academy theatre – Page 2 – Atlanta Radio Theatre Company

Posted on December 10, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 10

Welcome to the Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015 edition)! Leading up to our December 12 and 13 performances at the Academy Theatre in Stockbridge, we’ll be bringing you our own take on this holiday classic!

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…ten actors acting…
…nine sound effects…
…eight years of benefits…
…seven Christmas memories…
…six colored microphones…
five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

It takes a lot of people to get audio drama into the ears of our audiences. Foley artists, audio engineers, floor managers, and a bunch of other people that we’re not sure what they do. Oh! They’re actors! Yes, those wonderful voices that are ultimately the focal point for telling the story.

This year we’ve got at least ten of those talented folks for you. Come meet them! Ask them questions! Get their autographs (unless you’re planning to forge their signatures, in which case skip the autograph)!

Posted on December 9, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 9

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…nine sound effects…
…eight years of benefits…
…seven Christmas memories…
…six colored microphones…
five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

To create a truly immersive environment, you don’t just need Foley sound effects. You really need some good recordings, too. General ambiance, automobiles, aircraft, gunshots, and certain kinds of watery effects are just some of the examples of sounds that are better left in the digital realm, rather than trying to re-create them on the stage or even in the studio. What recorded SFX do we have for this year’s show? How about Atlanta drivers trying to get around in the snow?

Posted on December 8, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 8

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…eight years of benefits…
…seven Christmas memories…
…six colored microphones…
five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

ARTC is pleased and proud to have the Center for the Visually Impaired as our Partner in Imagination again this year. Since 2006, CVI has been the beneficiary of this annual gift that we give to our audiences, receiving 25% of total ticket sales. Audio drama is a wonderful art form for the visually impaired, but we don’t just want to provide entertainment. It’s important that we all contribute towards a total quality of life for our fellows in this world.

Posted on December 7, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 7

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…seven Christmas memories…
…six colored microphones…
five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

What’s An Atlanta Christmas all about, you ask? At its root, it’s about memories. Memories of Christmases past, our city’s past, and our own past. And who doesn’t wax nostalgic at this time of year? For good or bad, the season often causes us to reflect on the highs and lows throughout our lives, often accompanied by a yearning to return to the good times and a wish for things to be better or promises to improve.

At this year’s performance we will offer seven of our own favorite memories. Here’s the lineup for this year’s show (subject to change)!

Opening – Welcome one and all to our family Christmas!
Cut-Out Christmas – A young couple living through the Great Depression find a unique way to lift themselves up through the spirit of giving.
Are You Lonely Tonight? – The office Christmas party doesn’t always create the best memories. But sometimes it does.
The Legend of the Poinsettia – How did the poinsettia become a symbol of Christmas? Find out in this hilarious audio drama that tells the story of the fourth wise man who didn’t make the trip to Bethlehem.
The Experts – The thing you don’t often get in the South at Christmastime is snow. More often we get ice. And that’s a totally different thing to try to drive on.
Davy Crockett and Me – What does television have to do with Christmas in the 1950s? A lot, actually.
Blue Hannukchristmas Carol – This fan (and cast!) favorite returns again to tell the story of three spirits trying to overcome a case of mistaken identity to bring the true joy of Hannukah back into a young Jew’s life.

Posted on December 6, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 6

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…six colored microphones…
five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

Microphones are, of course, essential to audio drama. Here at ARTC we like to color-code them to make sure the actors know where to go. Because, y’know, actors. If you’ve ever seen us live before the pattern will look very familiar. And if you haven’t, now’s your chance!

An Atlanta Christmas 2009 — The color-coded microphones match the station colors. Please move to the center of the theatre and away from the doors.

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

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 5

On the third day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…five old CDs!
…four Foley artists…
…three singers singing…
…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

The CD may not be as popular as it once was, but we’ve still got ’em and, let’s face it, it’s nice to have something tangible to put under the tree. Yes, we can all wrap up an empty box or put gift cards in an envelope, but think back to when you were a kid. Which presents were the most intriguing? The big ones! What could it possibly be??

(Incidentally, just as a matter of trivia, if you stacked every ARTC CD available up and wrapped them as a group, they’d be about 13.5″ tall by 5.25″ wide by 7.5″ deep. Give or take. Just sayin’.)

Also, today’s the last day for our 10% off sale! Check us out on Facebook and Twitter to get the discount code, but hurry! It expires today (12/5)!!

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

The Twelve Days of An Atlanta Christmas (2015) Day 2

On the second day of An Atlanta Christmas, my true love gave to me…two Stockbridge shows
And an interview on WABE!

That’s right, two shows at the Academy Theatre in Stockbridge! December 12 at 8:00pm and December 13 at 2:30pm. In its 16th year, this Southern tradition just keeps going strong!

And the Stockbridge Community Arts Center is the perfect venue. This intimate space will let you enjoy the sounds of the show and give you a chance to mingle with the actors during the intermission and after the show!

The Legend of the Poinsettia in Stockbridge, 2014!

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 April 9, 2015November 5, 2019 by David Benedict

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea part 4 of 4

Size: 7.81M Duration 17:03

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You know who tends to get all the glory in theatrical productions? Actors. You know who really does all the work? Technicians.

Tony Fuller on Foley sound effects — Tony Fuller is upset about not getting more glory.

Especially in audio drama, all actors have to do is show up and read their lines. We even get our scripts on stage!

Bob Zimmerman, audiomancer. — Bob Zimmerman is unimpressed by your reading skills.

Sure, acting requires diction and timing and the ability to convince an audience that you are a person other than the one you really are, but without the music and without the sound effects the giant squid just ain’t gonna attack The Nautilus.

Alton Leonard on music. — Alton Leonard can’t hear the actors complaining because he’s busy making music.

Plus, they’re the only ones who know which wires to plug into which other wires. Also, amplifiers are heavy. And ARTC brings a lot of stuff with us to our performances because you never know what you’re gonna need.

Giuliana Ward on recorded SFX — Giuliana Ward is too happy to be mad at actors for hogging the spotlight.

So the next time you’re at an ARTC performance, be sure to thank the technicians! (Also the floor manager, not pictured). It’s their show, too!

Bob Zimmerman and Alton Leonard with David Benedict — Making the magic happen. The magic of RADIO!

There Is Adventure In Sound

Tag: academy theatre