Radio drama is back, with a full cast around the microphones
After the podcast wave, the old radio play is being recorded again — in front of an audience.
Twelve actors, an effects desk and thirty seats have been fitted into the studio. The play is recorded live, and the audience learns to hold its breath inside the first ten minutes.
The producer reckons podcast listeners are ready for the format. The difference is simple: a podcast is recorded alone, a radio play needs a company.
Someone in the room and someone watching a screen are not seeing the same work. That difference explains most of the argument on its own.
How it is recorded
The point the critics split on is not the work itself, but which tradition it belongs to.
For anyone who knows the earlier work this turn is not a surprise. What surprises is how late the attention arrived.
What the audience says
Ticket sales are moving regardless of the row. In live performance those two things usually pull in the same direction.
Eight plays are planned across the season. The first two sold out; a second performance has been added for the third.
The festival rewrites its rules: this year the jury will not watch behind closed doors
Organisers are defending the contested decision as a step towards transparency.
PremiumSold out in 48 hours: the album nobody was waiting for
Released without any announcement, it cleared the tour tickets in its first week.
Open again after thirty years: the museum’s back gallery returns
The restoration took nine years; the ceiling can be seen whole for the first time.