Sometimes a set of dramatisations walks a fine line between 2 different genres This set is from the Scifi Channel, yes audio dramatisations from SyFy. This set definitely walks the line between scifi and Horror. All in all it tips the scale back and forth so that lovers of both genres can enjoy them. Kick back and enjoy, I posted it in both groups! ------ R
Seeing Ear Theatre Presents 'City of Dreams'
128K
FROM THE SCI FI CHANNEL WEBSITE, TEXT BY Brian Smith, July 2000
In the Spring of 1998 I recieved a phone call from Kathryn Drennan, author and wife of J. Michael Straczynski; she told me that Joe had heard Seeing Ear Theatre, and was a big fan of the art of radio drama, and if there were anything he could do to help support our cause, to let him know. Wow. Not only had I been a fan of Babylon 5, I credited Joe's writing with helping to lay the groundwork for Seeing Ear Theatre's inception.
You see, long before I ever worked at SCI FI Channel, I read Joe's expert book on scriptwriting, aptly titled The Complete Book Of Scriptwriting; in it is a 50 page chapter on writing radio drama. That chapter was an integral part of my own development as a radio writer, directer and producer. Without it, who knows where I'd be...?
On my next trip to Los Angeles I visited the Babylon 5 studio; Kathryn gave me a tour of the sets, and then I sat in Joe's office and we talked radio drama. I had come to ask Joe if he'd be interested in writing something for Seeing Ear Theatre. He was, but we couldn't quite hit upon the nature of it at first. We thought of doing a Babylon 5 spin-off series, but finally decided upon something completely new, designed specifically for the ear.
Joe had written for the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone and had long wanted to launch a new anthology radio drama series in a similar spirit to Rod Serling's TV classic. Joe would write all 13 half-hour episodes, with total creative freedom to go wherever he dreamed, and I would produce and direct them. Joe would also serve as the co-executive producer along with myself, helping to cast, schedule, etc. So here it is, J. Michael Straczynski's CIty Of Dreams. A world of stories about madmen, dreamers, and fanatics, designed for the imagination, the theatre of the mind. Let us know what you think!
You've heard rumors of the City of Dreams. Its existence has been officially denied, although unconfirmed reports have placed it beneath the ruins of Machu Pichu in South America. Others say it's in Arkham, Massachusetts, or hidden in a secret network of tunnels under Moscow.
But we're here to tell you the truth. Do you want to know where the City of Dreams is?
J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5, teams with Seeing Ear Theatre to bring you an exclusive, all-new audio drama anthology series featuring tales of dreamers, madmen and fanatics.
Episode 01; The Damned Are Playing At Godzilla's Tonight
The dark, ominous tale of the bigoted owner of a small nightclub in the City of Dreams who faces a new sound, and a band that just won't quit...on either side of the grave.
"For our first story, I wanted something with teeth, something that took one of the more common supernatural tropes and used it in a way that dealt with contemporary themes. It has kind of a Lovecraftian feel, starting at the end, then finding out how we got here, and why. Where else can you get all that *and* a commentary on the state of the music industry?"
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
Starring Steve Buscemi as Mr. Beresford Mackey
Also Featuring:
Christopher Burns as Jimmy
Kevin Daniels as Derek B.
Beth Glover as Women
J.R. Horne as Franklin Chase
Ezra Knight as Quint
Kevin Conway as the Narrator Original Music Composed and Performed by Jeff Nostrand
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 02: Rolling Thunder
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
A father offers to give up anything to regain his lost child...and a certain Someone takes him up on it.
"We all make mistakes. Big ones, small ones, mistakes that change our lives forever. There's our life before IT, and after IT, whatever your IT happens to be. This is the story of an IT: the loss of a child's life, and what one person will endure in an attempt to correct that mistake. I wanted to ask one simple question: what is one person's life really worth?"
Starring Andre Braugher as Martin Anders
Also Featuring:
Ashley Albert as Secretary
Ami Brabson as Jennifer Anders
Jacqueline Cuscuna as the Bank Clerk
Peter Francis James as Carlyle
Ramon de Ocampo as Gang Leader and Guy
Kevin Conway as the Stranger
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 03: The Friends of Jackie Clay
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
Jackie Clay is the caretaker of a small cemetery in the City of Dreams who speaks to the dead and, when a crisis occurs, learns that he has friends he never knew he had.
"Having done two strong, serious, intense stories, I kinda wanted to write something a bit lighter, more redemptive, with a touch of humor. A guy who works at a cemetery and talks to the residents brings in response a logical question: do they talk back, and if so, what do they say? It's a story about friends, polite behavior, and the anger of the dead."
Starring Merwin Goldsmith as Jackie Clay
Also Featuring:
Jayce Bartock as Casey Geller
Mather Zickel as Randy
Chris Burns as Candle
Ross Stoner as Ajay
Ean Sheehy as Zack
Anne Bobby as Elizabeth Castay
Todd Cummings as Policeman and Hamilton Castay
Dick Rodstein as Civil War Soldier
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 04: The Tolling Of The Hour
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
The clock shows no mercy. Neither does the board of directors or the CEO, who demands more than life can give, and finds himself on the business end of the clock he worships.
"We have become a society answerable to the tick of the clock, the Board of Directors, the CEO...with your average corporate employee daily crushed under the wheels of downsizing, working harder for less money so the stockholders get a ten percent per share boost. I felt there needed to be a cautionary tale about the inevitable result of grinding down people's souls, because sooner or later, the universe downsizes those who downsize unto others."
Starring Campbell Scott as Gregory Ferguson
Also Featuring:
Anne Bobby as Liz Alworthy
Christopher Burns as Intercom and Staffer #2
Todd Cummings as John the Bartender
Jane Gennaro as Secretary
Merwin Goldsmith as Chester Alworthy
Dick Rodstein as the Doctor
Mather Zickel as Staffer #1
Kevin Conway as the Narrator
Associate Producer, Laurissa James
Assistant Director, Tony Daniel
Voice Editing, David Shinn
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 05: Night Calls
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
Something unusual is waiting for you in the intersection of a conversation between god and a man asked to build a *second* ark...what it will carry, and where it all goes, is not what you may be expecting.
"I told Brian that I wanted to divide CITY into three parts: 1-4 being fairly straightforward stories, and 5-8 being more experimental stories that play with the form of radio drama. Get everybody lulled into a false sense of security, and then start pulling the rug out. This is the first of the experimental episodes. Be sure to listen carefully, because not everything here is what it seems."
Starring Tim Curry as Ben Joseph and God
Also Featuring:
Alissa Hunnicutt as Real Audio Voice
Dan Seckel as Mark
Ean Sheehy as John
Kevin Townley as Richie
Kevin Conway as the Narrator
Voice Editing by David Shinn
Sound Design by John Colucci
Associate Producer Laurissa James
Assistant Director Tony Daniel
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 06: MCSD 00121J
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
From: Manasee County
Sheriff's Department
Manasee County, New Jersey
The original audiotape of which this (enclosed) tape is a copy was found near the site of the Clarefield community residence 23 August 2000 by Sgt. Emile Jackson and the original copy was forwarded to the MCSD forensics lab for analysis. A second copy has been forwarded to the FBI Crime Lab in Roanoake VA for more detailed audio study.
In light of the recent tragic events of Clarefield, we appreciate any assistance your office and listeners can provide in establishing any of the identities of the persons recorded on this tape. Needless to say any information emerging from this investigation will be held in the strictest confidence. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Captain J. J. Durham
Manasee County Sheriff's Department
Featuring Henry Leyva as Mark
Also
Ashley Albert as Waitress and Child
Guy Blumberg as Doc
Jim Carroll as Jacobson
Thom Christopher as Jeremiah
Alissa Hunnicutt as Child
Andrew Joffe as Frank
John Kolvenbach as Geoff
Tara Sands as Betsy and Child
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 07: Samuel Beckett, Your Ride Is Here
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
Associate Producer Laurissa James
Assistant Director Tony Daniel
Surrealism. Existentialism. Minimalism. Stream of Consciousness. Spaceships. What, you expected something ordinary in the City of Dreams?
"When you experiment in audio, you can do only so many things with tricks. At some point you have to dive into the form of the narrative itself. So I wanted to try something that played with stream of consciousness, surrealism, minimalism and existentialism, but without losing some SF touchstones. Hence, this week's episode. One long and very weird conversation. And no tricks."
Starring John Turturro as Benjamin
and Bill Irwin as Carlyle
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Episode 08: The Alpha And Omega Of David Wells
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Produced and Directed by Brian Smith
Associate Producer Laurissa James
Assistant Director Tony Daniel
A man in search of the Truth undergoes a past-life regression that takes him further than anyone has ever gone before.
"People with no tact, noting my sometimes intemperate nature, have tended to tell me, 'Y'know, you REALLY should have a past-life regression sometime to see where all this anger is coming from.' Which finally (after smiting them, that is) got me to thinking about what I would do in a story with this device...if there was a way to go FORWARD just as well as BACKWARD through various incarnations. When I figured that one out, The Alpha and Omega of David Wells kind of wrote itself."
Starring Peter Gallagher as David Wells
Also Featuring:
Peter Francis James
Alice Barden
Jacqueline Cuscuna
Martin Carey
Tony Daniel
Laurissa James
Sound Design by John Colucci
Executive Producers Brian Smith and J. Michael Straczynski
Replies
My hero ! You hit the ball out of the park once again...Thank you !
You ROCK Rick!
Hope you feel better today/night!
Thanks for posting this series. Sounds like a gem.
Good series Thanks. Hope your sleeping.
Thomas
I did for a while then the spasms woke me up again. Thank you Thomas for the kind words. ----- R
Brilliant Show- Especially the one with Tim Curry!
I listened to the first one and it was really good. I will get the rest when I get up, if I ever get to bed. No use going when you are having heavy duty spasms. Oh well crap happens. ------------- R