COLONIAL RADIO COVER ART

Our new releases have some amazing cover art - due in part to our illustrator, Jeff Hayes. Jeff has designed and created cover art for our TREASURE ISLAND, KING SOLOMON'S MINES, CAPTAIN BLOOD, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, GETTYSBURG, FATHER BROWN, KIDNAPPED, and POWDER RIVER just to name a few.
Now these great illustrations are available in prints and also on canvas, in all sizes, framed and unframed -

COLONIAL RADIO THEATRE STORE

Check it out! He has done some amazing work!

A QUICK UPDATE

About to head on into an 11am recording session. What's going on in CRT? Lets see; I am writing POWDER RIVER scripts; just about finished with Season 5 and I have 12 stories mapped about for Season 6 (need three more); plus casting continues on shows into Sept. and doing production notes on new edits. Seth is working on POWDER RIVER episodes as well as an overhaul on TICONDEROGA, MJ Cogburn is in post with RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND and about to start on a new FATHER BROWN and then EMERALD CITY OF OZ. Bryan has turned in a great JEEVES AND WOOSTER from a script by MJ Elliott, and is now working on TRAPPED - for Vincent Price Presents. Tony Raymond has completed THE FAMILY OF THE NIGHT (another VPP episode) and is starting on THE BEST IN THE UNIVERSE. In July we have recorded ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LORD OF THE LOCUST, THE GREEN ESTATE, several eps of POWDER RIVER, and began music recording on THE STAR ANGEL.

POWDER RIVER ANNOUNCEMENT

The heat wave continues, and boy was it HOT today here in Boston with temps over 100. Despite the heat, we recorded two more episodes of POWDER RIVER - Season 5, with a two-parter called INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. Very happy with the way it turned out; 15 episodes are planned for Season 5, and we have recorded 8 so far! Two more sessions in August and one in September will wrap the season.

We have decided to continue the series with a sixth season, which will record October thru December, and an additional 15 episodes. We will be adding some new cast members as regulars, and I have several episodes already mapped out. This series has truly taken on a life of its own.

Not sure when these new episodes from Season 5 will go on the air; I won't schedule them till we have at least ten edited; but I am thinking it will be March or so.

Season 1 will return to Sirius XM in November, followed by Seasons 2,3,4.

The series will also be released on Brilliance Audio. Here are the release dates:

NOV. 15, 2011: SEASON 1

FEB. 7, 2012: SEASON 2

Apr. 13, 2012: SEASON 3

June 11, 2012: SEASON 4

(Pictured is Derek Aalerud, as Chad MacMasters. Season 3 artwork by Jeff Hayes.

Another scorching hot day in Boston - fitting that on a day like that we should record a production set in deepest Africa - and that is just what we did with ALLAN QUATERMAIN And The LORD OF THE LOCUSTS. This story is based on the character created by H. Rider Haggard for KING SOLOMON'S MINES, and the story was written by Clay and Susan Griffith for Bluewater Comics. The graphic novel will be released on Jan. 10th, 2012, and our radio production, dramatized by M.J. Elliott, will be released next summer.

HEAT WAVE

We're in the middle of a heat wave, but that doesn't stop the recording sessions! Tonight we recorded another episode in our VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS series, called THE GREEN ESTATE. starring Alex Bookstein and Kerry Donovan. Both these performers are new to CRT, and after the session I did a COLONIAL RADIO TALK podcast episode with them. Lots of fun!
Another session is set for the morning, followed by another Wed. nite, and then another Thurs. morning! Still have production notes to do on new edits, and still have three scripts to write for POWDER RIVER.
Mark is working on some very amazing things - can't mention them now, but if they come to pass they are going to be very big news!
Very tired, and still a lot to do around here, so I will say goodnight and catch ya on the flip-side!

recording and new shows update

Wednesday we recorded RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND. A very hot and scorcher of a day, but it helped with the tropical feel of the show (not really but it sounds nice). Lots of fun recording this one, and the cast was wonderful. Plans are to broadcast the program as a special on Sirius XM this Thanksgiving, with a CD release next May.

Later this morning its back in the music studio to record parts for two songs for our production of THE STAR ANGEL (Nov. 2012). Lots of work ahead on this one, but it will be worth it in the end.

SPEAKING OF TREASURE ISLAND - our new 2011 production was released this past Tuesday and is now available (Amazon, Audible, i-tunes, etc)

LOGAN'S RUN-LAST DAY was also released on July 5th, and the author of the book, William F. Nolan, will be a guest on The Jordan Rich Show sometime soon. I'll let you all know when I have the date.

Feeling a bit under the weather, so time to call it a day.
:)

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Yesterday we started recording the musical numbers for our upcoming production of
THE STAR ANGEL, which is scheduled for a Nov. 2012 release. Kerry Donovan plays the role of "Samantha" and you can see her here recording THE SAME OLD SNOWMAN - which is the opening number in the show. Also, here is a shot of our music master and genius in residence, Jeff Gage, in the music studio. Jeff has scored 99% of the productions we have released over the past 16 years. THE STAR ANGEL is a full length musical, but it is not the first musical we have made. In 2004 we tested the waters with JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. Music recording for THE STAR ANGEL will continue over the summer.

THIS WEEK AND NEXT

We have just recorded THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ, the 6th story in the classic Baum series, and our first OZ production in 11 years. I was very happy with the recording session, and this one will be a lot of fun when it is released in 2012.

On Wednesday morning we start recording music for our production of THE STAR ANGEL, which will be released in Nov. 2012. This is a full length musical, and Jeff has written some incredible songs.

Wed. evening we start on TOM CORBETT - SPACE CADET! This is a feature length stand alone we are making based on the comic series by Bluewater Productions.

Joseph Zamparelli and Anastas Varinos return as Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins in RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND. Production begins July 6th with a script by Gareth Tilley, and the release date set for June 12, 2012. The program will also be broadcast as a special on our Sirius XM Show this Thanksgiving. In the meantime, catch them in the original TREASURE ISLAND, being released July 5th, 2011!

That's all for now :)

GETTYSBURG - JUNE 14th

On TUES. JUNE 14th, Brilliance Audio will release our 1999 production of GETTYSBURG. Running a little over 3 hours, it's an accurate portrayal of the battle and the events surrounding it. It will be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other bookstores and download sites everywhere.

We released THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES on Tuesday, which is exciting (a review from Bradbury Media appears a few days ago in this blog).

There is not a week goes by without my getting an email asking about POWDER RIVER, and when we are going to do more episodes. I'm not kidding, either. Just this week we got a really nice email forwarded to us from our friends at IMAGINATION THEATER where PR runs the first Sunday of the month. In radio, we play to an audience we never see; when letters and emails come in from folks telling me how much they love POWDER RIVER, it really warms the heart.

The picture for this blog entry is POWDER RIVER Co-Star Derek Aalerud in a great illustration by Jeff Hayes.

Our first recording session for POWDER RIVER was on Feb. 1, 2004. Our last recording session for the show was Dec. 18, 2006. In total, we produced 60 half hour episodes (four sets of 15 episodes each in 2 years), and two feature length productions.

On Nov.15th, Brilliance Audio will release POWDER RIVER. Season 1, followed by Seasons 2,3,4,and 5. The Episodes will begin airing on our Sirius XM Book Radio show in November as well.

Tonight, the cast gets together again to begin Season 5, which will include 15 new episodes. Most have been back for other shows over the years, but there are a couple I have not seen since the last session in 2006 - so it will be a nice time I'm sure.