A Christmas Carol 2020 and the Storied

A Christmas Carol 2020 and the Storied History of Audio Drama

by SAM MAUCERI

Before television became widely available in the United States in the 1950s, radio was the most reliable source of family entertainment. “Kindergarten of the Air” by ABC Archives is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 For many Chicagoans, a tradition of audio dramas. available to audiences for free, a much-anticipated holiday fact that theatres feared would tradition is getting dressed Audio drama, audio play, destroy their business. up, heading downtown, and audio theatre, radio play, and watching Goodman Theatre’s radio drama are different While it was typical in the early A Christmas Carol amongst names for a similar idea: days of radio to hear excerpts hundreds of other excited a fictional, dramatized of stage plays and other fiction theatregoers. So what happens story that an audience read aloud, plays were soon when COVID-19 prevents experiences by listening. written specifically for radio. The audiences from gathering at Audio dramas became first radio play that was written the theatre to celebrate the popular with the advent of for the medium was A Comedy season? This year Goodman radio in the early 1920s. While of Danger, broadcast in 1924 in Theatre is adapting its beloved live theatre performed on Britain on BBC, closely followed stage production to a new stage was a popular form of by The Wolf, broadcast in the medium: the radio play. While entertainment, radio allowed U.S. that same year. this approach is an exciting people to enjoy exciting first for the Goodman, it also stories from the comfort of The most famous radio play represents a return to the their own homes. Furthermore, of all time is perhaps War of long-established popular radio, unlike theatre, was the Worlds by Orson Welles

While the current coronavirus pandemic has necessitated physical distancing to keep people safe, it has also prompted theatre artists to get creative in how we present our art to audiences.

and the Mercury Theater, an In the 21st century, a new adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, medium has revolutionized broadcast on October 30, and re-popularized the 1938. The play was written as a audio drama: the podcast. fictional news report informing Non-fiction programs listeners that Martians had originally broadcast on the invaded New Jersey. The radio like This American Life program allegedly caused and Radiolabgained new hysteria among listeners in fanbases once they were New Jersey, who reportedly released in podcast form, but did not hear the disclaimer at podcasts truly broke into the the beginning of the play and mainstream in 2014 with the believed the story to be a real true crime podcast Serial. In news program. However, the the wake of Serial’s ubiquitous truth of that hysteria has been success, other investigative debated since. and true crime favorites like My Favorite Murder, S-Town, The 1930s introduced “The and Missing Richard Simmons Golden Age of Radio”, have gained popularity. the period in which radio became embedded into the Alongside the surge in everyday lives of Americans, listenership for non-fiction with 28 million American podcasts, fiction podcasts households owning a radio have also gained bigger by 1939. Throughout World audiences in recent years. War II, Americans relied on Shows like Welcome to radio for news on the war, Nightvale, Homecoming, and as well as music and other Hello from the Magic Tavern entertainment. The Golden demonstrate the broad range Age of Radio gave Americans of genres achievable in an countless popular programs audio drama format, from for the whole family to enjoy sci-fi and fantasy to actiontogether. However, when TVs adventure. became widely available to consumers in the 1950s, radio Podcasts, like radio, have the fell from the top spot for advantage of being free for family entertainment. listeners. There are also fewer 3

barriers for creators than in other mediums. Unlike authors who rely on publishers, and TV writers who rely on networks to buy their pitch for a new TV show, podcasters can create and broadcast their own content entirely independently on a relatively low budget if they so choose. In fact, anyone can make a podcast with minimal technology, as explained in this guide for students from NPR on how to make your own podcast.

Podcasts have also been a space for independent creators to tell stories that feature more diverse casts of characters and actors than traditional media. Recent audio dramas like The Two Princes from Gimlet Media and Apocalypse Untreated by Gaby Dunn feature many queer and trans characters of color, who are largely played by actors who share those same identities. Whether you prefer a particular genre or enjoy hearing stories featuring characters you can personally identify with, there is an audio drama for everyone!

While the current coronavirus pandemic has necessitated physical distancing to keep people safe, it has also prompted theatre artists to get creative in how we present our art to audiences. In the Goodman’s case, it has prompted us to return to a tradition of adapting theatre into audio drama. We hope that this holiday season you will enjoy the familiar story of A Christmas Carol presented in a medium that is both old and new.