30th Anniversary – Atlanta Radio Theatre Company

Posted on June 25, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: The Last Dragon to Avondale 2010

Continuing our look back at ARTC’s 31 years (thusfar!) with photos from our live performances. You can get a look at our whole history of combining adventures in sound with the thrill of live performance in our Chronology!

In this installment we bring you our appearance at the Academy Theatre in October 2010 where we performed The Last Dragon to Avondale along with The House Across the Way, featuring music by Brad Weage and Paul Mercer, and Rory Rammer, Space Marshal: The Colour of the Shadow of the Outsider Over the Mountains of Madness Out of Space. This performance was a benefit for Georgia Aquarium (it was one of our first benefit performances, in fact!) and also included special musical guest Rooke! Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

In 2010 we debuted our Partners in Imagination program, which strives to harness the power of multiple non-profit groups into something stronger by raising awareness amongst our various audiences and maybe even a little money as well.

Megan Tindale and Brian Troxell — Psst…there’s not a lot of money in this…at least not yet.

We had originally wanted to do this benefit for Georgia Aquarium with Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but it became apparent very quickly that the script wouldn’t be ready in time, so we switched gears to The Last Dragon to Avondale. We felt that its focus on an “endangered species” made it a great fit.

Andrew Chiang and Sonya Arundar — “You keep telling yourself that, ok?”

Plus, we’d been performing at the Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates for a while at this point and to NOT perform this piece there would have been a crime against … well, a crime against something. Dragons, maybe.

The audience for — We got a good turnout, too!

We also had the privilege of working with some amazing musicians on this piece. There was Brad Weage.

Paul Mercer on violin. This was Paul’s first appearance with us!

And our special musical guest, Rooke! Rooke has been around since the late 1980s and play a kind of (in their words) acid folk. We couldn’t quite get the whole band for this show, but we were thrilled to get Steven Sams, David Cater, and Keena Graham!

Steven Sams, Keena Graham, and David Cater — The not-quite-so-serious Rooke!

Rooke actually released an album of the recordings from this performance, so go get some great music!

Posted on June 18, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: The Island of Dr. Moreau 2010

In this installment we bring you our appearance at the Academy Theatre in October 2010 where we performed The Island of Dr. Moreau, featuring music by The Ghosts Project, along with Inhuman Rights, Rory Rammer, Space Marshal: Set Loose the Dogs of Time, and Bumpers Crossroads: The Stray Dog. This performance was a benefit for the Atlanta Humane Society and also included special musical guest Julie Gribble! Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

Ok, first up, we know that using The Island of Dr. Moreau as a benefit for the Atlanta Humane Society sounds like a sick joke.

Fiona K. Leonard and Daniel Taylor. — Really sick.

But the truth was that we thought it was a perfect choice to highlight the plight of animals. While it’s true that nobody is trying to turn animals into humans surgically…

Hal Wiedeman, Rachel Wansker, Clair W. Kiernan, Daniel W. Kiernan — THAT WE KNOW OF…

…animals still face serious challenges every day due to neglect, maltreatment, habitat loss, and various other challenges. We wanted to help, and we felt that one of H. G. Wells’s more shocking stories might assist with that.

Ron N. Butler, Brian Troxell, Hal Wiedeman, J. E. Hurlburt — And goodness knows we can use all the help we can get.

This was also a musically packed performance. In addition to the usual brilliance of Alton Leonard, we were thrilled to be graced with The Ghosts Project!

Daniel Taylor, Clair W. Kiernan, Paul Mercer, Davis Petterson — There they are, lurking in the background. Try not to frighten them.

Not to mention our very special musical guest, Julie Gribble!

This performance also featured our Beast Men Chorus, led by Beastmistress Trudy Leonard.

The Beast Chorus — Try not to let THEM frighten YOU. (click this image for a larger version)

Not to mention one of the more violent Foley performances in ARTC’s history, involving a rubber mallet and a rather unfortunate butternut squash, used to simulate the cracking of the pantherwoman’s skull.

Sonya, Mary Ward, David Benedict — The dastardly deed

butternut squash...squashed — The evidence of the crime

Be sure to come see more crimes against produce as we mangle a grapefruit in our upcoming performances of The Passion of Frankenstein!

Posted on June 11, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: Dragon Con 2010 part 2

In this installment we bring you our appearance at Dragon Con 2010 (Sunday night edition) where we presented Time and Time Again by H. Beam Piper, adapted by Ron N. Butler and At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft, adapted by Thomas E. Fuller, and featuring music by The Ghosts Project. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

It’s a short update this week, folks, as I am flying out to Kansas City, MO, later today to attend the HEAR Now Festival. But this was a momentous show because it marked the beginning of our long-standing relationship with The Ghosts Project, who have since gone on to play with us on several other productions, including The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Dunwich Horror, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The Rats in the Walls!

Fiona K. Leonard — It’s completely mind-blowing

The Ghosts Project, Paul Mercer and Davis Petterson

Brian Troxell — “Don’t forget, you can own this recording of this historic performance.”

Posted on June 4, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: Dragon Con 2010 part 1

In this installment we bring you our appearance at Dragon Con 2010 (Friday night edition) where we presented The Proper Thing To Do by William Alan Ritch and The House Across the Way by Kelley S. Ceccato. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

Dragon Con. Its name is legendary in the southeast region, and ARTC has been at every single one. It’s a ton of work, but also a ton of fun. We get our biggest audiences at this convention…which isn’t surprising, since it’s the biggest convention we do. We often roll out brand new plays at Dragon Con.

Andrew Chiang — Sometimes we fly them in, too.

We also love to challenge ourselves. As if performing in a hotel ballroom with high ceilings and minimal setup time isn’t challenging enough, we really like to bring our A-game to these fans, and sometimes that means bringing in guest musicians.

Alton Leonard on keyboards and Paul Mercer on violin. — We bring in the regular musicians, too, because they’re awesome.

In 2010 we brought Kelley S. Ceccato’s The House Across the Way, which has a violin as an integral part of the plot. So we called up Paul Mercer and asked if he was available.

Here’s a few more pictures to round it out, but be sure to see the whole album on Flickr!

Lili Bilbao and Mary Ward — The Foley team! Or Team Foley. Or whatever they want to call themselves.

Megan Tindale — Don’t let the glowing red eyes fool you. She’s very nice.

Mary Ward — She’s with ARTC…but what does she do with ARTC?

Posted on May 28, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: LibertyCon 2010

In this installment we bring you our appearance at LibertyCon where we presented Time and Time Again by H. Beam Piper, adapted by Ron N. Butler, The Competitor (first live performance!) by Brad Linaweaver and William Alan Ritch, and Bryce and Bigmouth: A Boy and His Griffin by Henry Lee Forrest. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

LibertyCon 2015 is almost full! If you’re coming up to Chattanooga and haven’t gotten your membership yet, we recommend that you move with alacrity!

The cast and Foley team for LibertyCon 2010!

Brian Troxell and Bryce Lucyshyn cope with the sudden appearance of a griffin (not pictured)!

Bryce Lucyshyn and Clair W. Kiernan — Clair W. Kiernan imitates the griffin (still not pictured).

William Alan Ritch presents the cast to the audience. As if this group of hams couldn’t have taken care of presenting themselves.

Ron N. Butler, Alton Leonard, and Clair W. Kiernan in “Time and Time Again”.

Lili Bilbao and Mary C. Ward at the Foley table. — The Foley team. Makin’ noise. Like you do.

Posted on May 21, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: Chattacon 2010

In this installment we bring you our appearance at Chattacon where we presented A Ship Named Francis, Rory Rammer, Space Marshal: The Angel of Destruction, NOSINET, and SWATting the Books. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

Ariel Kasten, David Benedict, Bill Kronick — The cast bows their heads as the Chaplain from “A Ship Named Francis” calls upon the great Tester to keep the ship’s engines from exploding.

Bill Ritch, Bob Zimmerman, Brad Weage — The tech crew keeps the ship afloat.

The cast from Chattacon 2010. — The cast from Chattacon 2010!

Short update this week, but there’s plenty to see on the Flickr page!

Posted on May 14, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: LibertyCon 2009

In this installment we bring you our appearance at LibertyCon where we presented Our Fair City by Robert A. Heinlein, Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper, and Rory Rammer, Space Marshal: Enemies Within! by Ron N. Butler. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

We’re prepping for our next performance at LibertyCon right now, and the setup there is a LOT different than what is depicted in these pictures. Come on over to Chattanooga, check out a great convention, and be a part of one of our best audiences of the year!

Clair W. Kiernan and Ron N. Butler at the microphones.

Brad Weage playing two keyboards. — Brad Weage plays two keyboards and still turns his own pages!

Rachel Bowman runs recorded SFX. — Rachel Bowman on recorded SFX.

Clair W. Kiernan and Brian Phillips on the mics. Alton Leonard and Ron N. Butler wait their turn.

The Tech Crew - Bob Zimmerman, Bill Ritch, and Rachel Bowman. — The Tech Crew – Bob Zimmerman, Bill Ritch, and Rachel Bowman.

The Foley Team - Lili and Fiona K. Leonard. — The Foley Team – Lili and Fiona K. Leonard.

Posted on April 2, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: An Atlanta Christmas 2009

In this installment we bring you our appearance at the Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates, which featured our 2009 performance of Blues for Johnny Raven by Thomas E. Fuller. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

Ok, so it’s April and some people probably aren’t over last Christmas yet, but hey, it’s almost Easter so let’s get back into the holiday spirit with pictures from An Atlanta Christmas 2009!

Lili Bilbao and Tennille Clayton on Foley — Write your own caption. We dare you.

The cast of An Atlanta Christmas — A decent portion of the cast. The indecent portion is still backstage.

Brian Troxell, Daniel Kiernan, and Brian Phillips — The original beanie babies. And a giant snore.

Brian Troxell and Brian Phillips — It’s INTENSE! OOOH, YEAH!

Hal Wiedeman, Brian Troxell, and Daniel Kiernan — Hooray! …or whatever they were saying at the time.

Posted on March 5, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: Blues for Johnny Raven 2009

This was our 25th Anniversary performance, and so we really went all out, as they say.

Bill Kronick and Alton Leonard going “all out”.

Y’know, we talk about how surprising it is that we’ve lasted so long. But the truth is that good storytelling is and has always been valued, so it really shouldn’t be that surprising.

Mary Buchanan and Megan Tindale backstage. — Ok, maybe it’s a little surprising.

This performance featured some of our favorites, some blasts from the past, and was a ton of fun. We got to see our founder William Brown take the stage again to recite The Mountain Whippoorwill by Stephen Vincent Benet…

William Brown on stage. — You don’t often see someone playing the “air violin”.

…as well as one of our favorite Rory Rammer episodes: The Asteroid of Love.

Fiona Leonard, Megan Tindale, and Ariel Kasten sing with Ethan Hurlburt observing. — Featuring the beautiful Android Sisters!

We were also treated to Brad Strickland’s An Arkham Home Companion.

We were also joined by our frequent musical guest Juliana Finch!

And, lest we forget, the main attraction, Blues for Johnny Raven!

Fiona Leonard and Daniel Kiernan — Raven (Daniel Kiernan) listens to the case brought to him by Gloria Kinsolving (Fiona Leonard).

Brad Strickland and Daniel Kiernan — Raven (Daniel Kiernan) consults with his friend and informant, Benny the Gospel (Brad Strickland)

Mary Buchanan takes a break from playing the sax.

Ariel Kasten and Megan Tindale — We have no idea what’s going on in this picture.

Blues for Johnny Raven is in the final stages of post-production now and will be available soon, first by download and later on CD!

Posted on February 13, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

31 Years of ARTC: The Call of C’thulhu 2009

This week we bring you our appearance at the Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates, which featured our 2009 performance of The Call of C’thulhu by H. P. Lovecraft, adapted for audio by Ron N. Butler. Check out all the pictures on our Flickr album.

We’ve performed a lot of different places over the years. Hotel ballrooms. High school auditoriums. Hair salons. But one of our favorites from an acoustic point of view was the Avondale Estates location for the Academy Theatre.

Typical stage setup for ARTC — The stage is set…

Not too big, not too small, well lit, walls made of hard concrete. Well, maybe that last part wasn’t so great, but you can’t have everything.

A portion of the cast of *Night Call* by Brian Phillips

At our 2009 performance, not only did we bring everyone the cosmic horror that is Lovecraft’s The Call of C’thulhu, we also brought Brian Phillips’s original audio drama Night Call and Kelley S. Ceccato’s The Worst Good Woman in the World!

Portion of the cast of — There’s really only one harmonica player here. But in audio, who can tell?

Tammie Hood and Clair W. Kiernan. Hats? What hats?

We’ve talked before about how we don’t often do costumes, but every so often we just can’t help ourselves.

Tennille Clayton and Sonya at the Foley table. — High tech Foley. Squishiness comes at a price.

J. E. Hurlburt at the microphone for — Auditions for Lovecraft pieces sometimes consist of just a bunch of screaming.

Be sure to check out our performance calendar to see when you can see us next!

There Is Adventure In Sound

Category: 30th Anniversary