Audio Theatre Central | Exploring Family Friendly Audio Drama

For today's review of Jonathan Park Volume 10: The Journey Home, Roy is M.I.A. but we (JD and Andrew) soldier on with the help of our good friend Austin G. We really enjoyed this Jonathan Park album and we have lots of opinions and thoughts about it and the themes and topics which were presented in it. Andrew also fills in for Roy and does an admirable job delivering the newscast while Austin tackles the job of "Summary Giver". We also address feedback from Dr. Lamar, Victoria and Sarah-Grace. And in all of this we somehow manage to work Knott's Berry Farm, pancakes, and Gunsmoke into the discussion. What are your thoughts on the topics we addressed in this episode? Send us your feedback! We’d love to hear what you think!feedback@audiotheatrecentral.com623-688-2770audiotheatrecentral.com/contact

Today we dive into The Ties That Bind, the 58th album from Adventures in Odyssey. We talk about the highlights, our favorite new characters, point out some of the callbacks hidden in this 14 episode album, and much more. Roy delivers an outstanding newscast, we jump into some feedback from Richard and Victoria, and we introduce you to another new audio drama series.What are your thoughts on the topics we addressed in this episode? Send us your feedback! We’d love to hear what you think!feedback@audiotheatrecentral.com623-688-2770audiotheatrecentral.com/contact

In this special episode JD brings you a Christmas audio drama that we (Porchlight Family Media) produced on stage for a live audience. It's called Babe of the Worlds. JD also shares some recommendations for a few other Christmas audio dramas that you may enjoy this time of the year. Have a Merry Christmas and we'll be back next month with our standard format show.

We share some highlights from our visit to Salami Studios in North Hollywood, California in this episode. We attended an Adventures in Odyssey recording session in October 2014 and were privileged to meet a lot of great actors and crew members. While there we interviewed recording engineer and sound designer Nate Jones about his work on Focus on the Family Radio Theatre and Adventures in Odyssey. Also in this episode, we review The Legend of Squanto from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. This is a wonderful story that is top notch in every way and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Roy also has a newscast full of news (what else?) and we have some feedback from Richard, Kinzey and Austin.

LifeHouse Theater On-The-Air released an audio drama adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo in 2009. We review this production in this episode and discuss the challenges that come with taking a large volume like Alexandre Dumas' novel and adapting it for a much shorter audio drama. The LifeHouse team does an admirable job on this classic work and we think you'll enjoy this hour long production. We also have some feedback from Emily, Richard, and Eric. And somehow, in all of this, we also end up talking about tangerines too!

Bill Heid joins us for today's discussion on audio drama vs. visual entertainment. Bill Heid is the Executive Producer of The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty. Bill wrote an article on the benefits of audio drama for kids which prompted this episode so we asked him to join us to talk about it. We also reference an article written by BBC audio drama writer, Stephen Wyatt, titled "Making Radio Drama - the bad news and the good news" and we address some points he raised. In addition to the discussion topic, we also chat with Bill about The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty.

We take a look at Goliath: King of Shadow Valley from the Paws & Tales series today. This is a short story arc consisting of 5 episodes from the show which were repackaged into a stand-alone album. Goliath tells the story of PawPaw Chuck's early days in Wildwood. Also in this edition of the podcast we respond to some feedback from Michael, Richard and Darren. And we take a few moments to mention our 4th birthday! But before all of that, Roy gives another packed newscast.

Today we dive into the topic of Old Time Radio. We give an introduction to this forerunner of modern audio drama and share some memories of our first exposure to these stories. We talk about some of our favorite shows, the various Adventures in Odyssey connections, as well as where you can get these Old Time Radio shows for yourself. Thanks to Austin Peachey for suggesting this topic.

We review Les Misérables from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre on this episode of this show. This is a fabulous audio drama adaptation of the classic novel by Victor Hugo featuring some stellar acting by Brian Blessed, Tony Robinson and Gina Beck, among others. We discuss some of our favorite moments in the program as well as play a short sample scene from the beginning of the drama. Also in this episode, Roy has another fabulous newscast and we address some listener feedback from Austin.

We discuss the question of whether or not a full cast audiobook is the same thing as an audio drama production. As we go through our own thoughts on the issue, we weave in some feedback from Jerry Robbins from the Colonial Radio Theatre on the same topic. Jerry shared some writing samples with us that we decide to perform as an illustration. We also answer some questions from Christopher and Will. And for those of you who endure to the end...well...you'll just have to listen.

Bob Smithouser joins us today to answer all of your questions about the Odyssey Adventure Club. Bob is one of the co-hosts of the Official Adventures in Odyssey podcast as well as the newly appointed OAC Producer. As you may know, the OAC is the premium membership club for Adventures in Odyssey fans. We also take this opportunity to chat with Bob about his first exposure to Odyssey, how he became the host of the Official AIO podcast as well as some of the characters he's voiced on Odyssey. We also announce the winners of our giveaway from episode 50 and address some listener feedback.

We break the mold for episode 50 and bring you an entirely different format for this show. At the request of you, the listener, we present a look back at some highlights from the previous 49 episodes. First we take a listen to 10 of our favorite guest moments from cast and crew members who have joined the show over the years; from Nathan Hoobler to Andre Stojka to Chuck Bolte and more.Next we play a reel of a few funny moments from the hosts. Then we dive into a discussion about our thoughts on the future of Adventures in Odyssey. We also share an update on our audio drama project, The Cross Maker, and play a bit of the opening scene. We then cap off the episode with the biggest giveaway in ATC history, thanks to some great partners.

The Candle in the Window is the third production in Lamplighter Theatre's 4th season. We share our thoughts and opinions on this audio drama which features Jess Harnell in multiple roles. We also highlight a few minutes of the Lamplighter Guild students' condensed version of The Candle in the Window. Roy has a jam-packed newscast and we also respond to feedback from Will, Richard and Samuel.

Focus on the Family Radio Theatre released C.S. Lewis At War: The Dramatic Story Behind Mere Christianity at the end of 2013 and that is our topic of discussion today. This audio drama is very different from any previous Radio Theatre production and while it may not appeal to younger listeners, we think that it is an amazing story that adults and teens will still find entertaining. Roy also has a newscast that is chock-full of Adventures in Odyssey news. And we check out some feedback from Jane and Christopher. Lastly, Andrew gives a review of the Odyssey Adventure Club.

Season 2 of The Brinkman Adventures is the topic of conversation in this episode. We really enjoyed the 12 episodes in the second season and we highly recommend that you check out this series. Also in this episode is a newscast from our resident newsman, Roy, as well as a snippet from a new audio drama from CreationWorks.

We review Jessica's Journey from Lamplighter Theatre in today's episode. This is an absolutely captivating audio drama from the very first scene. It is based on two books by Hesba Stretton, Jessica's First Prayer and Jessica's Mother. We also share an update on our audio drama project, answer some questions posed by listener Christopher, Roy has a packed newscast and we get into a discussion about coffee.

Today we discuss Under Drake's Flag, the outstanding debut audio drama production in The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty series from Heirloom Audio Productions. We highly recommend this drama and feel that it is one of the best audio drama productions we have ever heard. Under Drake's Flag has received high praise from many, including Glenn Beck, and is a drama we know you'll enjoy. We also read some listener feedback and Roy delivers a newscast that is chock-full of valuable information.

Today we discuss The Star Angel, a fabulously entertaining, Christmas musical from The Colonial Radio Theatre. This award winning production is the perfect audio drama for the holiday season and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Also in this episode is a discussion about new voices for familiar characters on Adventures in Odyssey, an update on our audio drama project and Roy's splendid newscast. And listener Cguy's question sparks a lively conversation to cap off this edition of the show.

Today's bonus episode features an informative conversation with sound designer, Rob Jorgensen of Rojo Creative Studios. Rob has done sound design and foley for Adventures in Odyssey, The Brinkman Adventures and Lamplighter Theatre to name a few. Rob shares how he got started in radio drama and audio production in general. He also talks about the crazy stuff he'll do to get the perfect sound effect; like testing out the sounds of shoes at the Goodwill or borrowing weight sets from his neighbor. Also in this episode, Nathan Hoobler tells us the reason for the episode title change in AIO #57 and JD talks about a Christmas themed Old Time Radio show called The Cinnamon Bear that is perfect to listen to with the whole family.NOTE: We had a few Skype issues that affected the audio a little bit.

A Call To Something More, the 57th album from Adventures in Odyssey, is the topic of conversation for this episode. We give our thoughts on each episode and the album as a whole; even though our rating system seems to have no consistency. We also give an update on our own audio drama project, share some feedback from David, Aaron, Mark, and Jack. And of course, Roy gets us current with another newscast.