Chatterbox Audio Theater Releases 2014 Halloween Broadcast

Chatterbox Audio Theater, Memphis' only web-based theater company, is proud to announce the release of our 2014 HALLOWEEN SHOW, which was performed and recorded Friday, October 31, while being broadcast live on 91.1 WKNO-FM (Memphis) and 90.1 WKNP (Jackson) and streamed live on www.wknofm.org. The 90-minute show, intended for adults and older teens, marks a return to our tradition of a producing a live Halloween show dedicated to carrying listeners into the dark realms of audio horror. The production is available for free streaming or as an MP3 download from www.chatterboxtheater.org or the iTunes Store.

The 2014 HALLOWEEN SHOW also marks the successful culmination of Chatterbox's first open script competition, which drew dozens of entries from writers across the US, Canada and the UK. Six winning scripts were produced as part of the show. The five winning writers and their scripts were: Leslie Barker ("Rocky Springs"), Joy Bishop ("The Hole"), Richard Hand ("Zachariah 1864" and "The Comeback"), Stephen McIvor ("The Mask"), and Jack J. Ward ("Tulpa").

Additional tales by long-time Chatterbox contributor Deborah Hyatt ("Witch Not, Want Not" and "Orpheus") and Chatterbox Executive Director Robert Arnold ("I'm Not Dead") rounded out the production. Arnold also directed the show.

"We try to do something special every Halloween," says Arnold, "but this may be one of our most exciting and satisfying efforts to date. In just 90 minutes, we present an extraordinary range of stories that are certain to shock and thrill our listeners, while showcasing the work of several writers who are new to Chatterbox audiences, if not to theater or audio theater in particular."

Audio drama fans may well recognize the names of long-time audio drama producer Jack J. Ward, who co-hosts the Sonic Society podcast out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Prof. Richard Hand, who teaches at the University of South Wales in Cardiff, Wales, has written extensively about audio drama. Memphis-area theatergoers are likely familiar with the work of the other three winners: Leslie Barker, Director of Outreach and Education at Theater Memphis and Chatterbox's new Education Director, has written and directed numerous stage productions; Joy Bishop has acted in several local productions; and Stephen McIvor, a University of Memphis graduate student, recently completed an internship at Theatre Memphis. Neither Bishop nor McIvor had any experience with audio theater or scriptwriting before crafting their winning entries.

Hyatt, who was instrumental in planning and running the script competition, says, "It's thrilling, of course, to produce works by writers as accomplished as Jack Ward, Richard Hand and Leslie Barker, but one rather expects them to set a high bar. Stephen McIvor's and Joy Bishop's scripts were every bit as original, gripping, and polished, and it is a great pleasure to be able to bring their unique voices to Chatterbox's worldwide audience."

Script judging duties were handled by Arnold, Hyatt, and Charlene Honeycutt, a Chatterbox Board Member and Development Manager for WKNO-FM. The trio named three "feature" winners and submitted several shorter "flash horror" pieces to a final vote via social media.

Chatterbox commissions original artwork for every show in its online catalog. The 2014 HALLOWEEN SHOW features artwork by Memphis-area artist Derrick Dent. This is the fourth Halloween production highlighting Dent's work.

Chatterbox Audio Theater, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007, creates fully soundscaped audio works for free streaming and download. Based in Memphis, TN, the group also produces shows in Kansas City, MO. Chatterbox has released about 70 shows to date, all of which are freely available from the iTunes store and through the group's website,www.chatterboxtheater.org.

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