POWDER RIVER Chronicles

You know, it's very odd. I actually hate writing. I only do it because I need the scripts and I love radio theatre. POWDER RIVER is a good show, and I know people like it - but MAN is it tough to come up with so many western stories! Right now I'm working on my ... ummm .... hold on a sec, I need to count them .... 55th POWDER RIVER episode! This season isn't writing as easy as season 3 did. I think it's because of all the personal stuff going on right now and also so many projects that we are involved with. BUT - I thought you PR fans would like a sneak peek at some up-coming episodes! Here are the first five titles for Season 4!T

IN CHICAGO
The action moves from Wyoming to Chicago in this episode, that picks up where season 3 left off.

REVELATIONS
Still in Chicago, and we meet a character who appeared in several episodes in season two!

AMBUSH AT POWDER RIVER
Back in Clearmont again, and the action heats up with an unfolding mystery.

THE SHOOTIN' ARM
The territory is accusing the peaceful Shoshone tribe of the ambush that left several settlers dead.

THE TOMAHAWK TRAIL
Britt takes a small posse up the forbidden Tomahawk Trail in search of the killers - risking all out war with the Shoshone.

~ And that's what I have so far! 15 episodes to go. Keep an eye out on our website, because we will be posting a trailer for season 4 very soon. I think these episodes will air on XM Radio in February, but I will begin posting 1 episode per week on Spoken Network starting in December!

I really love this series. I just wish all the scripts were done!

Well, spent most of the day re-editing two of our OZ programs for air, and now I'm going to recut our new production of TREASURE ISLAND for air. These will all run in December and January. OH - I'm going to be in NYC for the Dec.13th opening of DIBBLE LIVE ON STAGE , so I'm excited about that - Its odd thinking a script I wrote is being produced Off-Broadway right next door to the Phantom of the Opera(did I mention that before?). Too bad I never did a Dibble version of Phantom. Hmmm .... there's still time!

DANDELION WINE Coming Soon

We got our first official reciew for our upcoming release of Ray Bradbury's DANDELION WINE. The CD isn't out until January 1st, but Bradbury Media in the UK got an advance copy. I don't agree with some of the comments :) but for the most part its an awesome review and we're VERY happy with it! Of course, the BEST review we got was from Ray himself, who said it was beautiful, and it made him cry. Can't beat that in my book. Check out the review HERE

The session was OK last night;another 2 PHIL BYRNES mysteries in the can. Everything is on schedule with this one and should have no trouble airing in January. It's a fun cast and some cool stories. I think lovers of film noir will enjoy this series.

Tonight I'm writing for POWDER RIVER and trying to get myself out of another complex storyline I've gotten myself into. Why do I do this to myself!!??

Did a little yard work this afternoon (hoping to get the brain cells going again), and that was all well and good. I'm not really cut out for yard work though. I should do a dibble show about it. Oh wait ... I already did

OH - and the most important thing I did today - I VOTED! Now, I am not going to get political here on my CRT blog, however one of the local TV stations has just projected Dem.Liberal Duval "together we can" patrick as the winner in the Governors Race. So, now we have a dem. house and a dem. governor here in good ol MA - We'll finally find out what "together we can" - really means; i.e; GET READY TO BE TAXED BACK INTO THE STONE AGE! And dare I leave out fearless leaders like Ted Kennedy and that stand up comedian with the bad timing John Kerry representing us in DC. Pass the scotch. That's it - I'll shut up now. Don't debate me - I won't respond :) I'll bet a couple of former CRT players who had issues with my political leanings are dancing a jig tonight :) I doubt they'll be dancing in four years though - their wallets can't afford the music (yeah, I'm bitter, but these Bozo's were rather rude to me in the first place)

OK - Out of the political arena of BS; I am working hard to finish a script for Mr. B that we are going to be recording in December (if he approves it!). I'm looking forward to this one very much!

I kinda miss doing our Colonial Radio Christmas Show. We did it live on stage, playing some really nice Opera Houses in New Hampshire and Maine. I want to take that out again sometime. Maybe for a months run in the same location. Maybe next year.

That's it for now. Aloha!

Recording continues tonight with A PHIL BYRNES MYSTERY, and would you believe I am having trouble casting a major role? So, we'll see what happens. I have a ton of very willing and excited child actors on our CRT players list, and I wish I had more for them to do! I am thinking about writing a series where I can use them more.

I managed to send XM Radio enough DIBBLE episodes to carry them into late April, so that's all set for a few months! This week I need to get them new episodes for December (for our Mon-Fri show), and also I am writing more POWDER RIVERS for next Mondays recording session.

DIBBLE in NYC has been cast! I am planning on going Opening night, and this is going to be something to see! How weird will it be seeing a totally different cast do the roles we have been playing on radio for years and years? I'm looking forward to it, and I LOVE Christmastime in NYC anyway, and I hear there's an awesome party afterwards. :)

IT'S DIBBLE OFF BROADWAY!

Yep, he's an XM Radio Staaa, and now The Dibble Show is heading for the Michael Weller Theatre for an Off-Broadway Christmas run in DIBBLE DOES CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK! My good friends Drew DeCorleto and Teresa Goding at Broken Watch Theatre Co. will be producing this comedy extravaganza that opens Dec. 11th and runs to Dec.30th! This will be a New York Cast, not the cast from the radio show ~ I had hoped to play Dibble for this run, but my Dads illness makes it impossible this time around. Dibble is going to be played by Mark Setlock. Mark was on Broadway in the original company of RENT, and also co-wrote and starred in Fully Commited in which he played off broadway and won the Outer Critics Circle Award, as well as a Drama Desk nomination, and touring the show in Boston, London and all over the place. On TV has been seen in LAW AND ORDER and does some great character voices - so I am sure that Dibble will be in good hands! I'll post more information here when I get it - but all you Dibble fans who live in NYC - I hope you get to the Michael Weller Theatre at 311 West 43rd Street!


I'm very curious to know how our LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW is doing in stores - especially now that the Halloween season is right upon us! XM Radio will be repeating the show on Sunday, so that's exciting!

This has been a very rough week, and I will admit to having trouble writing the scripts needed for Monday nights session. I put the cast on notice that the scripts are on their way, but they will be last minute. I really need to get a jump start on this and get a few episodes ahead.

A DIBBLE HALLOWEEN

We managed to get our brand new DIBBLE'S HALLOWEEN SHOW on XM this weekend! I had sent our 2003 Dibble Halloween special, but it got lost in the shuffle over there (I bet Oprah is taking up all the load in time!)- so we sent the show via a sound file and - presto - its going to run in our DIBBLE time slots this weekend. I think this is a fun episode, and Chris Snyder did a great job editing it together.

We also start running NIGHT TERRORS tonight from Darker projects!

Thats all for now - VERY long day here today. I gotta come up with a couple of POWDER RIVER scripts this week, too! The race is on!

I want to officially welcome our two new editors at CRT - Chris Snyder and Matthew McLaren. Chris resides in Arizona, and has edited season 3 of POWDER RIVER, and is now working on our PHIL BYRNES MYSTERY series. He also edited our re-make production of TREASURE ISLAND. I know I have mentioned Chris before on the blog, but I dont think I have OFFICIALLY introduced him to you. If I did, all the more reason why I need help with the workload - I'm losing my mind!

Matthew lives in Denman, Australia, and is a fantastic editor (we are airing his horror turn THE HOUSE IN THE CLOCK on our XM show in another week). Matt is also working on the PHIL BYRNES show.

We are very lucky to have these two master editors with us right when everything is getting busy busy! I feel like the cavalry has just come over the hill!

Also, please welcome Brandon Cole - a voice actor from Ohio who has joined the CRT players! Brandon played an outlaw in POWDER RIVER - THE NITRO GANG, and just recorded for PHIL BYRNES.

CRT presents NIGHT TERRORS

Next week on our XM Radio Show, we are going to do something we've never done before - present someone else's work! Chris Snyder is our new producer here at CRT (he now produces our POWDER RIVER and PHIL BYRNES series), and when not editing at CRT, he is one of the producers over at DARKER PROJECTS (www.darkerprojects.com). Since CRT is very light in the horror department, I asked Chris if we could run some of the NIGHT TERRORS on our show, and he said yes!
Did you ever think you would hear titles like this on the CRT show; "The Bug Doctor," "Last Call," "Voices of the Soul," "The House in the Clock..." and a bunch more. Lots of Halloween fun coming up!

I have heard quite a few productions from DARKER PROJECTS, and they are very good (Check out THE FALCON BANNER). Let me know what you think of NIGHT TERRORS if you catch them!

Our THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW will also have an encore broadcast on XM Radio, and the first airing is on Sunday the 29th at 7am West, 10am East, and 7pm West, and 10pm East. It may run Mon. or Tues. as well, but the schedule isn't out for that week yet. It seems to being well online and in stores (It's up to #3 on Blackstones top 10 bestsellers list).

This weekend, I am trying to finish up a script (our next Ray Bradbury project, and yes - Ray said I could write the script!) and once again I have three POWDER RIVER scripts to do this week, for an Oct. 30th recording session. I hope I get some story ideas soon - my mind sounds like a wind tunnel lately.

Not much else to talk about - OH, had lunch with J.T. today at my favorite Chinese Restaurant. I'm telling you, folks - the best place to get Chinese and Japanese food is the CHINA CUISINE 235 Main Street, North Reading MA (Corner of Main St & North St - Rt. 28) - Bonnie, Victor, or May will greet you at the door, and tell them Jerry sent you! I'm there at LEAST twice a week - and they make WITHOUT QUESTION the best Mai Tai's I've ever had ... and the drinks ain't bad, either! Check it out if you live in the area - its the best!!

Well, we recorded POWDER RIVER episodes 04-01 and 04-02 last night in a rather crazy off-beat session! I especially remember J.T.'s cell phone playing the INDIANA JONES theme at a moment of dramatic tension (I think this will go down as one of the all-time great CRT bloops)! How actual drama comes out of these sessions I will never know! Three cheers for Derek Aalerud as he is now DRIVING! That's right - I no longer am needed to give him a lift to and from the session! Derek started recording with us when he was 13 I think, so it was very odd seeing him drive off after the session was over ... man, I feel old.

Chris Snyder will continue on as the producer of the series, and I think he did an outstanding job with Season 3 (I haven't edited a PR episode since last year!). Blind since birth, Chris is a testament that a disability should not be an issue in someones ability to do a job, and do it well. In talking extensively with him, you would be surprised how he has been treated in the past - getting accepted to do a job, and then they discover he is blind, and they come up with some excuse why he is no longer needed. That, my friends, is "in your face discrimination" and it infuriates me beyond measure. I know who these folks are that showed him the door - I have heard their work - and to those people I say this ... you would have been much better off with Mr. Snyder as your editor, because he runs circles around what you are churning out now.

I have been introduced to a whole community of very, VERY talented people who are blind, and who work in the audio media as voice talent and editors, and they have all told me stories that hearken to Chris' experiences. I don't get it. I just don't get it. They have the same ability as sighted people - their editing is sharp and skilled and their acting just as good as anyone else who records! I'll be speaking more to this in the blogs ahead. The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air is very privileged and very proud to have these extraordinary talents join our team.

JORDAN RICH

Well, I managed to get two POWDER RIVER scripts finished this week - not the three I had hoped for; but with my dad undergoing two surgeries this week, the stress factor was on max. I hope they're good - they were not easy to write.

On Friday, myself, Jeff Gage and J.T. Turner were guests on Bostons #1 weekend late night talk radio program, THE JORDAN RICH SHOW. We went on to plug DANDELION WINE, CAPTAIN BLOOD and SLEEPY HOLLOW and talk about modern radio theatre. Jordan does a great interview, and we had a blast. J.T. had just come off stage from his 1776, so he came over to join in the late night fun. I did Jordans show for the first time when we were doing CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Gloucester Stage. It was a memorable night because there was a blizzard going on outside. I remember leaving the studio at 2AM and getting home at 5:30am - a trip that should have taken a half hour. This time was a little easier! Thanks again Jordan, for all your support! In the picture we have Jordan at the far left, then me, Jeff and J.T.