|
Your new radio show Mythos
on a Train - in a few words, what is it about?
Lee
Bronson, a former marine helicopter
pilot turned English teacher, is just going home on
a subway train with her friends. An incident happens which incapacitates
the train and it's up to her to solve a very involved
plot and stop a very suspicious individual who just carries a back pack
with a frying skillet attached to it.
Now
how did the project fall together in the first place, and how did you all
become involved? Mythos
on a Train was a rejected script by my last audio drama company that I
was involved, in and I left that company due to creative differences. The
thing was I had a cast, and I had most of the lines recorded for the show
and I believed in all my actors, that I just didn’t want to disappoint
them. I believed in my story and my character Lee Bronson - Lee is a woman
that does things, she doesn’t sit in her bedroom watching TV or
pretending she is something she is not. She doesn’t care about titles or
what is before her name. She does the job. Lee Bronson
is played brilliantly by Ms. Katherine Black - I couldn’t have done it
without her. Carl, what were your sources of
inspiration when conceiving Mythos on a Train? It
is based on every 80’s horror/action/sci-fi flick that came out during
that time. From Aliens to Predator, I wanted something over-the-top but
scary and something where the listener is along for the ride trying to
figure out the mystery. I conceived of the “mythos” from mythology,
mainly Greek mythology which is prominent in this show. I like taking
mythology or urban legends and tilting the stage with them and trying to
present them in a way that’s transparent but also surprising. In
other words using an old trope but putting that trope in a place where
it’s not expected (like a subway train). Do
talk about Mythos on a Train's approach to horror for a bit, and
how can the lot of you indentify with horror as such? There
is real terror and horror in the world and it doesn’t come from any mythological creature,
not from Cyclops, Frankenstein or
Leatherface. Humans
are the scariest thing on the planet, the things that they will to other
humans is inconceivable and incalculable. Terrorism is
the scariest thing right now. Domestic and foreign, it doesn’t matter,
to think of the horror of tribes of people who commit acts of violence on
rhetoric, religion or for profit. It just stops me cold, and I used that
principle in a way with ancient mythology in Mythos on a Train. It’s a
mix of real fear of what happens if you are stuck underground in a tunnel
in the dark with the element what if there was somebody or something on
the train that meant to do you harm.
|
Carl J Grasso |
Katherine,
what can you tell us about your character in Mythos on a Train, and
what did you draw upon to bring her to life? What
drew me to my character was how
a strong badass of a woman she is. Lee
Bronson sets a very good example to
woman everywhere how she could be
like the guys. Katherine,
how did you get into acting in the first place? That’s
a tough question because I always
loved acting since I was a kid, but when I looked more into the art of it,
it drew me in a lot more at the age at 13. Playing someone else for a bit
and heading to a dream to escape reality helps me now
develop myself as a human being. For example when a director tells what to
improve on more, I don’t think “oh
no I sucked” but more of how to better myself in life and how to be
careful about it in life. Carl, I
do suppose you'll be part of Mythos on a Train's cast as well - so
what can you tell us about your character?
I
as a rule, do not act in things that I write (if it can be avoided). I
don’t mind doing a one-line cameo, but it's more fun and its more
rewarding to collaborate with people and find the right person to be the
character you created.
Lee
Bronson went through three potential people before Katherine, and I
didn’t think Katherine would have been interested in that kind of
character at the time (she was voicing a lot of sci-fi when I met her).
She loved the script and we kept talking about it and discussing making it
scarier and more exciting. When I worked with her one on one, I just sat
back and watched Lee Bronson take over - it was amazing, Katherine Black is
amazing.
The
rest of my cast, put me to shame as an actor: Marie
France Louis, who plays are mysterious stranger, Skillet, is mesmerizing.
When she’s on stage, you stop and listen because you’ll be to afraid to
move, the woman is that good.
Katherine Black |
Suzanne
Clergen-Siler, who plays Sandy, is so versatile that I know she could play
any role at the snap of a finger, I was blessed to have her part of this.
Chris
Perry, who plays Freddy the train operator, has a gift of comedy and I
swear I should do a spin-off of just his character.
Cara
Weldy, who plays Pamela, played this antagonist against her normal
type, and she launched it to the moon, it’s good to get somebody against
type. Great work from her.
Thea Schwartz plays Officer Penelope, a last minute replacement but she is a
VERY hard worker. I was kind of hard on her and I pushed her to get to
where I needed her to go, and she went there and beyond. I am very proud of
her.
David
Stair, who plays Officer O’Connor, he is a gifted actor, who voiced a
couple of video game characters in the 90’s(Titanic: Adventure in Time),
has a cameo because the majority of the cast was female, but I love David
so much as an actor I wanted him to make an appearance. David is spot on
every time.
Erinn
Dearth plays Martinez the EMT, and Dan Beckmann Murphy the
pilot. I met Erinn very recently but realized that she is one of the most
talented people I ever met. Dan has the drive of a Ferrari 458
Speciale, her and Dan do a lot children’s theater and patriotic shows that honor
retired veterans, so of course I wanted them for an action pack horror
radio show. I love them and I think they know that!
Courtney
Holly, who plays Commander Frost, who has so much energy, she is like a soda
bottle with Mentos in it (EXPLOSIVE). Courtney that has
all this energy she could be a superhero. I am honored that she said yes
to me. She is featured in the podcast Boom -
https://www.facebook.com/BoomPodcast/ - which
is available on all platforms.
And
what makes are show complete is Mr. Jerry Schultz, a very accomplished
theater actor and podcast actor (he play Long John Silver the pirate -
https://publicdomainplayers.podbean.com/),
you just hear the guy's voice and... just listen to the show.
See
I don’t need to act. I got them and I love them. I think they think
I’m adequate.
Now
the real heroes are Max Ofosu my head
audio engineer, Casey Arbogast, assistant editor, Carrie-Leigh
Dickey my poster creator, and Stephanie L Carlin,
my goddess of a music composer.
Max, what
were the challenges of bringing Mythos on a Train from a sound editor's
point of view? I
would say the biggest challenge of Mythos on a Train from an editing point
of view was trying to reimagine and define the mythological monsters into
a more modern 2020 environment. The questions I would ask myself
are, how would the monsters sound?
What would the creatures sound like?
All these guiding questions helped me to bring a different perspective
into this collaborative effort.
|
Max Ofosu |
Max, I've heard you've got a background
in music - so what can you tell us about that aspect of your career, and
what got you into sound editing in the first place? I've
always been interested in music. From making beats when I'm supposed to be
in class taking notes, to sharing snippets with my friends, music has
always been a part of my life. I guess the most fascinating thing I
love about music is the relative correlation between sounds and emotions.
I love the fact that we can be transported into nostalgia or a place we've
never been through sounds alone. I would say that is one of the
predominant reasons I got into sound editing. The
$64-question of course, where can Mythos on a Train be heard?
Columbus Day weekend here in the States, which that is the weekend of
October 9-10, and it will available everywhere - Google podcast, Apple,
Spodify. After
its initial run, are there any future plans for Mythos on a Train,
and other future projects you'd like to share?
I
would love to continue Audiophiles Presents podcasts.
In fact I have a Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/join/5139075/checkout
My
next show for Audiophiles is called... The Zombie. And is in
development and is cast (I hope). I
never stop creating or producing. I am working on a new film called Faces
of the Dead 2: Exorcism, which I’m really excited about - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13004044/
Your/your
show's website, social media, whatever else? Just
follow me at
https://www.facebook.com/audiophilesNC/, where
you can be updated on all my real adventures - and subscribe to (re)Search my
Trash, that’s an awesome website. AND Mike’s an author check out his
book Tales to Chill Your Bones to (see I plugged you too) [Michael
Haberfelner interview - click here].
 |
Feeling lucky?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
(commissions earned) |
The links below
will take you
just there!!!
|
|
 |
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I
could have not done this project without the help and support of Jacob and
Liz Mrozowski, Will Hodis and Krista Scavron. They all stood with me in
the dark and lifted me up when I needed it. I love them all.
Stay
frosty everybody, Columbus Day weekend the MYTHOS will mythos you - whatever that means.
Thanks
for the interview! NO,
THANK YOU!
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
