RADIO DRAMA REVIEWS ONLINE

The Bloody Mess, improvised audio drama recorded by Fred Greenhalgh

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Producers' Showcase, 10 July 2013
 
The indefatigable Fred Greenhalgh, host of the Radio Drama Revival podcast (now coming up to its 350th episode) performs a valuable service for listeners by showcasing audio drama from around the world.  His choices are not just restricted to independent companies; sometimes he includes material originally broadcast on the BBC.  Each weekly podcast contains a veritable pot-pourri of material that's well worth listening to (www.radiodramarevival.com).
 
Now I discover that Greenhalgh has been involved in a weekly show on WMPG - Greater Portland Maine Community Radio.  Entitled The Producers' Showcase, it is devoted to audio dramas that have been cut, selected or re-arranged in the studio.  The work of volunteers working for the radio station, as well as students from the University of Southern Maine is regularly featured.  The programme includes news, features, radio drama, comedy as well as reviews, and is hosted by WMPG Director Lisa Baker.
 
The particular episode I listened to featured recordings made by Greenhalgh at the ComicCON convention in Minnesota.  It comprised three short radio dramas - A Drink Before Dark and To Boldly Go as well as A Bloody Mess - performed impromptu by some of the delegates.  None of them had had the chance to rehearse; the entire production was spontaneously staged.  The subjects were familiar: A Bloody Mess made fun of Treasure Island while incorporating a comic German character.  To Boldly Go - as the title suggests - made fun of Star Trek.
 
It would be inappropriate to judge these plays by the standards applied to rehearsed audio dramas; suffice to say that I admired the enthusiasm with which the actors approached the task.  Producers' Showcase is well worth listening to as an example of the diversity of audio drama-related material now available online.