper to him not only affect his future, but also the lives of those who hear his story.PART 3 of 3. If you like this show, check out the ZBS streaming website, ZBSmedia.com

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.

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 finds the cave he’s been dreaming about. And within, he discovers something even more extraordinary, the skulls of two crystal maidens. The words they whisper to him not only affect his future, but also the lives of those who hear his story.PART 2 of 3. If you like this show, check out the ZBS streaming website, ZBSmedia.com

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!

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 finds the cave he’s been dreaming about. And within, he discovers something even more extraordinary, the skulls of two crystal maidens. The words they whisper to him not only affect his future, but also the lives of those who hear his story.PART 1 of 3. If you like this show, check out the ZBS streaming website, ZBSmedia.com