Audiodrama, or the enacting of a story or play with no visual component and only through sound effects, music, and dialogue, is such an interesting field of voiceover, and one that has thrilled me since I was a child. It has roots in popular radio shows from the 1920s through the 1950s, with comedies such as Fibber McGee and Molly through mystery shows like The Shadow, not to mention cop shows like Dragnet. My first experiences hearing the power of audiodrama came from an LP containing two episodes of The Lone Ranger. and later my brother and I wore the grooves thin on a set of records that contained snippets from radio shows such as The Fred Allen Show and crime shows like Gangbusters. I’ve been a fan ever since. These days, I often enjoy doing readings of live Radio Theater (staged reproductions of those vintage radio programs) whenever I can. I’ve taken part in War of the Worlds, The Jack Benny Show, and Philip Marlowe Mysteries, among many others. I’m a regular contributor to the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound (or REPS) programs of old radio show reproductions, and this spring I will be the Emcee for their semi-annual REPS Showcase.

In more modern times, Audiodrama has been exploding in recent years with the proliferation of dramatic podcasts such as Welcome to Night Vale and The Bright Sessions. It is such a wonderfully unique avenue for storytelling, more bite-sized than audiobooks; They’re portable and easy for the listener to take anywhere on their phones. In the audiodrama Fables Radio: Old Tales Revisited, I was the opening voice of Mayor Cole.