The following is a voice-over post mortem…

Play it by Ear’s Thrilling Days of Yesteryear company presents The Plot to Overthrow Christmas by Norman Corwin at The Works in Pacific Grove. A Central Coast premiere of Corwin’s 1938 holiday fantasy, told entirely in verse! Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Keith Decker, Arden Eaton, Rob Eaton, Ami-Sue Lawless, Steve Kane, David Manchel, Robert Marcum, Geoff Mutch, Barbara Smythe, Joy Tashjian-Carter, and John Weed. Sunday, December 6 at 6:00pm, $10.00 admission.

I will say the last two words of that subject heading I hate, only because it sounds like somebody in the family just died after a protracted illness.

Let’s get to it: on November 21 and 22, my cast (coming and going, recording scenes on different days so no-one would have to stay unnecessarily; word to all directors: don’t waste your cast members’ time! If you don’t need ‘em, don’t keep ‘em around) and I entered the hallowed halls of Franklin Street Studios in Monterey to record the voice-overs for Steve Tesher’s Turn to Stone. The night before our first day was a Thanksgiving-style dinner for cast members in Norman’s scenes (the only cooking I am doing this year, thank you; we’re eating out today), and then into studio to do all of the scenes with Norman (and Rob Eaton), and several specific scenes with Joy and Barbara.

A quick word about Franklin Street Studios: I love this place. There’s a reason why the Little River Band actually recorded an album here. The space is big, the sound is dead, and the price per hour is very affordable. Not to mention Richard Bryant is up there with David Shinn as one of the best engineers I’ve ever worked with. He’s thorough, takes direction easily, knows what to do before it needs to be done; that’s what you need to expidite any process.

But what I also love about producing experiences like this is that I get to hire and work with so many people who are all part of different creative periods of my life (and introduce them to one another): Kevin Donnelly of the National Audio Theatre Festivals; Joy Tashjian-Carter of the Trinity Rep Conservatory; Norman Gee from my San Francisco State days, and…yeah, pretty much everybody around here.

So, one down: the next stage? A short editing session with Richard, and then an extensive voice-over editing session on the home editing system. Live and pre-recorded SFX, ambience of the forests of Big Sur recorded on the portable recorder. Once those are incorporated into the mix, a pick-up session with a couple of the local actors in case there are any lines that don’t come over well, opening and closing credits from our announcer, Arden Eaton, and a music session with a few local performers I’ve met via The Works. So there’s still a lot of work to go, but if all goes according to schedule, Turn to Stone will be available for your listening pleasure come April of 2010.

Oh yeah, one other thing: “YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES…” AIRS ON KUNM FM 89.9 FM NOVEMBER 29 BETWEEN 6PM – 7PM CENTRAL TIME! You may be wondering, though, as to where it goes next: KUNM has the rights to air it several more times over the course of the next six months. After that, the half-hour program will be made available through two other outlets: first, to other radio stations across the country (a few have already inquired about the show), and second, the show will be available as pay-per-MP3 downloads through the Spoken Network. You can purchase the entire half-hour program, or you can purchase each individual five-minute piece. And hey, who doesn’t love multiple choices?

So listen to it this weekend.
Please…do it for the children.