RADIO DRAMA ABOUT RADIO DRAMA Radio drama is
RADIO DRAMA
ABOUT RADIO DRAMA • Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the story. • Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within a decade of its initial development in the 1920 s. By the 1940 s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. • With the advent of television in the 1950 s, however, radio drama lost some of its popularity, and in some countries, has never regained large audiences. • However, recordings of OTR (old-time radio) survive today in the audio archives of collectors and museums. • Thanks to advances in digital recording and internet distribution, radio drama is experiencing a revival.
THE HISTORY OF RADIO DRAMA • Radio drama seems to have started in the United States. • Serious study of American radio drama of the 1920 s and early 1930 s is, at best, very limited. • Elizabeth Mc. Leod's recent book on Gosden and Correll's early work is a major exception, as is Richard J. Hand's 2006 study of horror radio, which examines some programs from the late 1920 s and early 1930 s.
• One of the first radio drama written in UK - Danger by Richard Hughes, broadcast by BBC, January 15 • One of the earliest and most influential French radio plays was the prize-winning "Marémoto" ("Seaquake"), by Gabriel Germinet and Pierre Cusy • In 1951, American writer and producer Arch Oboler suggested that Wyllis Cooper's Lights Out (1934– 47) was the first true radio drama to make use of the unique qualities of radio • Radio drama (as distinguished from theatre plays boiled down to kilocycle size) began at midnight, in the middle thirties, on one of the upper floors of Chicago's Merchandise Mart. • By 1930, Tyrone Guthrie had written plays for the BBC like Matrimonial and The Flowers Are Not for You to Pick. • They were published in 1931 • Guthrie's plays aired on the American networks
RADIO DRMA- WIDESPREAD POPULARITY Widespread popularity • Perhaps America's most famous radio drama broadcast is Orson Welles's The War of the Worlds, 1938 • By the late 1930 s, radio drama was widely popular in the United States • There were dozens of programs in many different genres, from mysteries and thrillers, to soap operas and comedies.
RADIO DRAMA TODAY • Radio drama remains popular in much of the world. • The relatively low cost of producing a radio play enables them to take chances with works by unknown writers. • On the BBC there are two on-going radio soap operas: The Archers on BBC Radio 4 and Silver Street on the Asian Network. • On occasion television series can be revived as radio series. • When an organization owns both television and radio channels, such as the BBC, the fact that no royalties have to be paid makes this even more attractive. • Regular broadcasts of radio drama in English can be heard on the BBC's Radio 3, Radio 4 and BBC 7 • BBC Radio 4 in particular is noted for its radio drama
• In the U. S. , radio drama can be found on ACB radio • In the mid-1980 s, the non-profit L. A. Theatre Works launched its radio series recorded before live audiences • With 21 st-century technology, modern radio drama, has experienced a revival • The digital age has also resulted in recording styles that differ from the studio recordings of radio drama's Golden Age.
A sample of Radio 4 Drama’s • Biographical- ‘women’s hour’ http: //www. bbc. co. uk/programmes/b 00 vspgz • Classic and period- ‘Classic serial’ http: //www. bbc. co. uk/programmes/b 00 vrbq 7 • Crime- ‘A Charles Paris Mystery’ http: //www. bbc. co. uk/radio 4/programmes/genres/d rama/crime • Political- ‘Afternoon Play’ http: //www. bbc. co. uk/radio 4/programmes/genres/d rama/political • Relationships and romance- ‘Classic serial’ http: //www. bbc. co. uk/radio 4/programmes/genres/d
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