The Enduring Art Form Matter

Last month, award-winning playwright Robert Shearman, who's written numerous plays for BBC Radio, sat down for an interview about the art and enduring power of radio drama.

This was a productive weekend, with two interviews recorded. Next up is the not-so-fun part - transcribing them - to clear the way for the fun part - editing the footage.

Meanwhile Across the Pond

While radio drama may be mainly a curiosity within American popular culture, the medium is still active and vibrant in other countries, particularly the UK. Current productions cover a range of genres, as shown by a 2014 BBC radio adaptation of The Martian Chronicles, which was recently released on CD and digitally. My review of this production, whose cast includes Derek Jacobi and Hayley Atwell, can be found at the website www.culturesonar.com.

The On Further Review Matter

On refection, aside from from tweaks in cutaways, the big need is an epilogue of some sort to tie the various threads together. I have a few thoughts about what that should be and am trying to set up some additional interviews to make it so.

A Matter of Perspective

After putting the project aside for a couple weeks to regain some perspective, the current endeavor is to tweak at least the obvious shortcomings in the rough cut. Stay tuned.

The 15-minute Matter

A few choice words about the impact of the 15-minute episode format on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The next step will be to compile the completed segments to see what I have - or don't have, as the case may be.

The Evolving Art Form Matter

Trying to convey the evolution in radio drama that took place while Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was on the air is a tricky proposition. I'm not sure this segment is quite there yet, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.