Hitting the Airwaves with Virus-free Radio Drama

I don’t know about you, but all this social distancing has glued me to audio. Between the news, the documentaries, the drama, and the podcasts – oh, my Blog, the podcasts – I’ve become a person led by my ears. And mostly to radio.

So much so, that it’s been on my mind for weeks to do a whole post about podcasts. I’ve consumed so many of them in the past year that I am declaring myself a indisputable podcast guru. A Patrician of Podcasts. A Professional Podcast Purveyor. In short, a Pain.

So many podcasts have passed through my ears that I’ve been mentally categorising them into genres and styles, ready to make multiple online pronouncements about what I think is good or not. And why. This is serious, folks. I’ve gone aural.

But first, I need to speak to you about the more serious business of comedy. Because:

I have written a radio play.

And it was played by real people, for the radio. This makes it the first official broadcast of my work in forever.

Literally forever, because to date, my sole broadcasting experience of my work consists of a radio interview I did over 20 years ago about a piece I wrote about dead or deadly Australian animals, during which my interviewer read out some of the piece. Not exactly Sunday Miscellany.

So what’s this radio play all about, Sparling?

It’s called Mr McGuffin’s Plot Device and Writer Unblocking Emporium. Long-time residents of this bloggy parish will recognise it as a skit I wrote some years ago about a man named Mr McGuffin, who has a very special kind of shop.

In this shop, writers might go to find themselves a hero, a villain, a motive, an ending, or something to get their characters out of the jam they never meant to write them into in the first place. We writers all need a Mr McGuffin in our lives, and he is duly coming to yours next Sunday 30th August.

The skit has been adapted, extended, bashed around the place, funnified, soundified, and put together by an incredibly talented bunch of actors, director and sound designer. Just wait ’til you hear the sound effects in this one. They’re worthy of being listed in the cast.

Fine, but when, where and how can I listen?

It’s being broadcast at 2pm with a repeat at 7.30pm (Irish time) next Sunday 30th August. Scariff and East Clare locals can listen on 88.3 and 92.7FM. Everyone else can listen on www.scariffbayradio.com by clicking on the listen live button, or on your smartphone or tablet via the TuneIn Radio app.

But wait! There’s a pandemic! No Drama Allowed!!

Aha! Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Oh ye of little faith.

The piece was performed, directed and edited by the Sliabh Aughty* Drama Group and produced for Scariff Bay Community Radio. And all was done in a socially distant manner. Seems like radio drama is pretty much the only thing you can produce in a socially distant manner these days, without quarantines, Perspex, cling film, or a gun.

We should all be doing radio drama, is what I’m saying.

Grand, but what’s in this for me?

It’s short and will give you a giggle. What the hell else do you want in a pandemic?!

Now go and set your alarm for some laughs on Sunday. And I’ll be back with podcast pronouncements in due course.

 *please don’t try to pronounce Sliabh Aughty at home. Tune in on Sunday and you’ll find out how it’s done.…