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Your new radio show Hall of Shadows - in a few words, what is it
about?
Hall
of Shadows is a new radio drama series released by New Frame Media
featuring stories of horror and suspense.
Basic question, why radio drama, what makes this medium perfect for your
stories?
Technology
has done some wonderful things for society, however, I believe it has
weakened our ability to think creatively. Between instantaneous access to
information via the internet and the way in which we are glued to our
televisions and cellphones, data is given to use so freely and
effortlessly, that we do not use our imagination like we used to. Kids
today are playing games on tablets instead of pretending to play pirate
ship in their swimming pools. That makes me sad. Unlike TV shows, radio
dramas present opportunities to awaken our listener’s dormant
imaginations; they actually participate in visualizing the story (instead
of just being spoon fed the images). No one’s mental picture of episode
will be exactly the same; I think that’s really neat.
Now how did the show fall together in the first place?
My
husband, Michael J. Rocco (our producer and sound engineer) [Michael
J. Rocco interview - click here] is the one who
introduced me to radio dramas. We are Halloween fanatics and listening to
radio dramas like Lights Out, Suspense, Inner Sanctum and
Hermit’s Cave
in the weeks leading up to that holiday became one of our favorite
traditions. We also directed the musicals at the high school where I used
to work for a few years. We thought it would be really cool to use our
experience and create radio dramas of our own.
Where do you find inspiration for the stories told on your show?
Inspiration
comes from all sorts of places. Sometimes the ideas pop up out of nowhere,
sometimes they start by taking a real life event and turning it inside
out. I can go days on end without a single idea and then, all of a sudden,
two or three will creep into my brain. That usually happens at night, of
course. Sleeping doesn’t usually work out for me, haha. Sometimes I run
my ideas by my students (I am a public school teacher by day). They are
brutally honest in their assessments; so if they like it, I know
I’ve got something good.
With Hall of Shadows being a horror show, is that a genre
especially dear to you?
Yes!
Michael and I are HUGE horror fans! We are always looking for horror
movies to watch. In fact, he has a large collection of horror movie
figures and memorabilia. He’s a big kid - I love him for that… at least
most of the time. But I can’t just blame him. Even as a kid, I was
always drawn to scary stories. My favorite books were Scary
Stories to Tell in the Dark
by Alvin Schwartz, the Goosebumps series by R.L Stein, etc. I never went
to a girls sleepover without them!!
Do talk about your show's overall approach to horror! Our
show is a resurrection of the 1940s radio drama, but using modern
technology to do so. We try to create stories that elicit a multitude of
emotions from our listeners - our goal is to make you feel invested in
our characters, cry, laugh and hopefully sh$# your pants… all within a
20 minute period. Some
of your favourite episodes?
It’s
hard to pick… but I would have to say that Emma is among my top
favorites.
What can you tell us about about the team and talent behind Hall
of Shadows? This
is actually an amazing story. Michael and I met in 2002, while
acting in a play that was written and directed by his friend at the time -
our current casting director, Carl J. Grasso (yes, you read that correctly)
[Carl J. Grasso interview -
click here]. Michael and I actually played husband and wife in his show at
Stony Brook University. We lost contact with Carl for many years until we
recently reconnected on social media. We told him about the idea and hired
him as our casting director. If you would have told us 17 years ago we
would be working together like this again, we would have been so shocked!
It’s been a very happy reunion.
What's a recording session for Hall
of Shadows usually like? Once
a script is written and cast, the actors record their lines in their home
studios and then send to us via email. Michael then has to splice all of
the lines together. He has the patience of a saint! It’s tedious work,
but we love having a product that is created by people from hundreds, if
not thousands of miles apart. I’m sure EG Marshall would have
thought that was super cool. The $64 question, where can
your show be heard? The
show can be heard on all major platforms including Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon
Music, Pandora, Google Play, SoundCloud, 24-7, 8tracks, Deezer,
iHeartRadio, Napster, Shazma, InProdicon, KKBox, Line Music,
SoundExchange, Tidal, Yandex, 7Digital, Slacker
Radio, Akazoo, Anghami, AWA, iMusica, KDigital, Kuack, MediaNet, NetEase
Cloud Music, Saavn, United Media Agency (UMA). Any future plans for the show you'd
like to share? And other future projects, in whatever medium? We
love Hall of Shadows and will continue to create stories for as long as we
can. Down the line, we may also put out additional radio shows through New
Frame Media… not just horror themed. In addition, to the radio drama
project, Michael and I are musicians. We’ve been writing and performing
music together for almost 15 years now. We’ve toured all over the
country and have dozens of albums out so I’m sure more tour dates and
records are in our future. What
got you into writing in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject? I’ve
always loved writing. I took several creative writing classes, but nothing
more than that. How would you describe yourself
as a writer? It’s
interesting. I’ve always used a lot of imagery in my work. I’ve tried
to bring that ability to this project as well. Writing for a radio drama
series has really improved my skills as a writer because it has forced me
to convey my stories without the use of any narration or visual aids. That
can be tricky sometimes! But I love the challenge. Writers who inspire you? I’m
very much inspired by classic horror writers such as HP Lovecraft, Steven
King etc. But I am also a hardcore Twilight Zone fan so I am highly
influenced by Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson.
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Your/your
show's website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.hallofshadowsradio.com
www.newframemedia.com
www.facebook.com/hallofshadowsradio/
www.hallofshadows.bandcamp.com
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Nope,
that pretty much covers everything. Thank you so much for your interest in
our project!
Thanks
for the interview!
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