While on the run from a wild interdimensional beast named Chester, Chelsea learns of electromatter, the surprising ubiquity of Tony Danza, and the multiverse. But the alarming differences she discovers about the universe she’s become part of threaten to topple her efforts to reconnect with Maya and Alicia. (Running time: 26 minutes, 25 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant
Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar
Maya: Tanja Milojevic
Jill Swanson: Ingeborg Reidmeier
and Zack Glassman appeared as The Receptionist

Background Voices by Alexander Bill, Brandon P. Jenkins, and Tal Minear
Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who once grew a mustache and shaved it off two weeks later because he looked preposterous.

The “Paths Not Taken” songs were written and performed by Edward Chmpion

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed by Getty.

Thank you for listening!

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Behind the Scenes:

An earlier version of the Part 3 song (with slide):

It’s January 11, 2011. The world is similar, but it is also quite different. Chelsea reconnects with her best friend Alicia and takes the opportunity to correct her past mistakes, including rebuilding her relationship with Maya. But the shadow of her abusive mother and the presence of an eccentric man who is quite keen on hot dogs and the benefits of being obsequious may uproot this hard-won battle to claim a better life. (Running time: 52 minutes, 6 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant
Maya: Tanja Milojevic
Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar
Young Chelsea: Nathalie Kane
Carolyn: Emma Smuyla
The Waiter: Jack Ward
Jill Swanson: Ingeborg Reidmeier
Thomas: Philip O’Gorman
Chelsea’s Mother: M.J. Cogburn
Hysterical Diners: Alexander Bill, Brandon P. Jenkins, and Tal Minear
and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who lost every apple bobbing contest he ever participated in during the last five summers.

The “Paths Not Taken” songs were written and performed by Edward Champion

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

Behind the Scenes:

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I spent my birthday initiating the first of many recording sessions with the remarkable @katrinaclairvoyant and I honestly can't think of a better way to celebrate one's yearly climb to natural obsolescence than making a ridiculously ambitious audio drama — especially with the lead role in a very epic Season 2 story. Katrina and I, who have had many preproduction conversations to get her wildly dimensional character right, bonded instantly over our mutual love of cornball puns and dressing up like zombies for Halloween and various theatrical endeavors. One funny aspect of our collaboration is that we had such a fun time recording together that I actually had to dial down my joke cracking and cheery demeanor to make sure she landed some of her intense moments. "Stop, Ed," said Katrina frequently. "You're making me happy!" Katrina is not only a great talent with marvelous instincts who seemed to come out of nowhere and absolutely GET what I was trying to do incredibly fast, but she is also a bold playwright. She's recording these sessions even as she's directing her own chance-taking play, "Our Father." Which really tells you how committed she is! But Katrina is also an incredibly kind and easygoing type, which you sort of have to be when you're working on something sui generis. As Flaubert once said, "Be calm and orderly in your life and violent and original in your work." And we were definitely hitting those points today! And honestly I couldn't be more thrilled! This is going to be an incredible story. #audiodrama #acting #happy #character #flaubert #recording #theatre

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Today I began my recording sessions with the marvelous @earimar, who was loads of fun. Liz's character is modeled somewhat on @alisonbechdel — particularly a conversation I had with Bechdel years ago in which the very smart and intuitive Bechdel sized me up and asked (rightly) if I was okay. I never forgot that conversation, which meant a great deal to me and revealed how many of us are looking out for each other in ways we don't often know. From these roots of common empathy many years ago came this slightly punkish autodidact principal role in an epic tale about how we love and understand others and must carry on embracing the humanity we have in common. I loved working with Liz. Really, I lucked out big time with her. Like me, she's a fast-talking ruminative type who is extremely subtle about the many expressive streaks she has inside her. And whenever I saw her instincts veering in that direction, I brought them up in the performance. At one point, I saw that she really wanted to deliver a line in a funny voice but was holding back. And I said, "Okay, try this in a prim, proper British voice." And she did and it was hilarious and soon we made speaking occasionally in a funny voice a subtle part of the character. And it worked! And it didn't get in the way of the character's edge or heart. When you're lucky enough to work with an actor who knows how to riff on AND respect your material, you are a very fortunate director indeed! And I found myself giving Liz a lot of "iceberg theory" notes just to see what she'd come up with. #acting #audiodrama #directing #improv #character #tone #alisonbechdel #empathy #humanity

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I'm now on the road. So pardon me if my thanks to the many cool people I met are delayed. But today I had the honor of recording with the extraordinary Tanja Milojevic — the first lines of a very large role in Season 2. I cannot convey how incredibly nice and amazing she is. (Her dog is a sweetheart too!) Tanja and I worked very closely to get the cadences of a scene just right — and I'm telling you, I got a bit misty-eyed recording it. When two people are committed to very high standards, as Tanja and I both are, they often bring out the best in each other. And this session was so much fun and so layered with vital emotional depth that I really cannot wait to hear how this turns out. Many thanks to Steve Schneider, a wonderful man who generously let us stick around and record in his basement. Also a thank you to all the audio drama producers who accommodated me yesterday for the recording of a dystopian anthem! Now on my way to my next not-in-NYC actor! #recording #acting #audiodrama #character

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This morning, I had the great honor of recording with @emmasymula, a remarkable young actor who was so good that she beat out dozens of people for what turned out to be (much to my surprise) a very popular role and had me travelling all the way to Vermont to get these vital lines in the can. Emma is the first teen actor I've worked with on The Gray Area. And she certainly won't be the last. Apparently I have a decent ear for teen dialogue. I so enjoyed working with Emma that I'm definitely going to try my hand at a YA audio drama story down the line. One of the funniest parts of this session was filling in Emma on a cultural event that happened before her existence! But we watched YouTube videos and I offered modern day parallels (Emma was surprised when I was familiar with her favorite musician). And we were off to the races (in one point, literally running!), with Emma tapping into the character's subtleties (including an instinctive snappy quality she came up with that I weaved into the other lines). Emma is terrific and I urged her when we were done that she needed to take acting classes. Because Emma has wonderful instincts that years of training would transform into something truly formidable! #acting #recording #vermont #audiodrama #character #instinct #performance

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Reccording kids for the park scene.

Recording the cliffhanger (what it looked like for the actors)

Chelsea Needham was once among the foremost leaders in tech. But something happened involving a fire and a death. And it got in the papers. Rumor reared its ugly head and Chelsea lost everything she had, with only a few friends left. While recovering from alcoholism, self-destruction, and losing the love of her life, Chelsea meets an enigmatic gentleman from England and a strange fortune teller who may have the answers to how she can reclaim her identity. (Running time: 53 minutes, 42 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant
Thomas: Philip O’Gorman
Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar
Scarlett: Jessica Cuesta
Maya: Tanja Miljoevic
Bobby: John Anantua
Dave: Marc Eliot Stein
and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who tends to show up to the next bar mitzvah looking reasonably dapper.

The “Paths Not Taken” songs were written and performed by Edward Chmpion

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds.

The following songs were licensed through Radio Free Archive:

Mid-Air Machine, “Don’t Feel So Low”
Mela, “Horrible”
Mela, “Waltz for a Memory”
Prince Murphy, “Hey Mecy”
Zoambo Zoet Workestrao – “Heminguleja”
Truth Serum, “Gas Leak”
Cullah, “Italian Singing Hip-Hop”

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Behind the Scenes:

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Today I had the great privilege of recording with @ogorman.pp, who soldiered on (and sang!) through heat, hammering from neighbors, and some unexpected construction that added delays to today's session. Nevertheless, we got the pages recorded! And I really loved working with Phillip! Like me, he has a very fastidious and serious-minded approach and his work ethic and approach reminded me of Christopher Eccleston. This resulted not only in a lengthy existential discussion about this new recurring character during the table read, but Philip's smart insights had me rewriting two lines on the fly. But Philip also has this very subtle comic side that I gently encouraged, especially with the streaks of dark humor. (Try as I might, I am apparently incapable of writing humorless characters.) While this enigmatic character has gravitas, Philip really got who this man was better than anyone who auditioned. It's extremely rare to find a person with big presence and nuanced comic timing, especially on the audio drama front. But Philip crushed it today, proving a formidable foil to the other character in the same scene. And I'm really looking forward to unpacking his character's complex story! Thank you so much Philip! #acting #recording #audiodrama #character #nuance #christophereccleston #yay #ww1

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Do you ever write a character who turns out to be so entertaining in execution that, when the session ends, you say to yourself, "Aw man! That's it?" Well, that's what happened today with @johnanantua, an actor with terrific instincts who I definitely want to work with again! I really go out of my way to make my supporting roles memorable. And John beat out dozens of people for this part because he intuitively grasped that I was writing a subtle authority figure with gentle comic undertones. He understood that this character, who has a relationship to another character in "Brand Awareness," was a dreamer and devised a backstory. As a result, this session was very fun and flew by far too fast! We were only just starting to know this character and now I'm going to have to figure out a way to work him back in for Season 3! Thank you so much, John! You were terrific! #audiodrama #acting #character #recording #fun

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A super fun recording session with @jessecuesta, who proved to be a subtly inventive actor this morning! We talked a lot about mysticism, rituals, and spirituality (even talking THE GOLDEN BOUGH, which, amazingly, Jesse knew!). And I think this very much helped to ground and round out the character! Jesse took me into a few weird places that I didn't expect (including adopting a very funny 1930s tone at one point) and I went with it! The goal with this character was to portray a realistic, three-dimensional introvert. Because we RARELY see introverts in drama as anything other than nerd stereotypes. And I didn't want to do that here. I know many introverts with rich inner lives. I wanted someone who laughs inside her own head, who is social on her own terms. And once Jesse got this, she started taking more chances with the character and we were both having a blast! Thank you so much Jesse! #acting #actors #audiodrama #recording #voiceover #character #introvert #spirituality #mysticism #ritual #goldenbough

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In this sequel to “Compassion Fatigue,” Emma has returned to practicing psychiatry again. But a highly unusual (and strangely familiar) patient arrives in her office with an odd proposition. (Running time: 17 minutes, 43 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Emma: Colette Thomas
Police: Mike Lynch
and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn with an alleged 32 inch waistline that is probably two or four or **ahem** inches more than what has been reported.

Music licensed through Audio Jungle.

“Fly a Kite” by Spectacular Sound Productions licensed through an Attribution ShareAlike Creative Commons license.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thanks for listening!

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Behind the Scenes:

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The incredible @colettenoelthomas returned to record today as Emma, a character who previously appeared in "Compassion Fatigue." And this time, as you can see, things got pretty serious! (Don't worry. No producers were harmed during today's recording session!) Colette was one of the first people I cast in The Gray Area, truly one of the best choices I ever made with this production, and I still remain incredibly honored to work with her. Her dedication and commitment and instincts for this role are so above and beyond that she arrived with many very helpful questions, some of which I had to devise answers for on the spot! We also ended up geeking out quite a bit about World War I and cabaret. I had so much fun with Colette that I was sorry when we ran out of lines. But we really shaped Emma's character growth (of which I can say nothing!) this morning — this, even when the story itself is quite unusual. Thank you so much, Colette! You are a rock star! #acting #audiodrama #character #drama #cabaret #recording #psychiatrist

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It’s the future. The cities are flooded. Certain words are forbidden. The doomed Earth has become united under a global totalitarian regime. But two eccentric outliers who refuse to follow the rules may be the Tellestian Empire’s only chance for a hopeful future. (Running time: 37 minutes, 21 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Ramirez:  Charly Saccocio
Harris: Michael Saldate
The Instructor:  Rachel Matusewicz
The Voice:  Carol Jacobanis
The Guard:  Graham Rowat
Classmate #1:  David Perez-Ribada
Classmate #2:  Sam Mercer
Classmate #3:  Emmanuel Webb
Scientist #1:  Glenn Bulthius
Scientist #2:  Liz Fodor
Scientist #3:  Alistair Mackey
The Demon:  Pete Lutz
The Rebels:  Glenn Bulthius, Liz Fodor, Alistair Mackey, Melissa Medina, Dylan Reed, and David Sinkus

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn with a bowling average that is too embarrassingly low to report to the general public.

Music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

This story was inspired by Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. Please be sure to listen to the excellent podcast, Rereading Wolfe, an excellent show devoted to analyzing this amazing work of literature.

Thanks for listening!

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Behind the Scenes:

(The following song had to be cut for length. We originally had a Tellastian State Anthem for this story and we did record it!)

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Today I recorded with the terrific @lehcarraquel, who beat out dozens of talented actors to land this role and, unlike everyone else, really saw the complicated personality and the thwarted passion deeply buried in this seemingly authoritarian character. Rachel, who is incredibly fun and kind and is truly a born actor, and I got along instantly. She even inspired me to perform a bit of Ricardo Montalban from STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN while conveying a note. I was so happy and delighted with her performance that I kept feeding her little ideas to flesh out. So we ended up with tons of fun subtext. There was one point where I needed her to be more authoritative. So I handed her a roll of paper towels (Rachel is pictured during one such moment) and I said, "Okay, this is your gavel. I need you to beat it before this line. You're a judge before a court." Sure enough, this worked beautifully and it really helped Rachel to anchor this character in something very real. This did not stop us, however, from pursuing a few high pulp moments! You will, of course, have to wait for the finished product to learn what these entail! #audiodrama #recording #acting #character #gavel #papertowels

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Months after the events of “Brand Awareness,” Greg reckons with the hurt he caused Joanna. But his role in the universe and the true nature of his past is much larger than he could have possibly imagined. (Running time: 17 minutes, 26 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Greg: Charlie Harrington
Ramirez: Charly Saccoccio
Harris: Michael Saldate
And Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Associate Producer: John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who sometimes answers to the name of Alfredo Garcia.

Music licensed through Neosounds

Image licensed by Nicu Buclei through an Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license.

Thanks for listening!

Behind the Scenes:

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Today the marvelous @charharring10 returned to the mic. You may remember him as Greg from "Brand Awareness" and "Dissociation." I won't say anything about the story in question, other than this: Charlie was even MORE of a joy to work with this time. He intuitively picked up on what I was trying to do with this story and, man, did he nail it. Especially when I started using my wildly expressive face and pretending to be the person he was addressing. At one point, while tweaking the emotions on a scene, Charlie and I discussed how people confess to their friends about having a serious condition. That's when I exuberantly cried, "That's it! This line is your 'I have cancer' moment!" We both laughed. It was an absurd note to give to an actor, but it worked! #acting #tragedy #audiodrama #voiceover #emotion #recording

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While investigating the Virginia Gaskell matter, journalist Ed Champion meets an enigmatic woman on a spiritual journey who may contain the answers for his own shaky relationship to love, dreams, and New York City. The two dodge belligerent subway preachers and unanticipated demons while ruminating upon daily wonders that are taken for granted. (Running time: 40 minutes, 51 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Ed Champion:  Edward Champion
Lucinda:  Emily Carding
Maya:  Tanja Milojevic
Sujata:  Illumanisum River
Jenna: Devony DiMattia
Street Vendor:  Patryk Sokol
Demon #1:  Pete Lutz
Demon #2: Leanne Troutman
Date #1:  Nicholas Boesel
Date #2:  Michael Saldate
Date #3:  Mark Stano
The Guard: Graham Rowat
Subway Preacher: Albert Hastler

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who makes a mean frittata on Sunday morning.

Music licensed through Neosounds

Photo licensed through Getty

Thanks for listening!

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Behind the Scenes:

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Today, the incredibly talented @emilycarding returned to New York and we recorded a new story in which I also had to act opposite her as the "Ed Champion" character! Which was quite the challenge. Because Emily is, as always, amazing and I am merely a thespic schlub with perhaps a handful of tricks. Still, you don't phone it in when you're working with the likes of Emily, who also has a truly awesome and unique Hamlet show I saw last night (and which I urge you to see!). (Indeed, Emily cracked me up with her American accent, which has seriously improved now that she's observing New Yorkers in our native habitat!) We were plagued by a number of crazy sounds that extended the session, but Emily delivered a hell of a performance despite being a bit knackered. I can't reveal much about this story, but apparently it was the type of role that Emily doesn't often play. And while we had some time constraints, I tried to throw as many light notes as I could to get the best out of Emily (although I didn't have to do much!). I am especially fond of one whispering scene we did. I am grateful beyond belief to have people like Emily on this project and I will continue to write choice roles for her so long as I'm alive and kicking! That is a promise!'Thanks so much Emily! #acting #hamlet #actor #audiodrama #shakespeare #character #production

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In a Wyoming chicken diner, two mysterious strangers make trouble with the locals over a philosophical matter. But their professed tolerance is put to the test by a remarkable failure in judgment that involves animal rights, bicoastal elitism, and a great deal of swagger. (Running time: 22 minutes, 2 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Romero:  David Ault
Donna: Nicole Papadopoulos
Audrey:  Amanda Rios
Dennis:  Edward Rosini
Hipster Diners: Sam Mercer
Mother:  Lauren LeCocq
Daughter: Devony DiMattia
Police: Jessica Boudreau and Noah Martin
Chuck:  Edward Champion
Background Voices: Morgan Corcoran, Roderick Jaynes, and Emilio Lizardo

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who sometimes writes haiku about ducks on Thursdays.

Music licensed through Neosounds.

Songs: Jason Shaw’s “Rocky Top” and “Chasin’ It” appear via a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

Image licensed through Richard Russell via a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

If you’d like to support this independent audio production and learn more about how we made it, for only $20, you can become a Season 2 Subscriber! You’ll get instant access to all episodes as we finish them — months before release. Plus, you’ll get access to exclusive interviews and more than 400 minutes of behind-the-scenes commentary! Here are some behind-the-scenes photos and videos pertaining to this episode that we made during the more than two years of production we put into the second season.

Thanks for listening!

Behind the Scenes:

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Today I had the great privilege to record with the fabulous @nppapadop. Nicole paid very close attention to this character. In fact, an hour before Nicole showed up, I noticed a minor story logic problem and was forced to swiftly revise the script to solve it! When Nicole and I did the preliminaries, sure enough, Nicole spotted the very same issue. So I already knew this was going to go well. There were many times when I was about to give a note and Nicole suggested the note before I could say it. As a result, the session was very fun and smooth. Nicole also really found the humanity in this very unusual character and, for that, I am both tremendously grateful to her and very excited about this story! #acting #voiceover #audiodrama #fun #emotion #yes

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Today I had the great pleasure of recording with the wonderful @lilminda. Amanda plays a tough and colorful waitress at a chicken restaurant who becomes a big part of the story. Amanda herself possesses an endearing combination of resilience and warmth, along with a beautifully distinct voice. I liked her instantly when I first met her and I knew she was perfect for the role. One thing we did to get a sense of place (so that the story feels both big and real) was to have Amanda use a few improvised props while we recorded. When I gave her my coffee pot (alas, it had not been washed!) to use while recording her lines, she started hitting the emotional peaks in her dialogue and her character really started growing. There was a particular line in the script that Amanda hit and played with relish. And we both agreed that this summed up her character. You build characters by accretion and paying close attention to the instincts an actor brings. You listen for moments in the table read. You observe certain tics in the performing. Amanda made this very easy and we had a lot of fun. I'm thrilled that she's part of The Gray Area and can't wait for you to hear this story! #recording #audiodrama #acting #props #character #chicken #coffee

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Today, I recorded with the dreamy @the_edboi. In my experience, fellow Eds are typically a great pleasure to meet. And Ed was no exception! I loved working with him! Ed absolutely gets this silliness! Ed has great instincts as an actor, bringing little tics that I started sprinkling in other places and a wonderful energy to this very fun character, who is a bit of a cowboy and a bit of a clueless Jack Burton type, but who Ed smartly pegged as "lawful good." In fact, I wasn't even aware how indebted I was to #johncarpenter until I asked, while giving a note, "Have you seen BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA?" Upon being asked this question, Ed's eyes widened and he became super excited and we were quoting bits of the movie to get the slightly Western feel right on this tale, which is really turning out to be wildly entertaining and sui generis! #acting #audiodrama #recording #character #bigtroubleinlittlechina #jackburton

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This morning, I had a lot of fun doing enhanced background work with Sam Mercer! He was so dedicated to this that he was willing to trek out here from Jersey City! In other words, Sam is precisely the kind of actor you want on your production. Now I am not one of those guys who just has background people saying "sarsparilla." All characters matter. Everything is carefully scripted but, of course, subject to improvisation. And thankfully Sam got this and injected his characters with some very funny spins. When you're creating a world, you want to have people who are willing to find human moments in everything. No character is too small. Having said that, this session was over far sooner than I wanted to be! And now I'm going to have to find some places for Sam in Season 3! I am greatly indebted to Sam for his passion and commitment. Thank you, Sam! #recording #audiodrama #character #background #worldbuilding #human $fun #acting #voiceover

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The First Season (Holiday Travel Remix)

We’ve released a nearly three hour remix of the first season that contains the entire ten episodes, including some new material, new cues, new sound design, and a few other modest bells and whistles. Consider this the “movie” version of the first season designed for listeners who may be stuck in an airport or those who haven’t yet taken the full plunge. Happy holidays! (Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.)

6. Buddies for Hire

In our season finale, a once celebrated and now fading actor Jack Penderton desperately needs a job. His agent, Jill Swanson, lands him a strange gig involving a lonely scrapbook-loving eccentric, an unusual approach to free trade, a sinister salesman who moves uncommonly fast, America’s Next Top Model, and an odd scam that causes Jack to reconsider his long abandoned principles about friendship, loyalty, and connection. (Running time: 25 minutes)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:
Jack: Gore Abrams
Jill Swanson: Ingeborg Reidmaier
Venall: Adriano La Rocca
Harold: Carl Zurhorst
Gordon: Michael Smith
The Receptionist: Zachary Michael

Sound Design and Editing by Edward Champion
Image: Firat Sola (CC)

Thanks for listening!

Behind the Scenes:

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Here is the incredibly kind and very funny @larocca_cola during the "Buddies for Hire" recording sessions! I met Adrian in a UCB improv class. In fact, he was the first person I talked with! And when I first heard his marvelous voice, which carries a bit of a 20th century comic leading man quality, I knew I had to work with the guy. Fortunately, Adrian was kind enough to appear as a character that played to his strengths and that almost seemed written specifically for him! One of those lucky situations where you write a character and the right actor materializes instantly! We had a lot of fun with this role. At one point, I did some spastic physical movement and asked him to put his arm around my shoulder just to make sure he could find his way into the rather crazy lines. It worked! And Adrian proved to be very funny. Who does he play? Well, you'll have to wait until the first week of October to find out! #voiceover #improv #acting #audiodramasunday #audiodrama #movement #recording

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Our season finale, "Buddies for Hire," will be airing soon. To whet your appetite, here is the great @carlgzurhorst playing one of the most unusual characters in the entire series. I go out of my way to be as actor-friendly as I can, encouraging all sorts of invention. But Carl really went to town on the voice in a way unlike any other actor I've worked with, really giving this character the warmth and the humanity AND the strangeness I needed. Carl was an expert interpreter and an absolute pleasure to work with, cracking me up well into the editing. (The story is a bit of a screwball comedy. And I needed top-notch comic actors for this.) We established a vocal vocabulary for this character with YouTube clips and various recordings, which actually worked very well because the character has learned how to behave from the strangest sources. #acting #voiceover #audiodrama #radio #drama

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