Open Season: A Joe Gunther Novel

Announcing: Open Season the Audio Drama

An old lady tormented by lewd phone calls blasts a man with a shotgun as he walks in through the door, and Brattleboro's everyman detective, Joe Gunther, is called out to investigate.

It's clear that not everything is as it seems - the description of the phone calls and the dead man outside don't match up.

And even stranger, the dead man and the old lady were jurors on the same controversial trial three years ago.

So begins "Open Season," the inaugural Joe Gunther novel from Archer Mayor (THE PRICE OF MALICE, OCCAM'S RAZOR), an author who has earned lofty praise from The New York Times and Chicago Tribune.

Listen to the FIRST EPISODE of this New Production:

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Download the Joe Gunther Pilot! (MP3)

Credits:

Written by Archer Mayor, audio adaptation by Fred Greenhalgh. Produced and Directed by Fred Greenhalgh.

• Bill Dufris as Joe Gunther
• Christopher Price as Patrol Officer, Patrolman, and JP
• Philip Hobby as Katz and Gould
• Burke Brimmer as Sergeant
• Kym Dakin as Reitz
• Christine Marshall as Mrs. Philips

Field recording by Randall Farr, original score by James Munro. Holiday music by Kevin Macleod.

Something Different in Audiobook Publishing

In a startling divergence from traditional audiobook production, Vermont Audio Drama Podcasting commissioned FinalRune Productions to produce a pilot episode for what will become a serialization of the novel "Open Season."

This pilot was recorded in FinalRune's signature on-location recording style at an old house in South Portland, Maine (courtesy of Mad Horse Theater Company) with a compliment of excellent Maine-based actors including Audie-award winning narrator Bill Dufris.

Actors crowded into the back seat of a car and drove through the snow, got out of cars and walked up stairs while shouting lines, and acted off one another in claustrophobic rooms - much like recording a movie, only without the camera.

Field Recording Production Photos:

Why Record This Way?

Recording on-location imparts a sonic reality and level of richness impossible to achieve in a traditional sound studio. The finished production sounds much more like an "audio movie," resulting in a more engrossing listening experience.

The episodic nature of the project is also uniquely suited to the way we listen today. This serial will be easily listened to on an iPod, Kindle, iPad, or other mobile device. Like the old time radio days, installments will about 30 minutes long, leaving listeners eager to hear what will happen next!

I Want More!

If you'd like more information on the audio pilot, or to hear more of it, contact Vermont Audio Drama Podcasting.

We're also starting a mailing list, if you want to hear when more news is available on this project, just drop in your email below (we will use it for NOTHING else!).

And there's plenty more good audio available right now produced by FinalRune - check out our stories page to get listening.