WANTED: A team to help build a science fiction audio play in Goulburn

I was going to start with my usual waffle about the genesis of the idea… but let’s get straight to the point. I’m putting together a science fiction radio play / audio play.

The thing I am most excited about is the opportunity to work within the arena of Theatre of the Mind, and to work entirely with voice work and sound. No visuals, no movement… just variations with vocal delivery and sound effects… which, to do well, is definitely NOT easier than theatrical performance.

This project will offer participants the opportunity to explore an area of performance not frequently attempted in Goulburn. This will include sound effects or “Foley” work as well as sound engineering, and possibly even a little incidental music. Participants will be able to add this project to their resumes and showreels and MAYBE this can become a theatrical form we end up doing much more work in.

Goulburn’s Community Radio station – RAM FM has already confirmed it will play the finished product and will try to see if the National Community Broadcast network will play it Australia wide. It is also hoped it may be made available on Audible and Spotify.

So what’s the story? It’s a story I first plotted in 1997… even created a ridiculously long midi file for the outro and intro. Back then I’d never written anything for performance and the project was beyond me, but now with four shows under my belt, I thought it time to give it a crack.

It’s a science fiction story. I won’t share the story details here, except to say it is underpinned by cultural diversity with a First Nations Australian man as the central character of a multicultural cast. There are a LOT of roles, including many for young actors, especially in the first season. I will gladly share further details with participants as they become involved.

The project will consist of

• 3 seasons
• 10 episodes each season
• 30 minutes per episode

That’s 5 hours or 300 minutes per season… 15 hours if the project gets to run the full three seasons.

Unlike anything else I’ve written, while the plot is mostly defined, the script is very much open and I hope to use the process of engaging cast members and their cultural and lived experiences to help inform and shape the script.

This will be a huge undertaken. When the script is written, rehearsed and ready to go, the first season will take ten recording sessions of around 5 hours each to complete a 30 minute episode. If that works, we proceed to the next season and then to the final season.

I tried for a grant. That failed. Now I’m trying another way.

The central costs will be the hiring of studio time. Leave that to me. I have some fundraising ideas. The cost to participants is NIL however none of us, me included, makes a buck. We create this and send it into the world. That’s the project.

It’s my intent to try do this with local talent, but will call on actors from further afield if needed. If you are keen, contact me. I’ll create a Facebook group (as is my habit) but it will only be for participants. No sight-seers or time wasters.

So… who’s with me?