Kung Fu Action Theatre

Kung Fu Action Theatre is the brain child of Robyn Paterson, yet another Canadian (counting Decoder Ring Theatre and The Sonic Society this makes an inordinant number from a very thinly populated country.) out of London, Ontario. It contains exactly what the title promises- action stories mostly centred in ancient China although the show "Team Iron Angel" seems to be more akin to Japanese animation style of storytelling, as does "D-Ranger". "Twin Stars" is a more straight forward space opera. Mr. Paterson also reads translation of chinese action romance novels in between long stretches of breaks in his audio drama.
Most shows would be considered Parental Guidance rating with some mature subject matter discussed, but mostly the episodes are family friendly and work safe. More suggestive themes than actual blatant sexuality or violence.

Website
When I first went to the KFAT website, it was very roughly put together. I really like the new update. The scheme gives a bold background reddish hue with greyed boxes and easy to read text. There's super graphics depicting some of the best shows, and what would be the title bar flashes some of the more popular series.
The smaller navigation bar at the top gives the options of - "Our Shows" which has the main shows lined down the left side, all except "D-Ranger" who seems to be placed beside "Team Iron Angel" (I'm not sure why). A click on each of the shows gives a listing of all the listed shows. I picked "The Adventures of Little Gou" and was pleasantly surprised to find all the shows I listened with a small caption describing each. I would also place the feed links below the listings if I had my druthers, as they seem a little smashed up on the right side as well. I like the "FAQ" page as a first time listener should always know what they are getting into. This is my chief complaint to the website though, is that while I get a sentence here and there explaining the shows, I know even after I have listened to the series I would love a little more detailed background information. Where and when does Little Gou take place? What do we need to know about "Team Iron Angel" just walking into it? What's the universe like where "Twin Stars" takes place?
Mr. Paterson writes indepth and well developed worlds, I want to know more so I don't get lost before I get started.
The links on the side seem a little redundant at the top. The "Now Playing" caption reiterates what's already showing in the main page. Of course, as KFAT grows that will probably change. The friend's links are a good idea, as  for new users it represents another jumping off point for more audio drama.
Too many websites neglect or hide their "Contact" information. Mr. Paterson does not, thank goodness, and he follows up with Audio Drama Talk links, a facebook page, and his personal blog to find out more about the author. New and loyal listeners like to know about the authors and producers of their favorite audio drama.
This is an excellent upgrade and part of my decision for the Award below. A couple of formatting changes will improve the new look.
Rating: 4.5/5

Audio Drama Theater (re) Type- Modern
Kung Fu Action Theatre (the "re" Mr. Paterson assures us is how it is written with "style", a catchy catch-phrase if I ever heard one) uses all the trappings of modern podcast audio drama, including what he calls "satellite actors" (a term I had heard before but I think I will use more definitively after listening to his post on production), sound effects, and music. Stories are often told in serial form with the exception of "Little Gou" in which each episode ties up the plot by the end.

Acting Types- Amateur
Mr. Paterson casts many of his parts from the Voice Acting Alliance and other actors from different audio drama companies. After listening to the early shows of KFAT, I fear that shows such as Sailor Moon have ruined a generation of female voice actors. The squeaky anime style of voice acting heard in many shows is like nails on a chalkboard. While it may work in the visual medium (I admit to not watching a great deal of anime through the years, the animation style bothers me), it is near death for voice acting in an audio drama. Anime acting is ham-fisted, over-the-top emotionalism of squeals and bi-polar turn-arounds. Audio Drama acting that's not meant to be funny needs to have a lot lighter touch. For the most part however, KFAT is the exception to the rule as the content of the stories is supposed to make the listener harken to some of the broad "acting" that's found in so many kung fu action movies.
Without getting into too much detail, there are four actors that stand out for me in several different productions.
Robyn Paterson himself as Little Gou. At first I did not like Mr. Paterson's portrayal, but as he grew into the part, I was highly disappointed when Little Gou was played by another actor. Paterson alone seems to understand the mischievious nature that Gou provides. Gou is Robyn Paterson and should never be portrayed by another actor, as far as I'm concerned.
Fiona Thraille as Cat. Her performance is a little more uneven. She carries the weight of being the more serious character in the "Little Gou" adventures, but her action sequences need more energy and oomph. She has a good sense of the emotional scenes but better direction is needed when the Sister is kicking ass.
David Ault. I have never heard Mr. Ault make a bad performance. His presence because of his accent sometimes feels out of place, but simply being there his voice can elevate a scene. Good casting choice.
Chris Gumprich. This actor I haven't heard enough of. He has a good sense of presence in the roles I've listened to, a deep understanding of the medium and genre, and he presents voices that frankly I don't immediately recognize. I'd like to see his turn in a major continuing role.
The acting in the first few episodes of KFAT were actually quite poor, but this was not helped by the awful production levels. Thank goodness things have changed and continue to grow.
Rating: 3.5/5

Production Type- Minimal to Detailed
The earliest KFAT shows are the worst produced. Obviously Mr. Paterson was just learning as he went along. I recommend you skip the first "Little Gou" shows until you listen to the most recent and become a fan, then go back and listen to the rest. The problems were wide and varied. The first shows had terrible microphoned actors where no more different sounding microphones could be heard in almost any other released show I've heard. Dialog was stilted. Spaces between voices you could drive trucks through and the music shocked you out of the story entering and leaving as stings, but really leaving the listener with something that smarted.
That's the old Kung Fu Action Theatre. Mr. Paterson has done what some producers refuse to do. He's learned from his mistakes. The acting has improved. The direction has been nearly spot on and the production levels grow and grow almost exponentially. Mr. Paterson has expressed in his feed his reluctance to use music that's not licensed (understandably) and his concern that mixing in music is not his forte. I would agree with his assessment, but he is getting better. The theme musics from "Team Iron Angel" set the tone of the series and help draw tension in the action. The stings are getting tighter, and all the actors sound like they are in the same room which keeps the listener more engaged.
Well done. An overall rating here would be unfair as the older shows diminish the expansion of his editing capabilities. In future show reviews, I will review each.

Writing
What kept me listening through the terrible production values of the early shows and the poor acting at times was Mr. Paterson's writing. He has an innate understanding of Chinese culture. He has an even deeper understanding of good plotting. He has a good sense of meaningful and effective dialog and he has a good feel for the character types found in action stories of the time. He draws westerners unfamiliar with the cultural motifs of the East in with ease. He knows that using "Little Gou" as a kind of underdog every man, he gains sympathy and thus attention from his listeners. He knows that by making the choice for "D-Ranger" an outsider he devises another method for people to enter the story and want to be a part of the growth of the characters.
Peril is one of the more difficult elements of good action writing. Most writers avoid creating traps in which their characters need to think their way out, Mr. Paterson is a master of these in "Little Gou". Gou uses his brains to win the day more often than not, no matter how tightly the noose is around his throat. This is echoed in the space opera "Twin Stars" and to a smaller extent in "Team Iron Angel" and "D-Ranger" which are more animated series put to sound and therefore more about the action.
While some of the humor may fall flat at times, the characters make it work in the story, and this is the sparkling pen of Paterson.
Rating: 5/5

Additional Notes
I wanted to listen to "Twin Stars" as it has a lot more buzz in the community. But when I downloaded everything off the feed there was only one episode and that was "Episode 8 of Book 1" to go back to. I didn't feel right beginning "Book 2" without having the slightest idea what I was going into. So when I have more time, I will go to the website to pull down the entire series. I'm not sure why "Twin Stars" is missing on the feed. There is also a series of audio book chapters, but I skipped those to listen instead to the actual audio drama. When I have time, or a long trip however, I will take the time to listen to the chapters themselves.

Over All Rating

Kung Fu Action Theatre wins my "Most Improved" Audio Drama Award. They have successfully knit closed the holes in the series and have grown in leaps and bounds. Paterson took a rather long hiatus in the past, and has been known to take more. As a listener I recommend more of a schedule posted so we can get an idea what to look forward to and where those hiatus may take place. While it's understandable that life sometimes does not give us advanced warning on personal emergencies, it is important to get a good sense of how long things may take.
Give KFAT a try if you are a fan of action series, and even if you aren't, Paterson's writing is instructive and an example of how any story can be adapted to make a great audio tale.
Rating: 4/5