Audio Drama – Page 108

Parsec Awards – The Nominees Are In For 2006

News

With the plentitude of podcasts relating to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror now available it was only a matter of time before the ceremonies had to begin. At the upcoming Dragon*Con 2006 (September 1-4, 2006), a new annual award will be started. Entitled “The Parsec Awards” these awards will honor podcasting excellence in a number of categories. It should be noted however that due to the rules governing eligibility five very worthy podcast are ineligible for consideration (being that their respective hosts were members of the Awards Committee during the nomination process):

Dragon Page Cover-To-Cover (Michael Mennenga)
Slice Of Sci-Fi (Michael Mennenga)
Michael And Evo’s Wingin’ It (Michael Mennenga)
I Should Be Writing (Mur Lafferty)
DragonHearth (Tracy Hickman)

Here is the complete short-list of eligible PARSEC AWARD nominees in the SFFaudio related categories:

Best Fiction (Short)
Absolution Insured, Variant Frequencies, Matt Wallace
Hero, Escape Pod, Scott Sigler
Legacies, Brief Glimpses of Somewhere Else, Daniel Emery
The Trouble with Death Traps, Escape Pod, Daisy James
Truth Is, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean

Best Fiction (Long)
7th Son: Descent, J.C. Hutchins
Brave Men Run, Matthew Wayne Selznick
How to Succeed in Evil, The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
Infection, Scott Sigler
Morevi: Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, Tee Morris and Lisa Lee
Nina Kimberly The Merciless, Christiana Ellis

Best Audio Production
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
The Seanachai, Patrick McLean
The Signal, Jill Arroway
Virgin Falls, Jeff Folchinsky

Best Audio Drama (Long)
Children of the Gods, Cmack
Dismay, Sean McMinn
The Falcon Banner, Chris Snyder
Mister Adventure, Rich Sigfrit
The Stargate Cafe, Planet Retcon

Best Audio Drama (Short)
Decoder Ring Theatre, Stephanie Bickford, Andrea Lyons and Gregg Taylor
Family Radio, Sound Stages
The Hoff, Planet Retcon
The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, Grant Baciocco, Doug Price

Best Fan Podcast
Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, Summer Brooks, Joe Murphy, David Moldawer
PotterCast, John Noe and crew
Requiem Of The Outcast, Rich Sigfrit and Earl Newton
The Scapecast, Kevin Bachelder, Lindy Rae and crew
The Signal, Jill Arroway, Les Howard and Kari Haley and crew

Best News Podcast
The Future And You, Stephen Euin Cobb
Geek4x4, John M. Campbell
Requiem of the Outcast, Rich Sigfrit, Earl Newton
Sci Fi News, Lynne Gryphon
The Warp Zone, Patrick Murphy & Chris Murphy with “Gaming Guru” Rusty

posted by Jesse Willis

Doctor Who’s Eighth Doctor on the BBC Radio 7

Online Audio

SFFaudio reader “Bradford” laments our lack of Doctor Who content but suggests a quick fix… he writes: “BBC7 will be playing some Big Finish Dr Who productions.” After following the link he provided it looks like Bradford is right! The Eighth Doctor’s adventures, as produced by Big Finish Productions and starring Paul McGann began on Sunday on BBC Radio 7‘s The 7th Dimension with episode one of Shada, and will continue with Storm Warning, Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Invaders from Mars and The Chimes of Midnight. Thanks for the heads-up Bradford!

Now as to our lack of Dr Who content, I too lament it, unfortunately our reach into the U.K. is not completely masterful yet. We’re trying to keep a stiff upper lip about it but haven’t adopted this as our natural attitude yet. Until then, we will rely on the kindness of our British brothers and sisters across the Atlantic.

posted by Jesse Willis

Mark Time and Ogle Awards 2006

SFFaudio News

Ladies and Gentle – wait. Is this thing on? tap tap tap. There we go. Ladies and Gentlemen, SFFaudio is proud to announce the winners of the 2006 Mark Time and Ogle Awards! The awards were given this past weekend at CONvergence (a con I have GOT to get to one of these years), and here they are:

Mark Time Awards for Science Fiction Audio Theater

Science Fiction Audio Drama - Anne Manx on Amazonia GOLD
Anne Manx on Amazonia
Radio Repertory Company of America
Angelo Panetta, producer. Written by Larry Weiner.
Check out the SFFaudio review of this one here. Great stuff.

CBC Radio One SILVER
Steve the Second
CBC Radio A & E
Joe Mahoney, producer. Written by Matt Watts.

Fantasy Horror Audio Drama - Willamette Radio Workshop HONORABLE MENTION
Strawberry Automatic
Apex Audio Theatre
Richard Sellers, producer. Written by T. Ray Gordon.

And the Ogle Awards for Fantasy/Horror Audio Theater

A tie for the GOLD!

Fantasy Horror Audio Drama - Willamette Radio Workshop The Confessions of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Willamette Radio Workshop
Sam A. Mowry, producer. Written by William S. Gregory.

AND

Fantasy Horror Audio Theater - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Colonial Radio Theatre On the Air
Jerry Robbins, producer/writer.

Fantasy Horror Audio Drama - A Long Vacation SILVER
A Long Vacation
Northwest Folklore
Birke Duncan, producer. Written by Garrett Vance & Birke Duncan.

Find out more about the awards and the Science Fiction Audio Hall of Fame at Great Nothern Audio! And, as always, you purchase a lot of these over at The Lodestone Catalog.

Thanks to Jerry Stearns for keeping us up to date!

posted by Scott

Vix Audio Show Podcast Talks About The "Bradbury 13" Series

Online Audio

Victor, the host and creator of the Vix Audio Show podcast, has just relaunched his show after a year of letting it lie fallow. The new episode (#5) features an interview with sound designer Michael McDonough – who if you didn’t know – and shame on you if you didn’t – is responsible for the famous 1984 broadcast NPR series known plainly as the “Bradbury 13”. The podcast also features a few clips from the most popular installment in the series: A Sound Of Thunder. In my opinion, Michael McDonough’s series has the best radio dramatized adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories, if not some of the best audio dramatizations of Science Fiction in general.

Have a listen to the MP3 HERE.

Incidently…. [CUE CHEESY COMMERICAL MUSIC] Though the series Victor is talking about is out of print, I still have BRAND NEW, STILL SEALED stock from the Durkin Hayes 1990s audiobook releases of the “Bradbury 13.” A complete set, 12 of the 13 shows on 6 individual cassettes, is $70.00 USD. This set is 100% legitimate, unplayed, and official. (This series is NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN folks.) Send me an email if you’re interested in a set. [/END COMMERICAL]

posted by Jesse Willis

Jim Kelly’s Free Reads Podcast Goes Temporarily Theatrical

news

It’s been a little while since we last mentioned James Patrick Kelly’s Free Reads podcast. Too long in fact. I blame this on my iTunes XML subscription, which broke. After waiting too long for the next installment from this Hugo award-winning author, I finally realized this, and re-subscribed. When I did, I was delighted to discover that Jim had released a three part audio adaptation of a one-woman play based on his short story “Breakaway, Backdown”. The story first appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in June of 1996.

Breakaway, Backdown the play, had several productions. In February 2006, Jim was able to capture an excellent one in sound. This is the New Hampshire Theatre Project production, starring Lisa Richardson and directed by Genevieve Aichele. Here are the details…

Breakaway, Backdown
Adapted for the stage, from a story by James Patrick Kelly; Performed by Lisa Richardson
3 MP3 Files – 35 Minutes 54 Seconds – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Download: | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

You might also be interested to know that this is in fact the second aural adaptation of this story. The first one was recorded and released by The Sci-Fi Channel’s late lamented Seeing Ear Theater subsite. You can still grab it at the abandoned SET site and have a listen:

Breakaway, Backdown
Adapted from a story by James Patrick Kelly; Performed by a Full Cast
1 RealAudio File – 35 Minutes 54 Seconds – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: Seeing Ear Theater

“It’s the future, and living in space is no laughing matter. It’s hard work, and hazardous to your health, cutting life expectancy by 40 to 50 years. What kind of person would give up 40 to 50 years for the adventure of breaking away from Earth? Not Cleo. She tried desperately to break away, to start a new life in space, but failed. She backed down.”

CLICK HERE TO VISIT SEEING EAR THEATRE AND LISTEN

CLICK HERE TO READ THE AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION TO THIS STORY

posted by Jesse Willis

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase Wins Audiobook of the Year

SFFaudio News

This just in – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase was named the Audiobook of the Year by the Audio Publisher’s Association at this weekend’s Audie Awards! Congratulations to adapter/director Dirk Maggs and everyone involved with it. It’s fantastic to see a science fiction audio drama win this award. See the SFFaudio review of this title here.

In a tough Science Fiction category, the winner was Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan. Find the SFFaudio review here.

Genre winners in other categories:

Classic
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, read by Jim Dale, Listening Library

Children’s Titles for Ages 8+
The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson, read by Patricia Conolly, Recorded Books

Solo Narration – Female
Davina Porter for A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Audio Drama
The Sherlock Holmes Theatre by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, performed by a cast, produced by Yuri Rasovsky, Blackstone Audio
ed – OK, this may not technically be a genre title, but most SF fans like Holmes, and Yuri Rasovsky has genre ties, including the excellent 2000X series.

Achievement in Production
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, performed by a cast, Focus on the Family

Not a bad genre showing! Find the complete list of winners and nominees at www.theaudies.com. Unfortunately, the website is a little cryptic as of this writing – to see the winners and nominees, you’ve got to download a 6Mb PDF file that is titled “The Audies Sampler”. If I can find a clean HTML list, I’ll let you know.

posted by Scott