Wireless Radio Theatre Company

Wireless Radio Theatre Company is a collection of audio plays produced in England, the content of which are mostly comedy and drama. The size of plays vary from sketches to full length productions. And they've been extremely prolific. In two years of existence, Wireless has produced over 65 audio productions with four producers, ten directors, and well over 70 actors as their About page attests.
The shows I have heard are mostly requiring parental guidance with swears and sexual situations so beware it may not be family friendly or work safe.

Website
The Wireless web site is very professional looking. Smart black frames with a large red curtained icon and microphone against the white gives a perspective of a fancy playbill in a fine theater.
Straight three columned support sandwiches the main text between a right column of information on their shop, patron, and live performances with a left column that specifies links, donations, and most downloaded shows (a great feature!). Links a long the top take the visitor to A list of the series of Plays- nicely divided into categories, a Who's Who list of Actors and mug shots, a listing of Writers and the production Crew, some delightful photos of productions, and some Listener and Press feedback.
Even the shows have a tiny description and picture to go with them giving the listeners more of a clue of what they could directly download.
Excellent value and easy to traverse!
Rating 5/5

Audio Drama Theater Type- Modern
Following the time worn BBC style radio play, Wireless puts just enough sound effects in many of their productions to tell the story. Music is often limited to themes and transitions. The BBC has always made the interaction of characters their first choice in radio scripts and Wireless does the same. There are no set time limits to shows. Episodes span from well over an hour to just over ten minutes in length. The freedom of the form allows more plays to experience the story without padding or cutting it remorselessly.

Acting Types- Mixed Amateur and Professional
While not familiar with the entire acting roster, I am aware of famous actors such as Prunella Scales lending their voices and credibility to Wireless. The acting, whether from professionals or amateurs is almost universally spectacular. Powerful dramatic performances by Scales in "On Three" bring a kind of poignancy to the loss of a child by an older couple. Similarly, the symbolic, yet powerfully acted "Cormorant" mixes absurd dream-like personalities with the sometimes equally absurd elements of reality. "Turning the Tide" is one of my all time favorite shows from the Wireless because of the powerful acting of the father character in dealing with his own fears of being bullied from past, present, and even through that of his son. The biggest problem I had with "Tide" however was the miscasting of the "boys" in the play who did not sound anything like they were in public school. While casting children can often be a great risk, realism in this play would have helped continue the motif of powerless far better. Still it is a minor objection against a sea of steady, stellar, performances.
Rating: 5/5

Production Type: Measured
Mariele Runacre Temple who spearheaded the Wireless seems to have made great choices in bringing talented producers together for the series. Between "Minimal" and "Detailed" production types, is a third middle option I would call "Measured".
Measured productions focus almost entirely on the dialog and how to best tell the story without interrupting the flow. The sound effects neither scream at you, "HERE ARE SOUND EFFECTS ADDED" nor do they keep things so quiet that the listeners is left scratching their heads as to how active participants in a scene have so little interaction with the world around them.
I don't want to get into details about specific shows except that "Seasons" moved me nearly to tears with how measured the production was, as did "On Three" which kept you guessing every step of the way as to just where the characters were and what they were attempting to do. The resolution was not jarring however, and made perfect sense in the story.
Rating: 5+/5

Writing
The writing in Wireless is as crisp and as compelling as any of the best nights of "theater" I've been out to see. The pacing of the stories are more akin to stage plays in America than the audio drama we've come to know. Scripts have no problem spending long portions talking with characters by keeping the dialog engaging and interesting. Scene changes can be symbolic or actual. There are strong connections to personal mythic structures that are built within some scripts like "Cormorant" while others like "Leaves in August"- a brilliant tale about two old souls coming back together after so many years are told in a series of flashbacks with great acting to keep the audience concretely involved in the characters.
Audio Drama has the unique ability to use a variety of Point of View opportunities that don't work nearly as well in other mediums by not relying on visual images. This gives the writers all of time and space as their scenery.
It is the "stage" sensibility that creates smart, thinking, audio plays, instead of simply entertaining yarns of which we're more used to in our North American diet.
Be prepared to be challenged as a listener. If you're up for the challenge. These plays will transform you.
Rating: 5+/5

Additional Notes
Each Wireless story is self contained and perfect for a download either separately or through their newer podcast. You might want to savor their shows though. They are not easy to listen to one after another- especially the dramas- as they can be almost emotionally exhausting. Wireless shows stay with you, and you'll want to dine on each dish for a long time considering the themes, and their meanings for some time. I'm quite serious about how serious these shows are. They will make you think. They will make you reconsider your life, and they will provide good opportunity to pass on to friends and family to show them exactly what Audio Drama can be as a method of storytelling.

Over All Rating
My personal guarantee is this. If you like good theater, if you like powerful acting, and great drama, the Wireless will be one your number one podcast audio drama companies. Their comedies are very funny too, but perhaps it is the cultural divide, I didn't find them nearly as funny as they could might have been, but I haven't listened to them all yet.
Wireless Theatre Company provides a great partnership between those in the creative community and the modern audio theater audience. They simply make fantastic audio that must be heard.
Rating: 5+/5