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Member Profile: Play it by Ear Productions
by E. James Ford in Winter 2007
In the 1950's, the writer Norman Corwin asked a little girl which she liked better, TV or radio. The little girl said she preferred radio "because the pictures are better."
That girl has a kindred spirit in Fractured Atlas member Lance Roger Axt, the artistic director of Play it by Ear Productions. Play it by Ear is an audio theatre company devoted to the development and distribution of original plays for radio, the internet and compact disc.
Lance became interested in audio theatre when he was just a boy. "There was a station in San Francisco that played old radio shows," he recalls. "I loved listening to these shows and the worlds they opened up for me."
His childhood nostalgia and a desire to create his own work led Lance to explore audio theatre. He soon discovered a passion for the form that led him to found Play it by Ear and devote his time to producing original works.
"I'll say it until the cows come home, audio theatre is the most challenging and creative form of theatre there is," says Lance. "Unlike live theatre, the audience member is no longer an observer, but an active participant. They decide how the protagonist looks, what color the sky is, the size of the spaceship; audio is only limited by the power of the imagination."
But audio theatre comes with its own unique set of challenges. "[It] is a laborious process: every minute that the listener hears equals a minimum of one hour of studio production time including voice-over sessions, a first edit, putting in the pre-recorded sound effects, live effects, music, and a final edit. Then it's a matter of finding the outlet through which you want to distribute it."
Fortunately, distribution in the digital age favors the self-produced. "There are more opportunities than ever. In addition to the radio stations that have aired the plays, they are available for MP3 download through SpokenNetwork.com, and they will be available for podcasts in the near future."
For more information about Play It By Ear Productions, visit www.playitbyearproductions.org.
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