This n'That

It's been a busy week of recording at C-R-T, as we taped three new season seven episodes of POWDER RIVER, and two episodes of BEACON HILL.  The rest of the time was spent doing production notes (changes needed in edited scenes of shows in post production) and writing (7 more POWDER RIVERS due, as well as 2 final BEACON HILL scripts).

Scripts are in the works for TOM CORBETT - SPACE CADET Danger In Deep Space, which we record in August, as well as our long overdue WAR OF THE ELEMENTALS.

We are also in production with new episodes of THE FATHER BROWN MYSTERIES which appears to be our most popular title. Amazing how many other FATHER BROWN audio releases there have been from other publishers since we went on the market. Quite a bit, actually.  We are in the process of getting a NEW mystery series together - but more on that later (prying eyes, you know.)

THE STAR ANGEL, our big Christmas release is in full post production mode, and it's sounding good. Street date is Nov. 5th. 

SPEAKING OF STARS, on the personal side, I'm looking forward to attending my friend Walter Koenig's Hollywood Walk Of Fame Induction on Sept.10th in LA. I'm so happy for him as he joins his fellow STAR TREK legends with his own star on Hollywood's famous walk. Walter worked with us on his BUCK ALICE AND THE ACTOR ROBOT in 2008. His newest project is a wonderful new comic book series called THINGS TO COME. Check it out!

EMAIL GRAB BAG:
Got a few emails asking if we are planning new ZORRO productions. Answer: No.  We've done Zorro.

Got an email asking how long we plan on producing POWDER RIVER. Answer: We have already recorded season 6, which goes on the air in October. We are currently in production with Season 7.  We are going to do an 8th season. Not sure beyond that.

MORE GHOSTS!

For many years, I have wanted to do a radio production of this great book by Oscar Wilde. I actually started a script over ten years ago, but never finished due to other priority projects that kept popping up. A few months ago I asked Gareth Tilley if he could write the script, and he delivered a good one!  We have completed recording and the production will go into editing in just a few weeks.  Our hope if for a spring/late spring release.

With a little Help from ....

I got an email that mentioned how lucky CRT was to have a big publisher give us money to produce our shows. If only that were true. From Day 1, all of our shows are self financed and self produced - from our own little pockets. In 17 years, we have never taken a dime of Grant money, never been spotted by a millionaire, and our publisher only releases shows that we have already recorded and produced. Just wanted to make that clear, as this email made it sound like we have been "given" some kind of golden ticket. Nothing has come easy, and it's still not easy. We started before home editing computers, our initial shows were on cassettes (at two thousand bucks to print a run), I walked MANY miles to every gift shop in Boston and every tourist trap in New England selling our shows to gift shops week after week for two years. It was 5 years before we got a publisher (which didn't last), 11 years before we got a REAL publisher, and 10 years before we went on the air with XM. Nothing happened fast and easy, as this email implies. I've heard other "producers" take pot shots at CRT, and I guess that's what you do. But just wanted to  state that we started just like everyone else - at the bottom - with no experience - and 17 years later we're still plugging away (except I don't have to pound the pavement anymore.).

POWDER RIVER SEASON 5

This week we begin recording Season 7 of our western series POWDER RIVER, however Season 5 just finished its run on SIRIUS XM Radio. The CD and DL release of the new episodes will be on Dec. 5th.  In the meantime, Season 6 premiere's Fri. Oct. 5th on SIRIUS XM. 

WHAT'S IN PRODUCTION?

Just a quick production update. We are currently recording the 5th volume of THE FATHER BROWN MYSTERIES, with four new adventures on the way: The Mirror and the Magistrate, The Curse of the Golden Cross, The Hammer of God, and The Wrong Shape. We are recording in July and August, and they will be released early in 2013. The show will also have a new music score!

JEEVES AND WOOSTER by P G Wodehouse. We have recorded six episodes that will be released in three volumes, starting in early 2013


POWDER RIVER SEASON 6 will premiere with 15 new episodes on our Sirius XM show FRI. OCT. 5th.


POWDER RIVER SEASON 7 is already in production, and will premiere in April, 2013.  


THE CANTERVILLE GHOST will begin production in July. This is a feature length production with a fun script by Gareth Tilley.


That's just a sample :)  There are several more productions starting in August - all will be released in 2013. More info on those later.

A SNOWMAN SPECTACULAR IS COMING YOUR WAY!

THE STAR ANGEL is our new feature length holiday musical, being released this fall. Jeff Gage has written 15 songs that range from the beautiful Christmas ballad  "Safe In Your Mem'ry," to the rousing, Broadway-Style show-stopper "Snowman Spectacular!"  

In THE STAR ANGEL, Samantha and Sean are a sister and brother celebrating their first Christmas since the death of their father. While Samantha embraces the holiday spirit, Sean is filled with apathy and indifference over the season. On Christmas Eve, after Sean breaks one of his father’s ornaments on purpose, a strange force shrinks both of them down to ornament size. They meet an Old St. Nicholas ornament who tells them that the only one who can return to normal size is the magical Star Angel, who resides at the very top of the Christmas Tree – and they must reach the top before sunrise, when the magic that brings the ornaments to life fades away, and turns Sean and Samantha into ornaments as well. With the aid of the Cookie Dough Man ’66, Lighthouse, Sheriff and Pockets the tramp clown, they embark on a journey to the top of the tree. Blocking their way, is the sinister Scrimshaw, a damaged ornament who lives on the “Empty Side” of the tree, and who, with his army of Snowmen, has vowed revenge against Sean for dropping him on the floor, causing him to be glued together again - and disfigured. It's a race again time in this magical, musical adventure for the whole family.

THE STAR ANGEL Amazon Pre-Order

We started recording BEACON HILL on May 23rd and had a great session. We now have two episodes taped, and one edited with the second underway. The show sounds great, and everyone is developing their characters which is always exciting to hear. I have never done an hour long series before, so I've been learning as well . I find it easier than the half hour scripts!  In a POWDER RIVER show, for example, I need to wrap it all up in 36 pages, and here I get 64 pages - and with several stories playing out in the series at once, when I get bored with one, I just cut to another aspect of the plot after a dramatic line :) 

We're doing eight, one hour episodes, and will wrap up production Aug. 22. We will be going on the air Dec.30th (tentatively). The first four episodes will be released on CD and DL in the Spring, and the second four episodes will be released a couple of months later.

Right now, my writing schedule is very heavy, which is why my posts are few and far between; I am currently working on finishing off BEACON HILL, with 2 scripts remaining, and at the same time I am writing fifteen new episodes for POWDER RIVER SEASON 7; and we have a few shows in post production that I'm overseeing as well - so very busy days here, as usual ... but that's a good thing, right?

Our productions of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES and LOGAN'S RUN have won Mark Time Awards for Excellence in Adaptation. We've won 6 since 2005. Congrats to everyone involved in those projects.

Very, very sad to hear of the passing of Ray Bradbury. He was a wonderful man, and was incredibly generous to C-R-T. His allowing me to work with him on four productions is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. Green Light, Ray. Onward.

web surfing and coffee

The coffee machine is on and set for 12 cups and I am in the commando chair getting ready for a night on Beacon Hill with the super wealthy and dysfunctional Prescott family. We start production this coming week and I am looking forward to this series, or should I say "mini series." We are doing eight - one hour episodes, and they will be released in two sets of 4 episodes each.

If the show does well, we'll do another eight. I'm having a good time writing this one. The plan is to go on the air at the end of December, and a CD / DL release for early 2013 (unless the world ends in December, that is.)
In the meantime, I have been surfing the web, checking on all things CRT. The crook at Pirate Bay is still stealing content and putting up in torrents for all to re-steal. I guess it's his way of screwing the major companies like Warner Brothers and Dreamworks. He also screws the little guy, like me. But he doesn't care - because like most people who break the law and have no respect for other people's property - he could give a damn. The only good thing about it is, a lot of torrents carry nasty bugs and viruses, so at some point, the people getting the illegal downloads will get more than they bargained for :) Poetic Justice.

Some guy "reviewed" our POWDER RIVER series on his blog - gave it glowing notices. Then a few months later changed the review and basically said we didn't know what we were doing. Oh, I think I know why this review was re-written, but I won't embarrass anyone by saying why I think that way (because more people read my blog than his) ;) While he may think the show sucks, the reality of it is, POWDER RIVER is set for two more seasons and sales are fantastic!! Not bad for an Eastern Greenhorn, eh?

On the plus side, we released a new show this week, TOM CORBETT - SPACE CADET, and for the first time on CD, a production we did twelve years ago, THE ADVENTURES OF OLD IRONSIDES. Yes, there is indeed something to be said for longevity.

Do you know what is awesome? We've got 2 shows in the top 100 Best Sellers of Audio Drama on Amazon that have not even been released yet! POWDER RIVER SEASON 4 and LITTLE BIG HORN (Both coming out on June 11) - 11 shows total in the top 100 :)

Finally, If you like POWDER RIVER, be sure to join the show's fan page!

The clock has struck ten, and I'm ready to head into 1898 Boston. See you later!

CRT on iTUNES

All of our shows in release are available in the iTunes store for instant downloads - and at a great discount as well. Here are just a few: RAY BRADBURY'S THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. Only $2.95!
WILLIAM F. NOLAN'S LOGAN'S RUN - LAST DAY
CAPTAIN BLOOD
WRATH OF THE TITANS

CASTING NEWS

We are very happy to announce that Rachel Padell, Natalie Vatcher, and Isaac Bean have joined the cast of regulars for CRT's BEACON HILL. Production starts this month on the series set in 1898 Boston. Eight one hour episodes are planned. Rachel and Natalie come to us from the incredible Boston Children's Theater, and Isaac Bean starred in CRT's THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER,and currently appears as "Matt Anderson" in POWDER RIVER.