Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Audio, Inc." in Drama & Plays

When this groundbreaking serialized dramatization premiered on 320 U.S. radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise. It won numerous honors including the George Foster Peabody Award and the Pulitzer Prize for broadcasting. Never before or since has such an ambitious undertaking been attempted in public radio, and it was accomplished, not by a major network, but by a small nonprofit independent producer in Chicago. That was in 1981. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since.

This story is a lighthearted look at the radio drama production process as seen by the members of an amateur dramatics society in a sleepy suburb of Swansea. It can't be difficult to make your own play for radio, can it? And with a LAMDA-trained professional actor at the helm, surely nothing could go wrong. After their attempt at Mike Leigh-inspired improvisation doesn't exactly produce satisfactory results, things start to look up when a visiting celebrity agrees to step in and play the lead role.

One of the most important books on William Shakespeare, this superb biography is both authoritative and extremely readable. It is the first modern biography of Shakespeare since the Victorian Age to pay full attention to his life and times, to his works, and to the numerous and subtle connections among them.

Richard II is dangerously out of touch with his kingdom. He wastes money, raises taxes to support his lavish lifestyle, plays favorites, and cares more about his vanity than the common good. When Henry Bolingbroke - father of the future Henry V - challenges Richard for the throne, it's a fight the king can't win. But in losing his crown he gains far greater things: his humanity and his soul.

It's Valentine's Day, but events turn less than romantic when one of the members of a dating site is murdered. Can detective Jean-Pierre LePoulet find the killer? Recorded in front of an audience at the New Diorama Theatre, The St. Valentine's Day Murder stars Neil Frost, Mike Garnell, Debbie Bearelle, Philp Noth, Laura Marsall, Jade Allen, Laura Ashenden, Matthew Woodcock, and Kevin Haney.

For rising young lawyer Cal Griffin, it's just another day in the Big City, full of stress, screw-ups, deadlines, and anxiety. That is until New York is rocked by a series of bizarre tremors - and the lights go off...for good. Trapped in a giant metropolis and cut off from the rest of the world, Cal tries desperately to make sense of the surreal chaos that engulfs his crippled city. Worst of all, the people around him are...changing. Once-ordinary humans are becoming embodiments of their darkest desires, manifestations of their deepest fears.

Rob Sterling Davies is on the crest of a wave: a celebrated scriptwriter, actor, television personality, the new doyen of Just a Minute, and apparently, Stephen Fry's new best friend. But all isn't quite as it seems, and when Stephen discovers that Rob's BAFTA-winning script was stolen, he undertakes to expose Rob for the fraud he is.

No Cause for Alarm is a silly play. It has no comment to make about the human condition, love in the 21st century, or the Iraq war. Starring James Ash, Michael Good, Ceri Gifford, Jennifer McFarlane, Gareth Rubin, Tim Smith, Trevor Cutherbertson, Jack Bowman, and Neil Frost.

On the anniversary of his wife's death, Leo Carlin and his two sons come together for their traditional night of sharing the good and not-so-good memories of the dearly departed Mrs. Carlin. Beers are drunk. Plans are hatched. Secrets are revealed. The Mighty Carlins is a black comedy that celebrates a family at its worst. Starring Shane Rimmer, Christopher Ragland, and Christian Malcolm.

Too noble to be executed, in 1610 the "Bloody Lady of Cachtice" was bricked up in a set of rooms in her own castle in Slovakia. Why then should the young and beautiful Katya be at the castle door attracting the close attention of the gaoler and wanting a job looking after Countess? Is it revenge or some more ghostly visit from Bathory's past? And if she should help her escape....

Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest consulting detective, is on trial for his life! Trapped in a nightmarish court room and charged with endangering the public and his friends, Holmes is forced to relive some of his most bizarre cases with only Doctor Watson to aid his defense.

When Connie's beloved husband, Jack, dies after 27 years of marriage, Connie hopes that her only son, Gary, will console her. Gary, however, finds that level of commitment a bit, well, too much of a commitment. Connie is left with interfering neighbor Val until Gary's girlfriend Sandra rings with some unexpected news. This sets Connie on a journey from a village in the Midlands to Hackney and eventually to Ghana, as she finds a way to come to terms with her grief and to forge new friendships and a new life.

Emails Abroad is a play based on travels abroad relayed by emails between an ingenuous first-time traveler and her disillusioned home-bound sister. It culminates in their role-reversal, with the possibility of closure, a tragic end, or a new beginning.

Stage Fright charts the struggle for supremacy between three actors appearing in a play together: old friends Peter and Charles, and Geraldine, the young and vulnerable actress they have befriended. As opening night approaches, it becomes apparent that Geraldine is not who she appears to be, and the friends must fight to salvage their pride, their identity, and their reputations in this thought-provoking tragicomedy.

Pericles, prince of Tyre, sets out to woo a princess and sails headlong into harrowing adventure. Pursued by an evil king, Pericles is blown from port to exotic port. Along the way he finds the love of his life, then loses her and their infant daughter in a storm-tossed sea. Happily, this is a romance - Shakespeare's first - where, in true storybook fashion, miracles reunite the lost with those who love them, bringing joy and safe harbor at last.

Blackstone Audio is proud to present the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2014 production of The Tempest, Shakespeare's magical romantic comedy, directed by Tony Taccone. This stunning work of audio theater, fully dramatized with performances by the OSF cast, is a must-listen.

In this fully dramatized adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Michael Dick (Ebenezer Scrooge) and cast take you on an incredible journey into the supernatural as a miserly man comes to realize the true spirit of Christmas. Featuring virtuoso performances from the entire cast, riveting sound effects, and original music, Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol is an adventure in sound and imagination.

King Lear is ready to turn his realm over to his three daughters. His plan is simple: Give the biggest piece to the daughter who loves him most. But honeyed words and hubris blind Lear to the true motives of those around him, plunging king and kingdom into a hell of treachery, madness, and unspeakable acts - with consequences that reveal the worst and best in human nature.

Kate Chopin is a widely considered the forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Focusing on themes of race and gender, her short stories largely center on life in rural Louisiana. In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard has just learned that her husband is dead - believed to have died during a train accident. Her family fears that the news will kill Louise, who suffers from a weak heart.

Originally broadcast nationwide in 1993, this meticulously researched five-part historical radio drama is being published to commemorate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. It reveals the multifaceted, complex Franklin's little known adventures in London before the Revolution. For 15 years, he lived on Craven Street off the Thames, where he established a surrogate family, began his autobiography, and became America's most famous citizen.