Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Treats, tricks, etc.

Some seriously spooky artwork by Derrick Dent, from our 2010 show.

It's October, which means Chatterbox is gearing up for its annual Halloween Show on WKNO-FM. This live broadcast has become a tradition since we first started it in 2008. And it's one of the most fun things we do all year.

The 2011 show will consist of four original horror stories. Scripts were written by myself and the talented Deborah Hyatt, who penned our adaptation of Jack London's "Moon-Face" as well as two previous Halloween stories: "Burning Cold" in 2010 and "Boil" in 2009. (I just noticed that both of those stories have temperature-related titles, a streak that Deborah will break in 2011 unless she opts for some creative last-minute renaming.)

Naturally, the less you know about the scripts, the more likely you are to be horrified, so I'll stay tight-lipped. But I can tell you we've got some really intense stuff planned for this year, and that the stories will range from subtle and eerie to squirm-inducing and over-the-top. Remember: we're trying to give you nightmares. So if you have young kids, don't let them listen unless you want them to have nightmares.

Casts for our Halloween Show are always hand-picked. The stakes are high on live radio, so I like to work with seasoned performers whom I trust implicitly. I got a bit of a late start on casting this year, so we still have a few roles to fill -- but I can already say with confidence that we're going to have a great lineup of voices, including a few newcomers to Chatterbox. As with all shows, casting is half the battle, and with the right team on board rehearsals go a lot more smoothly.

Later today I'm meeting with producer Eric Sefton, musician Cheri Hughes, and SFX designer David Barton to go over the scripts and brainstorm ideas for music, sound, and production choices. There, we'll think hard about how to create some really gruesome sounds and a really unsettling atmosphere. Then rehearsals start next week!

The show will air live on 91.1 WKNO-FM in Memphis at 7:00 CT on Monday, 10/31. You can listen from anywhere in the world through WKNO's website. It will also be rebroadcast that same night as part of the Transcontinental Terror event. If you like horror audio, I highly recommend you tune in to as much of this event as you can.

More updates coming soon! In the meantime, mark your calendars for the show.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the shout-out. :)

    For the record, I was explicitly forbidden from writing anything temperature-oriented this year by my sister Nancy (our favorite critic). Otherwise, I would totally have come up with a terrifying plot involving something lukewarm.

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