Radio Drama Craft

Tony Palermo’s RuyaSonic
Great information on everything from how to mic a “gunshot” to basic principles of live plays and scriptwriting. His “Towards a Radio Drama 101″ gives an invaluable reading (listening) list to get through the ropes of radio drama basics, and I still use h

Well Tempered Audio Dramatist
The Well-Tempered Audio Dramatist is an invaluable resource I still consult today. Yuri Rasovsky, of Hollywood Theatre of the Ear, writes the nitty gritty of audio theater production, from budgeting, planning, writing basics, studio work, and postproducti

AudioTheater.com
Henry Howard’s AudioTheater.com is a huge resource of weblinks, audio theater groups, reviews, and other radio drama chatter. You can also sign up for the two radio drama/audio theatre mailing lists here.

Independent Radio Drama Productions (UK)
The IRDP feature a nice list of contacts, tips, techniques, as well as great articles on the nature of sound and its power to speak to the audience.

Film Sound Theory
While this site is intended for analysis of sound when it accompanies video, the principles are pretty much the same when you remove the video. A nice resource of the mainstream thinking on sound design theory and practice.

Audio Field Recording Equipment Guide
Great resource covering just about every way you can connect a microphone to a device outside the studio environment. They lead me to my Marantz PMD-660!

All about EQ
Not having an audio engineering background, this tutorial on EQ has been very helpful in figuring out how to handle my mixes.

National Audio Theatre Festivals
The NATF is America’s only week-long festival/conference dedicated to the exploration of audio theatre. I attended it in 2007 and HIGHLY recommend it both for audio theater newbies and more experienced producers.

The Williamette Radio Workshop
The Willamette Radio Workshop is a professional theatrical organization dedicated to the creation of original material for presentation on the Radio, Internet, as Compact Disks or whatever audio venues are available or appropriate. Affiliated with the NW

Transom
Organized for public radio, Transom has a wealth of resources about equipment, recording techniques, and more. Plus some good, offbeat, (nonfiction) stories.

Noir Dame: Classic Radio Drama
A great selection of classic (and some original) radio drama works, sci-fi/fantasy/horror/mystery and beyond

Early Radio History of the United States
A timeline of pre-golden age events in the history of radio. Just for context.

Old-Time Radio ‘Program Guide’
A resource to the programs during the OTR era, lots of enthusiast links but not a lot of actual listening.

PirateTv Theater - Classic Radio Drama
A weekly podcast featuring shows from OTR era… Often mystery, suspense or horror.

The Mercury Theatre on the Air
A great resource about Orson Welles’ venture with a complete showlist and history.

LibSyn
Check out the LibSyn directory for more audio drama podcasts than you can shake a stick at. Mostly OTR stuff

BBC 4
BBC 4 features a range of top-quality original audio work, often theatre. Repeats are aired on BBC 7 for a while.

XM Radio - Sonic Theater
The only (?) nationally-available audio theater programming comes care of XM radio. Sonic Theater features a rotating schedule of many top audio dramatists, albeit criticized as being a bit repetitive if you’re a loyal listener. Makes me want to sign up

ZBS Foundation
Both a producer and a source of audio theater works, the ZBS Foundation features great original audio theater from contemporary producers available on CD or download.

Blackstone Audiobooks
Features the Hollywood Theatre of the Ear works as well some great regular audiobooks.

Audible
Audible is a great service, but their audio drama selection is a little spare. However, there are a few gems available at a reasonable price and the catalog seems to be growing.

WMPG
Portland, Maine’s WMPG features “Radio Drama Revival!” a weekly show by FinalRune’s Fred Greenhalgh, Thursdays 1-1:30PM EST

Society of Audio Addicts
Danielle Cutler’s audio theatre-related blog, The Society of Audio Addicts has a great selection of links, podcasts, and articles of interest to audio theatre and radio drama enthustiasts. She was one of the first people to pick up my New Orleans myth-bas

Sonic Society
Far and away the most popular audio theater podcast, the Sonic Society has feature-rich episodes every week with great stories, interviews and audio theater news.

Lit Between the Ears
William Spears’ Lit Between the Ears features great interviews with a variety of audio pros and enthusiasts, with biting commentary and great humor. Very good reading!

Radio Drama Revival!
My own Radio Drama Revival! radio show airs on WMPG Portland, ME each week and I have the podcast up on Fridays. News, reviews, discussion and stories to be found here.

LibSyn
Check out the LibSyn directory for more audio drama podcasts than you can shake a stick at. Mostly OTR stuff

Dreamseed - Xander Davis Blog
Official blog of Dreamseed, creators of the excellent “Soul Rift” series and the short story “Buried in Falling Sand.” Features commentary, behind the scenes look at the productions, and other cool audio tidbits

The cream of the crop and the intriguing newcomers to modern audio theater, with a few classics represented.

Crazy Dog Audio Theatre
The Crazy Dog Audio Theatre catalogue has some unusual, outrageous, and unexpected pieces of work, care of the writing talent of award-winning playwright Roger Gregg. Originating from Dublin, Ireland, Crazy Dog Audio Theatre produces live and studio recor

Los Angeles Theatre Works
The Los Angeles Theatre Works produces audio theatre more along the lines of contemporary fiction/theatre, their stories focusing more on realistic settings and people’s lives in historic and modern societies. Romance, tragedy, betrayal, love, suspense…

Great Northern Audio Theatre
Great Northern Audio Theatre is another producer of contemporary audio theatre, the collaborative effort of Brian Price and Jerry Stearns. They’ve been producing together since 1995, and now have a catalogue from the insightful to the absurd, science fict

Coyote Radio Theater
Auuuoooo!!! From the deserts of Prescott, Arizona, howls the hilarious comedy of the Coyote Radio Theatre. Inhabiting a truly twisted comic world in which nothing is safe (or sane), Coyote Radio’s targets of satire range from R2-D2, National Public Radio,

Decoder Ring Theatre
The Decoder Ring Theatre from Toronto, Canada, creates audio theatre in one of its most successful traditions–noir. Their 1930s-esque stories of gritty detectives and despicable crooks, seductive females and bodies that tell no secrets. Whether it’s the

Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky, founder of the Hollywood Theatre of the Ear, has been professionally writing, directing, acting in, and producing radio drama for over 30 years. He has achieved many awards on his hundreds of productions, tending to produce historical or cl

The Soul Patrol
The Cosmic Forces’ “The Soul Patrol” follows an angelic force out to save souls in a troubled world

Icebox Radio Theater
A theater of the air located on the very edge of America in International Falls, Minnesota, The Icebox Radio Theater’s mission is to bring the stories of the Borderland to World!

Shoestring Radio Theatre
Shoestring Radio Theatre is a nationally-syndicated radio drama program featuring original radio plays by contemporary writers as well as adaptations of traditional favorites—everything from classic murder mysteries, “radio noir,” and historical dramas

Texas Radio Theatre Company
The Texas Radio Theatre Company presents the best in modern audio theater performances, recorded in front of an audience, featuring award winning original works and classic adaptations. The Texas Radio Theatre Company has been performing in the Arlington,

Shadow Falls
Dark history rises again in the town of Shadow Falls when a second young girl goes missing. A terrifying podcast experience not to be missed!

Dream Realm Enterprises
Dream Realm Enterprises features a wide range of audio entertainment, from Sherlock Holmes mysteries to tales on the edge of the experience, and comic robot adventures!

The Moonlit Road
Not technically audio drama, The Moonlit Road features ghost and scary stories of the South told by haunting narrators

Circus 13 Productions
Features a variety of fan and original audio drama, with Dr. Who, James Bond, and original fantasy and sci-fi adventures. Very fun.

Schlock Audio Theatre

Darker Projects
A truly impressive assortment of terrifying tales and unsettling adventure

After Hell
Ollin Productions’ After Hell tells dark stories from a world that has fallen, where evil creatures roam the earth and nowhere is safe. Rather than strict horror, After Hell tends to have more “Tales from the Crypt” -esque stories with twisted endings an

The Grist Mill
Spine tingling short audio horror fills the Grist Mill, a series featuring chilling stories introduced by ominous “Inspector 12.” Featuring Joe Lansdale’s God of the Razor, among other great stories!

Atlanta Radio Theatre Company
ARTC is an extremely active, high-quality radio theatre organization that frequently produce works by popular authors from HP Lovecraft to Robert Heinlein. They have a great podcast and back catalogue. Not to be missed.

Dreamseed Productions
Dreamseed Productions is a new audio theater company with a very contemporary edge. Their entry work, “Buried in Falling Sand,” has a refreshingly original sci-fi script and crisp production. Stayed tuned for “Soul Rift,” a series of phantasmagoric dete

Firesign Theatre
Celebrating their 40th anniversary, the Firesign Theatre are true audio revolutionaries, having produced truly groundbreaking audio comedy in a free-form, stream-of-consciousness style mastered in absurdity, irreverence, and awkward juxtapositions of the

Searcher and Stallion
Searcher and Stallion is an ongoing science-fiction audio drama about a mysterious hero, Searcher, with no idea of his identity or history and his adventures through distant galaxies with his robotic companion, Stallion. A true use of audio theatre’s abil

Eye of the Storm
An online radio soap opera telling a story of intrigue, betrayal and oil money in Lafayette, Louisiana. Very unique and good listening even if you’d never watch the TV equivalent

Wireless Theatre Company
Contemporary audio plays ranging from the comic to the serious, written, produced and starring some of the UK’s top talent and all available for free digital download.

California Artists Radio Theatre
The California Artists Radio Theatre (C.A.R.T.) has been presenting award-winning stage productions, as well as the best in classic and modern audio drama, for more than 50 years. The CART company of actors is a ‘Who’s Who’ of the most respected Natio

wyrd enterprises
The home of The Fantastic Fate of Frederick Farnsworth the Fifth, a romantic adventure comedy fantasy action thriller audio theater drama in serial format with full cast and sound effects.