Spring is in the air and summer reading is fast behind, so –as with previous years– we’re joining with a host of other awesome indie creators in bringing you a giveaway of $300 worth of some of our favorite sci-fi and fantasy books.
We’ll be posting about some of our picks in the days ahead, but don’t wait to sign up for the giveaway! It ends Friday, March 19th!
We’re slowly recording our second season of Quorum using COVID precautions, which is stretching out our recording sessions into May, which led producer Bjorn Munson to realize we might need to content with Brood X aka the Seventeen-Year Cicada.
Basically from roughly mid-May and for the following month or so, billions upon billions of these grape leaf-sized bugs will emerge and mate. Perhaps because of this single-minded obsession, they will ignore all ideas of social distancing. Now, they don’t have any stingers and are not poisonous, so despite their red-eyed appearance making them look like extras in an insect-themed eco-disaster movie, they’re harmless. If you have a dog, they’ll likely like the snacking options as you go on your walks.
But it’s the mating calls of billions of cicadas which is why we thought it’d be good for some of you audio producers to prepare. Because there’s sound-proofing and sound-prooding, and for those of you who don’t have a nice hermetically-sealed whisper room, you might want to plan your recordings accordingly!
The New York Timesdid a piece this past weekend about all sorts of old radio theater you can listen to on the Interwebs for free.
Old Time Radio aka Vintage Radio is, of course, one of the inspirations for Jabberwocky Audio Theater (along with Mind’s Eye productions and some others). So if you like old time radio, you should definitely check out what we suggested they check out: The Big Broadcast every Sunday from 7-11pm ET on WAMU 88.5 FM (luckily, they keep their shows archived for about four weeks so you can check things out).
And if you want to tell the Times that there’s a bunch of wonderful contemporary audio theater, hey, that’s good too.
Amazingly, this isn’t our whole cast from our virtual table readings in January
After plenty of time spent casting in the Fall, we returned from the holidays getting ready to product the second full season of Quorum (the first season and an ‘interlude’ are available to listen to already if you want to catch up).
The Gambler’s Tale: All That Glitters picks up with poker player and ad-hoc sleuth Jimmy Harmon almost a year later and in a new city, Los Angeles. While the city and its dangers might be new, you’ll find the mayhem and cliffhangers are what you’ve come to expect.
We have a cast of 28 actors voicing about 56 roles through a labyrinthine story that spans 10 episodes (just like season one). The picture above is from our virtual table read, which took two sessions considering it’s over 200 pages of script. That was late January.
Now we’re going through the slow, but steady process of recording each of those 28 actors. It’s a change from our usual style of gathering everyone together, but COVID demands we take those precautions — and we’ve been excited about the performances we’ve captured already.
Look for the next season of Quorum this Fall on WERA-LP 96.7 FM and on fine podcatchers everywhere.
Narrowly escaping enemy agents in the Imperial capital on Acheron, the crew of the Tyger search for a safe haven for themselves and Princess Nalini.
Cast (in order of speaking):
Announcer: William R. Coughlan Nalini al Zamin: Sophia Medley Taquermeraphan 651: William R. Coughlan Shen Enling: Yasmin Tuazon Tormar: Phil Amico Aidan Vosky: Nick DePinto Naveed: Neil Conway Lady Shohreh: Samantha Merrick Baker: Bjorn Munson Grainne Kochowa: Erin Goldstein Reg Macorum: Brooks Tegler Grand Duke Khalil al-Zamin: Phil Amico Crier: Matt Bostaph
Crew:
Recorded at Big Ben Studios by Matt Bostaph. Music was composed by John Maestri and arranged by Jason Chmiola. Supplemental Recording at Tohubohu Productions in Burke, Virginia. Dialogue editing by Maurice Malde. Sound effects editing by William R. Coughlan. Written and directed by Bjorn Munson.
Length: 15:45 Rated AD-PG, so parental guidance is suggested. Contains sci-fi related action, nasty smells, alcohol drinking as Vic fully avails himself of an open bar, and sudden, but inevitable betrayal.
In space, amid the wrecks of hundreds of past space battles, the Tyger faces an enemy armada. Beneath the Imperial capital on Acheron Prime, the remaining crew try and get Princess Nalini to safety.
Cast (in order of speaking):
Announcer: William R. Coughlan Aidan Vosky: Nick DePinto Shen Enling: Yasmin Tuazon Nalini al Zamin: Sophia Medley Taquermeraphan 651: William R. Coughlan Tormar: Phil Amico Grainne Kochowa: Erin Goldstein Reg Macorum: Brooks Tegler Jochi Bortay: Bjorn Munson Sylvia Malabar: Carol McCaffrey Redback # 1: Neil Conway Redback # 2: Corporal Wilhelm Goon: Brooks Tegler Vic Ratha: Francis Abbey
Crew:
Recorded at Big Ben Studios by Matt Bostaph. Music was composed by John Maestri and arranged by Jason Chmiola. Supplemental Recording at Tohubohu Productions in Burke, Virginia. Dialogue editing by Maurice Malde. Sound effects editing by William R. Coughlan. Written and directed by Bjorn Munson.
While the Tyger remains in the Hrageddor system, most of the crew –hidden aboard a Coutharian vessel– have landed covertly on Acheron Prime. Will they be able to escort Princess Nalini al-Zamin to safety?
Cast (in order of speaking):
Announcer: William R. Coughlan Tormar: Phil Amico Shen Enling: Yasmin Tuazon Aidan Vosky: Nick DePinto Nalini al Zamin: Sophia Medley Taquermeraphan 651: William R. Coughlan Grainne Kochowa: Erin Goldstein Reg Macorum: Brooks Tegler Jochi Bortay: Bjorn Munson Sylvia Malabar: Carol McCaffrey
Crew:
Recorded at Big Ben Studios by Matt Bostaph. Music was composed by John Maestri and arranged by Jason Chmiola. Supplemental Recording at Tohubohu Productions in Burke, Virginia. Dialogue editing by Maurice Malde. Sound effects editing by William R. Coughlan. Written and directed by Bjorn Munson.
Can the crew of the Tyger deliver Princess Nalini al-Zamin safely to Acheron?.
Cast (in order of speaking):
Announcer: William R. Coughlan Grainne Kochowa: Erin Goldstein Aidan Vosky: Nick DePinto Reg Macorum: Brooks Tegler Mintha: Samantha Merrick Tormar: Phil Amico Shen Enling: Yasmin Tuazon Taquermeraphan 651: William R. Coughlan Nalini al Zamin: Sophia Medley
Crew:
Recorded at Big Ben Studios by Matt Bostaph. Music was composed by John Maestri and arranged by Jason Chmiola. Supplemental Recording at Tohubohu Productions in Burke, Virginia. Dialogue editing by Maurice Malde. Sound effects editing by William R. Coughlan. Written and directed by Bjorn Munson.
Length: 13:20 Rated AD-G for general audiences. Contains preconceived notions about other species being challenges, brief juvenile humor about mating, and lots and lots of ships.
We’re always looking for ways to get the word out about Jabberwocky, so we were excited when artistic director Bjorn Munson was able to (virtually) sit down for an interview with the relatively recent Podcast Magazine. You can find the interview in the January 2021 issue.
Alas, the John Tenniel artwork spread works in print, but may not recreate well online.
We were hoping to announce it when there was a standalone online link to the article, but in the meantime, you all can check out the magazine, with the interview starting on page 16.
Rescuing the Royal Princess Nalini al-Zamin from deadly peril, the Tyger races back to the safety of the core systems.
Cast (in order of speaking):
Announcer: William R. Coughlan Grainne Kochowa: Erin Goldstein Reg Macorum: Brooks Tegler Aidan Vosky: Nick DePinto Nalini al Zamin: Sophia Medley Shen Enling: Yasmin Tuazon Taquermeraphan 651: William R. Coughlan Tormar: Phil Amico Vic Ratha: Francis Abbey
Crew:
Recorded at Big Ben Studios by Matt Bostaph. Music was composed by John Maestri and arranged by Jason Chmiola. Supplemental Recording at Tohubohu Productions in Burke, Virginia. Dialogue editing by Maurice Malde. Sound effects editing by William R. Coughlan. Written and directed by Bjorn Munson.
Length: 14:30 Rated AD-G for general audiences. Contains both confidence and concerns about the future, expectations of class and caste, plus skimmer refits.