I shouldn't have taken as long as I have to mention the two big shows that connected me with so many audio drama companies out there- The Sonic Society hosted by Jack Ward and Shannon Hilchie and Radio Drama Revival hosted by Fred Greenhalgh. The Sonic Society has been around for a little longer (in fact I remember when they showcased Fred's show Day of the Dead a couple of seasons ago, but RDR has done a good job of finding its own audience. Still, it is fun to compare the two shows, especially if people are unaware of what they offer.
Format
The Society is a weekly show and is a little less than an hour in length. They usually fill the time with a feature that can range from twenty minutes to the whole hour length and sometimes continue as a two-parter. When they have a shorter feature they usually fill the time with a short or a short serial. They began with The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd, but have continued with a number of different shows through out the years. The rest of the time is filled with feedback and banter between the hosts. In the early seasons there were more interviews, but that is usually reserved for what they call their Sonic Summer season that occurs during the summer months.. and The format is fairly tight as podcasts go, but more ranging as radio shows go. They can waiver anywhere within five minutes of the 55 minute time frame, I've noticed.
RDR is another weekly show which is a half hour in length. Fred will sometimes break large shows up and showcase them as a series. He will also take the entire half an hour to interview some of his favorite writers, producers, and personalities in the field. Mr. Greenhalgh keeps a fairly tight gauge on the length of his broadcast and podcast.
Hosts
The Society has been one of the bedrock elements in the return of modern audio drama. Jack Ward has showcased a number of companies and produced a great deal of shows himself. He's very knowledgeable and an extremely enthusiastic supporter of production companies. That being said, he is not the more dynamic of the duo. Shannon Hilchie rescued Mr. Ward from a pretty straight-laced presentation of audio cinema. Listening back to season one was like listening to one of the older presentations of the BBC, without an accent. Attempting to be pitch-perfect, Mr. Ward delivered the shows with enthusiasm, but not with the kind of wry and goofy humor that Miss Hilchie seems to wring out of him at every turn. Make no mistake, the great charm and enduring success in this series has been the on going relationship on microphone (and off?) with Ward and Hilchie. Shannon Hilchie also works as an actress and edits together the weekly show. While Ward can be stodgy, Hilchie can sometimes be shrill. Both together are certainly a draw for the series.
RDR has quickly built up a kind of professionalism by Mr. Greenhalgh that sets a different tone. Fred Greenhalgh presents another enthused voice that tries to step away from personality and let the stories do their talking. Always ready to provide his own insights, Greenhalgh presents his own analysis on the show that the listeners are about to listen. He focuses on gaining listeners for his radio station as well, and spends more time out of the conversational limelight when in an interview with others. There is a certainty when listening to RDR that Greenhalgh knows what he likes in an audio drama and is excited to see it grow in the community. His collaborations recently with the stage theater company Mad Horse have included some ink in the Wall Street Journal online. His deep commitment to authentic "theater" styled audio drama is certainly one of the great draws for the series.
Content
The Society's content quality has been all over the map. From the outset, Ward declared that the Society would be "eclectic" and include nearly anyone and everyone who could send him shows. Whether he and Hilchie have fine-tuned their requirements or the nature of medium has gotten better, productions have improved in quality. But still there is a wide variety and that includes poor among great.
RDR has stuck with a very specific style of "smart" or "theatrical" audio drama. His choices have appeared to be deliberate for the most part. Greenhalgh's tried to pick what he considers to be the cream of the crop of erudite radio plays. Many of them have mythological themes or are classical or famous stage plays put to audio. His choices may be deliberate, and it shows in quality.
Website
The Society's web site is a standard word press format. Stereotypically this means the format is fairly well known, and the content remains pretty straight-forward and useful. The stereotype continues to hold true in this case. Shows and news are in the center of the page. Audio drama link sites on the right and a variety of links on the left. The page is fairly hum drum but it gets you most of what you are looking for.
RDR's website on the other hand actually has nicer elements of color. It too seems to follow the word press format and continues with stories down the middle but with specific "friends" of Radio Drama Revival in more interesting clip art. What exactly does it take to be a friend of RDR anyway? Are these folks who have given donations or just Greenhalgh's favorites? We get a picture of Greenhalgh on the right and icons for the feeds. This page is more interesting and has handy links to previous shows below the contact information.
Original Audio Drama
It's important to note that both sets of hosts produce their own audio drama. RDR has Final Rune Productions and Society has Electric Vicuña Productions. I will be reviewing both companies separately in future posts.
The Upshot
So which is a better show? It really depends on what you're looking for. The Sonic Society has a huge backlog of shows and it has become a kind of endurance test of audio geekery by some call-in fans to have "listened to all the episodes". They also provide a wider variety and many people tune in just to hear "Jack and Shannon" banter with each other. Radio Drama Revival on the other hand often has superior quality stories in a shorter, sometimes easier and clearer time frame. If you're interested in consistent quality of shows and you like a more theatrical approach to audio drama it would be your choice.
As for me. I'm just glad both of them are there giving me an opportunity to locate shows and companies I never knew existed.
Thanks for the review! I too am glad Shannon joined me. Our numbers skyrocketed when they did. Although, I personally never think she's shrill, I do remember one member from England taking exception to her.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the attention. Keep reviewing!
Love SONIC!
ReplyDeleteThank you both Jack and Bill. It's a pleasure to have you both here. I have enjoyed Sonic for many years now, and hope it continues for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you too can count me as one of the people who would like to see a little more stringent "standards".
Warmly,
~J. Snowe
Just wanted to comment (a little late) that these shows were instrumental in opening up the world of audio drama for me. I discovered things I never would have been convinced to discover on my own. They encouraged me to go further than, say, Wormwood or Darker Projects or general horror.
ReplyDeleteI think they perform a great service and I greatly appreciate them.
Great review.
Thank you very much Red Willie.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. Both shows provide us with something that's been desperately needed. I've followed up on nearly all of my initial shows through the Sonic Society initially, and now Radio Drama Revival.
Warmly,
~J. Snowe
Well, it took me over a year to find this review but I think you did a fair job, James (I admit that after reading some of what's been posted on this site I had deep heart-clenching terror as I read, but was pleased you had plenty of good things to say!).
ReplyDeleteWhat might be interesting for listeners to know is that Radio Drama Revival began because I, as a producer, wanted there to be more venues to showcase my work. Jack/Sonic Society was very kind in airing my first work, though it still seemed at the time (late 2006 here) that there were far too many places to use as a launching pad for discovery more radio drama. My show started as, and still is, a terrestrial radio show, but podcasting from the first has been instrumental in developing an audience, as well as strong connections with the audio drama community.
I can't overstate how valuable it has been to interview so many writers, producers, actors, sound designers, etc. during my tenure at RDR, it has certainly made me a better artist for it.
I do feel I'm working on carving out a niche of "professional" work, and really what I mean by that is ones where the story is solid, and the audio elements range from blow-your-socks-off to at least not distracting you from the story. At the same time, I get dozens of new producers contacting me weekly hoping to get the word out about their shows, and I'm trying to find ways to help support people younger in their careers as well. That's why you now find audio reviews in the early part of the show that try to focus on the positive things to say about emerging producers (though a few pros have been mixed in there too) while not dedicating a full half-hour to productions that still need some work.
Anyways, glad to have such an upbeat review and hope I can keep it up! Do let me know of any requests/ideas/etc. I am very open.
Best,
Fred
Radio Drama Revival
FinalRune Productions
@finalrune