In January 1817, Jane Austen commenced work on a new novel, to which she never assigned a name. By mid-March, she had completed twelve chapters, at which time she ceased working due to illness. The unfinished work was eventually published in 1925 under its working title: Fragment of a Novel Written by Jane Austen, January–March 1817. It has since become known simply as Sanditon, and a number of completions by other authors have since been published. Mr. and Mrs. Parker are visiting Sanditon, a village on the coast of Sussex. Unfortunately, Mr. Parker suffers an injury but he receives assistance from a local farmer, Mr Heywood. The latter’s daughter, Charlotte, is of marriageable age and has three eligible suitors, including the son of local patron, Lady Denham. Lady Denham is very keen to find a suitable match for her son Sir Edward—one of Charlotte’s suitors. Accordingly, she seeks an introduction with a Miss Lambe, a wealthy young heiress from the West Indies who is to take lodgings at Sanditon. Meanwhile, Charlotte finds herself attracted to the witty and debonair Sydney. The narrative ceases at this point, with little indication about the final results of the various romantic encounters. However, it appears clear that Charlotte is intended to be the heroine of the story.

Sanditon

Science fiction is rare in theatrical form, but with Posing As People, three unforgettable sci-fi stories by Orson Scott Card are adapted into powerful stage plays by three different writers. “Clap Hands and Sing” shows us a lonely—but rich and powerful—old man who has only one wish before he dies: To go back in time and take an opportunity for love that he once let slip by. But what will it do to the young girl who used to love him? “Lifeloop” pretends to be reality TV twenty-four hours a day. In fact, they’re really actors. But when your character is you, without any break, how exactly do you have a “real” life? And how can a fellow actor tell you that he loves you, when that’s what the script also calls for him to say? “Sepulchre of Songs” is about a heartbreakingly lovely girl who lost her arms and legs many years ago, and now yearns to be free, not just of the rest home where she lives, but of her body. So is the alien being who wants to trade places with her real or the product of her own imagination? And can her therapist’s growing love for her keep her from fleeing—either into space or the dark recesses of her own mind? Read by Eric Artell, Scott Brick, Emily Janice Card, Sara Ellis, Kirby Heybourne, Kelly Lohman, Stefan Rudnicki, Lara Schwartzberg, and Victoria Von Roth, the original cast of the stage production, September 21, 2004 at the Whitefire Theatre Los Angeles directed by Orson Scott Card.

Posing As People: Three Stories, Three Plays

Persuasion was the last novel completed by Jane Austen and was first published posthumously in December, 1817. The story represents an interesting configuration of Austen’s characteristic narrative patterns. The heroine, Anne Eliot, is something of an old maid—she is twenty-seven years old, still single and is considered by family and friends to have lost her youthful beauty. Several years earlier, her engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth had been broken off, due to the insistence of her family that the Captain lacked the wealth and status needed in a suitable husband. Due to the improvidence of Anne’s snobbish father, Sir Walter Elliot, it becomes necessary to rent out the family estate at Kellynch Hall. The Elliots take up residence in Bath. Anne and Frederick meet again, and Anne is faced with a difficult choice between suitors: should she align herself with the honest and upright but socially awkward Frederick Wentworth? Or with her charming, wealthy, and devious cousin, William Elliot?

Persuasion

Andi and Johnny were the best of friends and did everything together. But as they grew up, their different abilities kept them apart. Johnny became an Awesome Ant who provided for the colony and was hailed as a hero. Andi worked underground, was looked down upon and forgotten. One day, the rains stopped and the land became very dry. The Awesome Ants went in search of water. They dug underground but lost their way in the darkness. With the hero ants in trouble, would this mean the end of the colony?

What Ants Do On Very Dry Days

Little Matilda loses her treasured bunny and has a meltdown. When she calms down, she finds her bunny and apologizes for her behavior. Little Matilda has one toy that she loves more than anything — her bunny. She takes it everywhere, even on a nature walk with her friend, Jack. When they get home, Little Matilda realizes her treasured bunny is missing. She cries, squeals and thumps her small paws. Will Little Matilda ever find her bunny? Will she learn to manage her anger and frustration?

Little Matilda and the Lost Bunny

2005 - In the small town of Hulls Creek, tragedy strikes 18-year-old Troy Ellis, a young father who is left with the burden of his newborn child, Hayley, and the guilt and suspicion of an entire town, as a torturous ordeal follows in the wake of this, he must wrestle with the fear of a future of conjecture and judgement. 2023 - Troy is now a grown man, currently dreading the fact that it is nearing the day of Hayley's 18th birthday. However, when events go awry at her party, an eerily similar chain of events occur which leads to her disappearance. With the help of Sophie, a local detective, Troy goes on a crusade to find his daughter, while discovering a sinister link between the crime of 18 years ago, and his daughter's vanishing.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Little Matilda is lonely and eager to find a friend. She approaches several potential playmates, but no-one wants to play with her. Will Matilda be alone forever? Join Little Matilda as she learns to believe in herself and holds onto her dream of making a friend. This affirming and uplifting tale deals with the complex emotions of rejection and loneliness, and provides opportunities to discuss resilience and overcoming everyday challenges in a fun and accessible way.

Little Matilda

Mirelle is beautiful, but her ocean home is a mess. When pollution stains her flawless tail, Mirelle puts down her mirror for the first time and looks around her — what she sees fills her with dismay. This vain but delightfully determined mermaid must ultimately decide what’s more important — saving her good looks or saving her beautiful ocean.

Mirelle's Mirror

Andi and the ants sail down the river in boats made out of leaves. They settle down in a beautiful land and make friends with the locals, the keledek (sweet potatoes). The ants are enthralled when a flight of big white birds stop over and show them the world by flying them across continents and seas. But when a heavy downpour threatens to destroy their home and wash them away, who will come to their rescue?

What Ants Do On Stormy Days

Inspired by classic pulp fiction and old-time radio programs, the Narada Radio Company endeavors to create audio dramas that go from amusing to terrifying. THE TRUNK To some, antiques are nothing more than worthless junk. To others, a newfound treasure. When an old man brings home a recently purchased steamer trunk from an auction, he acquires more than he bargained for in this compelling supernatural mystery. Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music. Written by Pete Lutz, the audio play was named the First Prize winner of the 2015 Marion Thauer Brown Audio Drama Scriptwriting Award. HOW TO SHED 180 POUNDS In this tale of suspense, we meet Audrey and Walt Ellis, an unhappy couple who take a secluded vacation to try and patch their marriage up—but it turns out that neither one really ‘digs’ the idea! Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music. UNDEAD MAN WITH A HORN In this spoof of vampire stories, jazz trumpeter “Little Jimmy Tommy” Dorsal receives a deadly hickey on October 30, 1938. Now, it’s up to a police lieutenant and a private detective to track him down before anyone else is bitten. Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music. Written and produced especially for World Audio Drama Day 2019 THE UNCOOPERATIVE CORPSE In this comic horror tale, a body brought to a city morgue causes trouble for everyone who comes in contact. Is he still alive, or does he have unfinished business? Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music. THE SECOND HELPING In The Second Helping, we spoof the topic of Science Run Amok, a favorite film and old-time radio topic! This hilarious homage to the likes of Arch Oboler, Wyllis Cooper, Roger Corman, and James Whale (among others) will have you running for your life with laughter! Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music.

Narada Radio Company Collection

Inspired by classic pulp fiction and old-time radio programs, the Narada Radio Company endeavors to create audio dramas that go from amusing to terrifying. To some, antiques are nothing more than worthless junk. To others, a newfound treasure. When an old man brings home a recently purchased steamer trunk from an auction, he acquires more than he bargained for in this compelling supernatural mystery. Featuring a full cast of voice actors with sound effects and music. Written by Pete Lutz, the audio play was named the First Prize winner of the 2015 Marion Thauer Brown Audio Drama Scriptwriting Award.

The Trunk

This play is a dramatization of Boccaccio’s story of Gillette of Narbonne. Only the comic parts were of Shakespeare’s invention; he added the characters of the pusillanimous Parolles, the lofty courtier Lafew, the Clown Lavatch, and the long suffering Countess. He gave new depth and vitality to the leading characters, who are mere outlines in Boccaccio’s tale. The comedy has for its heroine a young woman who loves the haughty Bertram with an unrequited and despised passion, cures the King of France of a dangerous sickness, claims as her reward the right to choose a husband from among the courtiers, chooses Bertram, is repudiated by him, and, after a nocturnal meeting at which she takes the place of another woman whom he believes himself to have seduced, at last overcomes his resistance and is acknowledged as his wife. In Helena, Shakespeare drew a portrait of familiar type of loving and cruelly maltreated womanhood—the woman who suffers everything in inexhaustible tenderness and humility, and never falters in her love until in the end she wins the rebellious heart.

Alls Well That Ends Well

First published in 1921, Rilla of Ingleside is the 8th book in the Anne of Green Gables series. It is WWI and Canada has entered the war. Young men enthusiastically join up while mothers and sweethearts stay behind and fill the jobs that once were only for men. Rilla, the youngest of Anne and Gilbert’s children, struggles to find how she can possibly contribute. At first frustrated by being the “baby sister,” she soon is challenged by opportunities that will change her beyond her wildest imaginings. This is a coming-of-age story with all the lovable aspects of the first Anne book, yet with a compelling sense of historical immediacy. CAST Narrator: Susan Iannucci Susan: Terah Tucker Rilla: Trisha Rose Anne: Sarah Bacaller Gertrude Oliver: Jennifer Fournier Cousin Sophia: Karen Commins Also featuring the voices of Ted Wenskus, Robin Siegerman, Russell Gold, David Shears, Emma Faye, Susan Marlowe, Scott Cluthe, Marty Krz, Erin Grassie, Ken Foster, Maureen Boutillier, and Denis Daly.

The Anne of Green Gables Series

Rilla of Ingleside

VOICES: a sacred sisterscape, spearheaded by Grammy-nominated poet aja monet (When The Poems Do What They Do), is an audio experience of stories written by, narrated by, and centering Black women across the diaspora. It encourages radical listening for the sake of connection, compassion, and community and celebrates the interior lives Black women embody. “We seek to encourage and establish a culture that fosters radical truth-telling love & solidarity,” —aja monet, Artistic Creative Director, Voices at V-Day. Presented by V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against all women, gender expansive people, girls, and the Earth, VOICES is an interdisciplinary performance art project and campaign grounded in Black women’s stories brought to life. Founded by the Tony Award–winning playwright of The Vagina Monologues, V (formerly Eve Ensler), V-Day has unleashed vast grassroots, anti-violence work on college campuses and in communities—visionary work that has been survivor-led and focused, all the while revealing the power of art and activism to change culture and systems. V-Day campaigns include One Billion Rising, City of Joy, the Beyond Incarceration Project, Dismantle Patriarchy Contest, and now VOICES. Presented by: V-DayDirected by: aja monetComposed by: Leahann “Lafemmebear” MitchellProduced by: Hollis Heath Authors: Bella Laia, Black Girls Glow ft. Anabel Rose, KiKie, Ms. Fu, Nana Adjoa Agyepong, Pamm Takyiwaa, Poetra Asantewa & Wendy, Ceclia Faussart, Chamari White-Mink, Chelsea Williams, Cynthia Manick, Dalychia Saah, Dorothy Randall Gray, Flavia Diniz, Frieda Ndeutala Mukufa, Itohan Omolere Osaigbovo, Jasmine Knowles, Renee Wilson, Roslyn Smith, S. Pearl Sharp, Toya Lillard, Ursula Nyaboke Gisemba, and Vanessa Appiagyei, Vangile Gantsho Performed by: Black Girls Glow ft. Anabel Rose, KiKie, Ms. Fu, Nana Adjoa Agyepong, Pamm Takyiwaa, Poetra Asantewa & Wendy, Bisserat Tseggai, Carolyn Harrison, Cecila Faussart, Denise Burse, Flavia Diniz, Liza Jessie Peterson, Liz Mikel, Mars Rucker, Mumbi Kaigwa, Nila, Nyla Watson, Rutina Wesley, Roslyn Smith, Staceyann Chin, Stephanie Berry, Tyshawna Maddox, Vangile Gantsho, and Zonya Love Johnson

VOICES: a sacred sisterscape

Inspired by classic pulp fiction and old-time radio programs, the Narada Radio Company endeavors to create audio dramas that go from amusing to terrifying. It’s Christmastime, but one old movie studio watchman won’t be celebrating. It’s now up to two patrolmen to solve the case in this murder mystery set in 1943 Hollywood. Murder On Santa Claus Lane was adapted from a pulp-fiction story by William G. Bogart, first appearing in G-Men Detective magazine.

Murder On Santa Claus Lane

Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It are usually regarded as Shakespeare’s crowning achievements in the world of mirth and humor. In this group of plays, written during the playwright’s Second Period (1595–1600), the author depicts chiefly the cheerful, energetic side of life. In As You Like It, a wicked Duke expels his virtuous brother, the lawful ruler, from his domains. The banished Duke takes refuge with his followers in the Forest of Arden, where they live as free a life as did Robin Hood and his merry men. They are presently sought out by the Duke’s daughter Rosalind and her cousin Celia, who have been banished by the usurper. Also among the banished is Orlando, a virtuous young man, who is being pursued by his wicked brother Oliver, pursuant to the orders of the usurping duke. Orlando and Rosalind immediately fall in love, and she, disguised as a boy under the name of Ganymede, makes sport with him throughout the play. Eventually all ends happily – with conversions, repentance and revelations of love. Featuring the voices of Linda Barrans, Blaise Doran, Laura Richcreek, Emma Faye, Claudia Anglade, P J Morgan, Gary MacFadden, Denis Daly, Marty Krz, Dara Brown, Trisha Rose, John Burlinson, and Kendra Murray. Audio edited by Denis Daly Tunes for songs provided by Alan Weyman. The text used for this performance was kindly provided by playshakespeare.com. Production copyright 2024 is held by Voices of Today.

As You Like It

The unlikely heroine of this novel is the bashful and unadventurous Fanny Price, who occupies a Cinderella-like position in the residence of her wealthy cousins, the Bertrams, at Mansfield Park. Fanny is the butt of ridicule for the young Bertram sisters (Maria and Julia), and is relentlessly bullied by her manipulative and penny-pinching aunt, the widowed Mrs Norris. Maria, Julia, and their brother Tom are symbols of social irresponsibility, while their brother Edmund, is earnest and upright. Although Sir Thomas Bertram’s wealth is derived largely from a sugar plantation in the West Indies, Austen largely avoids discussion of slavery and other evils of colonialism. The young Bertrams form a close friendship with the dashing and unscrupulous Henry Crawford, and his glamorous sister Mary. Henry decides to pursue Fanny with a view to marriage, but she, discerning his devious nature, resists all his advances. After a visit to her family in Portsmouth, Fanny returns to Mansfield Park and finds herself attracted to the worthy Edmund, who is recovering after being rejected by Mary Crawford. Interestingly, Mansfield Park features the abortive amateur production of a popular sentimental drama, Lovers’ Vows, planned by members and friends of the Bertram family while Sir Thomas is absent in the West Indies. His unexpected return brings these plans to an abrupt halt. This audiobook recording also includes a multicast presentation of Lovers’ Vows. In Lovers’ Vows, the widowed Baron Wildenheim, by a twist of circumstances, comes into contact with a poor woman whom he had abandoned while a young man. The Baron has since married a wealthy woman and they have a daughter, Amelia. Unbeknownst to the Baron, his first relationship resulted in the birth of a son. He now has to decide how he is to acknowledge his new-found son and the young man’s mother. At the time of its publication, the plot was considered controversial because it centered on the issue of illegitimate children.

Mansfield Park and Lovers’ Vows

This collection contains eight of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. Each exhibits the vigour, humour, and optimism of the young master before he turned to the gloom and bitterness of the great tragedies. Contents A Midsummer Night’s Dream All’s Well That Ends Well Twelfth Night Much Ado About Nothing The Comedy of Errors As You Like It Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice Featuring the voices of:Aisling Gray, Alan Weyman, Alexandra Lee Smith, Blaise Doran, Cate Barratt, Catherine Bilson, Claudia Anglade, Dara Brown, David Shears, Denis Daly, Emma Faye, Gary D. MacFadden, Graham Scott, John Burlinson, Josh Innerst, Kendra Murray, Laura Richcreek, Lillian Rachel, Linda Barrans, Mark Crowle-Groves, Marty Krz, PJ Morgan, Roberta Jackson, Ron Altman, Simon Paxton, Susan Iannucci, Tom Saer, and Trisha Rose. Texts kindly provided by playshakespeare.com Songs created and arranged by Alan Weyman and Marty Krz Audio edited by Denis Daly

Eight Shakespeare Comedies

Measure for Measure is one of darkest of Shakespeare’s comedies. Written in about 1603 and first performed in 1604, it immediately preceded the composition of the major tragedies Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Duke Vincentino, the ruler of Vienna, fears that under his mild sovereignty, the people may have become lazy and lax. He decides to “go over cover” in the disguise of a monk and appoint his deputy, Angelo, who is a reputed paragon of virtue, as temporary ruler. On assuming power, Angelo inaugurates draconian provisions regarding sexual propriety. One of the first victims of this new regime is young Claudio, who has impregnated his lover Juliet, and is accordingly sentenced to death. Claudio’s sister, Isabella, who is preparing to enter religious life, is encouraged to approach Angelo and plead for her brother’s life. Angelo is immediately smitten with the beautiful Isabella and makes her an offer: her brother will be spared if she yields to Angelo’s sexual advances. Isabella indignantly rejects this proposal, but finds herself unable to reveal Angelo’s hypocrisy publicly, as she fears her accusations will lack credence. Fortunately, the Duke, who has not left Vienna, befriends Isabella in his assumed role of friar, and hatches a plan to both save Claudio and to unmask Angelo. Featuring the voices of Denis Daly, Gary D. MacFadden, David Shears, Graham Scott, Josh Innerst, Kendra Murray, Blaise Doran, Simon Paxton, Roberta Jackson, Alexandra Lee Smith, and Alan Weyman. Audio edited by Denis Daly Tunes for songs provided by Alan Weyman. The text used for this performance was kindly provided by playshakespeare.com.

Measure for Measure

Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction. Meanwhile, a wealthy gentlewoman, Portia, must choose a suitor using a curious ritual mandated by her father’s will. Applicants must choose from three locked caskets, one of which contains a picture of Portia. He who chooses the casket with the picture will wed Portia immediately; the unsuccessful applicants will cease courting not only Portia, but all prospective partners. Portia’s preferred suitor is a young Venetian, Bassanio, who is a close friend of Antonio. Antonio’s ships fail to arrive in time to satisfy his debt to Shylock and Antonio is hauled into court. In a male disguise, Portia appears in court to represent Antonio. Will her skillful representation free Antonio from Shylock’s demands? Written between 1596 and 1598 and published in 1600, The Merchant of Venice most notably touches on the troubling subject of antisemitism. While critical debate rages about Shakespeare’s actual attitudes toward Jewish culture, it is difficult to deny that the eventual fate of Shylock is not in accord with today’s view of social justice. Featuring the voices of Denis Daly, Catherina Bilson, Alexandra Lee Smith, Gary D. Macfadden, Blaise Doran, Graham Scott, Roberta Jackson, Josh Innerst, Simon Paxton, Alan Weyman, Emma Faye and Marty Krz.

The Merchant of Venice

This anthology of horror and suspense features seven spine-tingling stories to entice your imagination, including Every Now and Then by George Zarr, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, How to Shed 180 Pounds by Pete Lutz, Personal Delivery by George Zarr, A Visitor from Egypt by Frank Belknap Long Jr, Dark Road to Nowhere by Joey Ouellette, and The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe. Sound effects and music chillingly enhance each story. Every Now and Then: A sunny day, a quaint antique store, browsing through the artifacts of a bygone time. To some, these are the ingredients for a pleasantly spent afternoon. To Frank, it is the beginning of a journey that will tear his world inside out. Is his puzzling trek down memory lane an actual journey into the past? Or a careening descent into madness? The Tell-Tale Heart: This classic horror tale by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a man who murders an older man for his evil eye and is haunted by his guilt. Poe’s narrator reveals his motives, methods, and madness in a chilling confession. How to Shed 180 Pounds: In this tale of suspense, we meet Audrey and Walt Ellis, an unhappy couple who take a secluded vacation to try and patch their marriage up – but it turns out that neither one really ‘digs’ the idea! Personal Delivery: A man asks his dying sibling to deliver a personal message to their mother – and receives her absolute and unexpected final answer! A Visitor from Egypt: A museum guard stands convicted of mass murder, after a mysterious visitor calls upon the curator and asks to see some ancient, Egyptian bones. Dark Road to Nowhere: A young couple cruising on Halloween night found themselves stranded on a desolate country road when something or someone jumped out in front of their car. Was it a Halloween trick, an illusion, or the beginning of a nightmare? The Black Cat: This tale by Edgar Allan Poe tells an unforgettable tale of obsession, murder, and revenge! Poe’s narrator, who admits to horribly mistreating the eponymous house pet, is forced to deal with the bizarre and unexplainable repercussions of his vicious cruelty.

Moonlight Tales of Horror & Suspense

First published in 1881, the subtitle of this book tells us that it was written “for children and those who love children”. Heidi, a 5-year-old orphan, is handed off by her young Aunt Dete to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Though her new life is foreign, Heidi soon falls in love with her grandfather, and he with her. They share a contented life of goat-herding. But when Grandfather refuses to allow Heidi to attend school in the small village below, quarrels ensue. Heidi’s young aunt returns to remove her from her grandfather, and Heidi is sent to live as a hired lady’s companion to wealthy Clara, a wheelchair-bound child in Frankfurt. Heidi is loved by Clara, but not by the others within Clara’s home, who consider her ill-mannered. She becomes severely homesick and the wealthy family’s doctor recommends her return to the mountains. CAST Narrator: Susan Iannucci Heidi: Trisha Rose Grandfather: Ben Stevens Brigitta: Jennifer Fournier Clara: Sarah Bacaller Also featuring the voices of Ron Altman, David Stifel, Al Gibson, Lee Ann Howlett, Joan Dukore, and Susan Marlowe.

Heidi

As the generating force of its plot, Twelfth Night uses a device which has since become a staple in comedy: gender confusion. Viola and her twin brother Sebastian, are shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, a country ruled by the melancholy Duke Orsino. The twins are separated and Viola is led to believe that her brother has perished. She disguises herself as a male under the name of Cesario and makes her way to the ducal court, where Orsino employs her as a messenger, to communicate his love to the reclusive lady, Olivia—who is not willing to return his affection. Olivia is also the target of two other romantic schemes. Her pompous steward, Malvolio, has persuaded himself that Olivia has fallen for him but is too diffident to reveal her passion. Her dissipated uncle, Sir Toby Belch, has plans to set up a match for her with Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a feeble-minded squire. Viola/Cesario falls in love with Orsino and Olivia with Cesario, but all of the parties are obliged to hide their feelings. Having survived the shipwreck, Sebastian now appears on the scene and contracts a secret marriage with Olivia, who believes him to be Cesario. In the final act, Viola reveals her true identity … Featuring Emma Faye as Viola, Kendra Murray as Olivia, Cate Barratt as Sir Toby Belch, Alan Weyman as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Lillian Rachel as Malvolio, Marty Krz as Feste and Laura Richcreek as Orsino. Also featuring the voices of Claudia Anglade, Linda Barrans, PJ Morgan, Denis Daly and John Burlinson. Songs arranged by Alan Weyman and Marty Krz Audio edited by Denis Daly Text kindly provided by playshakespeare.com

Twelfth Night

Much Ado About Nothing appears to have been written around 1599, shortly before As You Like It and Twelfth Night. The action combines two narrative threads: the spirited comedy of the courtship of Benedick and Beatrice, and the sombre tale of confused love between Hero and Claudio. The first is a creation by Shakespeare and the second appears to have been drawn from an Italian source, either by Bandello or Ariosto. The action takes place in Messina. Eponymous lovers Hero and Claudio seem to be ideally matched and nearly everyone is looking forward to their impending marriage. The odd man out is the sinister Don John, brother and former enemy of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, but recently restored to the Prince’s favour. Being of a morose and jealous temperament, Don John plots to disrupt the wedding and cause division between the lovers, with the aid of his fellow conspirators, Borachio and Conrade. However, this evil plan is thwarted by an unexpected incursion by the bumbling constables Dogberry and Verges. The young couple are finally reunited, but only after Claudio has first been led to believe that his rejected spouse, Hero, has died of shame and grief. The matching of Beatrice and Benedick, encouraged by some artful chicanery by Hero and Claudio, and marked by many witty and sardonic exchanges of repartee, serves to lighten the texture of the darker elements of the action. Featuring Emma Faye as Hero, Kendra Murray as Beatrice, Dara Brown as Claudio, Lillian Rachel as Benedick, Cate Barratt as Dogberry, and Gary Macfadden as Don John. Also featuring the voices of Catherine Bilson, Ron Altman, Alan Weyman, P J Morgan, Claudio Anglade, John Burlinson and Linda Barrans. Songs arranged by Alan Weyman Audio edited by Denis Daly Text kindly provided by playshakespeare.com

Much Ado About Nothing

Mistaken identity (which the Elizabethans called “Error”) is nearly always amusing, whether on the stage or in actual life. The Comedy of Errors is a play in which this situation is developed to the extreme of improbability – but we lose sight of this improbability in the roaring fun which results. Nowadays we should call a play of this type a farce, since most of the fun comes from situations which are improbable and the play depends on these for success, rather than on characterization or dialogue. Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors draws on a much older play, Menaechmi, written by the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 B.C.). A merchant of Syracuse has twin sons and buys twin servants for them. His wife, with one twin and one servant, is soon separated from him by a shipwreck, and comes to live in Ephesus. When grown, the other son and his slave start out to find their brothers, and the father, some years later, starts out in turn to find them. Once in Ephesus, an amusing series of errors begins. The wife takes the wrong twin for her husband, the master beats the wrong slave, the wrong son disowns his father, the twin at Ephesus is arrested instead of his brother, and the twin slave Dromio of Syracuse is claimed as a husband by a black kitchen girl of Ephesus. The situation gets more and more mixed, until at last the real identity of the strangers from Syracuse is established, and all ends happily. Featuring the voices of Susan Iannucci, Gary MacFadden, David Shears, Dara Brown, Blaise Doran, Aisling Gray, Claudia Anglade, Kendra Murray and P.J. Morgan

The Comedy of Errors

Man and Superman was the first drama to be broadcast on the BBC’s Third Program on October 1, 1946. To celebrate Radio 3’s fiftieth anniversary, the play was directed by Sir Peter Hall, and preserved for all time in this lush audio dramatization. “A comedy and a philosophy,” Man and Superman is based on the Don Juan theme, and using all the elements from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Shaw reordered them so that Don Juan becomes the quarry instead of the huntsman. Boasting an outstanding cast including Ralph Fiennes, Juliet Stevenson, Dame Judi Dench, John Wood, Nicholas Le Prevost, and Paul Merton, this release includes an exclusive interview with director Sir Peter Hall.

Man and Superman

Jane Austen probably commenced writing The Watsons in 1803 and discontinued it after her father’s death in 1805. The original text contains no chapter divisions. It was first published in 1871 as an appendix to A Memoir of Jane Austen, by the novelist’s nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh. The story concerns the young and vivacious Emma Watson, one of six children of a widowed clergyman. Emma has spent most of her life under the care of a wealthy aunt of liberal views, and has received a good education. However, when her aunt enters into a second marriage, Emma is forced to return to the family home, where she is affronted by the crass hunting for husbands undertaken her sisters, Penelope and Margaret. Emma herself attracts the notice of local nobleman, Lord Osborne, and also of Mr. Howard, vicar of the nearby parish church. The sisters are invited to visit the home of their brother, Robert, an attorney in Croydon, but Emma refuses to join them. The original text concludes at this point. Several completions of the novel have been composed after the author’s death. The first appeared in 1850, and was written by her niece, Catherine Hubback, who expanded the story into a three volume novel entitled, The Younger Sister. In 1923, the completion by L. Oulton was published. And in 1928, another completion appeared, this time written the granddaughter of Catherine Hubback, Emily Brown, and her husband Francis Brown. In the version completed by Oulton, the narrative concludes with a resolution fairly typical of an Austen novel. However, the full text is considerably shorter than any of the novels completed by the Austen. There has been much speculation as to why Austen discontinued writing the novel. One surmise is that the author may have felt the narrative was uncomfortably close to the events of her own life.

The Watsons

Blue McKenna is dead – it isn't pretty. Her innards are strewn all over the bridge in front of Juniper Hollow, but she still can't make it to the white light. Blue's spirit is trapped in a nightmare scenario involving the Department of Motor Vehicles. Evidently, the DMV is as terrible in death as it is in life. Too bad the only one who can rescue Blue is a snarky cat named Skitters. And he hates her guts. All of them. Scottie Sphincter, lead singer of the Rectal Surgeons, can't move on, either. Why does Scottie keep getting ghosted by women like Blue? Join a full cast of narrators for a spooktacular romp through the afterlife in Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted.

Quirky Cat Gets Ghosted

This delightful collection of Christmas stories includes the full-cast dramatization of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS DAY, and the holiday favorites THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER, read by Noelle Dupuis.

It's Christmas!

Inspired by classic pulp fiction and old-time radio programs, the Narada Radio Company endeavors to create audio dramas that go from amusing to terrifying. In this tale of suspense, we meet Audrey and Walt Ellis, an unhappy couple who take a secluded vacation to try and patch their marriage up—but it turns out that neither one really ‘digs’ the idea!

How to Shed 180 Pounds

One Spring morning, Mole abandons his spring cleaning and surfaces into the sunlight and warm grass of a great meadow. Rambling busily along the hedgerows he comes all at once to the edge of a river. Mole is entranced. Here on the river bank he meets the Water Rat. Mole stays with the Water Rat in his snug waterside home where the river laps at the sill of the window and here he meets Ratty's friends: Badger who lives in the Wild Wood and the incorrigible Toad of Toad Hall.A timeless tale of waterside Britain that has been loved by generations of children and acclaimed as a classic. The story of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and Toad and their escapades, whether messing about on the river or puttering about in Toad's shiny new car, cannot fail to enchant every listener.Many of the original cast from Alan Bennett's acclaimed National Theatre production appear in this dramatization for BBC Radio 4, including Richard Briers as Rat, Adrian Scarborough as Mole, and Terence Rigby as Albert, with Alan Bennett as the narrator.

The Wind in the Willows

It’s midnight. Turn out the lights, cuddle with your true love, and shiver to fright-meisters Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and H. P. Lovecraft. Quicken your pulse with the elegant terror of Henry James, Edith Wharton, and Guy de Maupassant. Chortle at the black glee of H. H. Munro and Ambrose Bierce. These fourteen tales, plays, and poems, gleaned from cultures around the world, range from wickedly comic to deathly serious, from New England reserve to Gallic passion. This volume of late-night listening is a witch’s brew of readings and dramatizations seasoned tastefully, and—where appropriate—not so tastefully, with music and sound effects, under the direction of award-winning producer Yuri Rasovsky and his coven of twenty-odd—some very odd—performers. Shut your eyes and give your mind a listen—if you dare.

Tales for a Stormy Night

In The Tempest, long considered one of Shakespeare’s most lyrical plays, Prospero, a sorcerer, and his daughter, Miranda, have been stranded on an enchanted island for twelve years. When a shipwreck—caused by the eponymous tempest—brings enemies to the island, the stage is set for comedy, romance, and reconciliation. The Tempest embodies both seemingly timeless romance and the historically specific moment in which Europe began to explore and conquer the New World. Its poetic beauty, complexity of thought, range of characters—from the spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban to the beautiful Miranda and her prince Ferdinand—and exploration of difficult questions that still haunt us today make this play wonderfully compelling.

The Tempest

Blackstone Audio presents an eclectic mix of stories, plays and sketches dedicated to the thinking paranoiac. Gore, sex, horror, literature and edifying morals—what more could you want from an audiobook? This collection includes "In a Grove," upon which Akira Kurosawa based his classic film, Rashomon; an adult fairy tale by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh; the real story (honest!) behind Edgar Rice Burroughs's novel The Moon Maid; and cautionary and scary tales from Arabian Nights, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Mark Twain, and others.

A Grown-Up’s Halloween

In this second volume of Blackstone’s audio theater production of An American Family Shakespeare Entertainment, a full cast of award-winning narrators present miscellaneous scenes and soliloquies from Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Timon of Athens, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest. Based on Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb and featuring Elizabethan songs and dances in new arrangements for stringed instruments, this original audio recording is a Skyboat Road Company production, conceived, adapted, and produced by Stefan Rudnicki for Blackstone Audio, Inc. MUSIC: Willow Song by Emily Janice Card OTHELLO read by Mirron Willis SOLILOQUY: Othello read by Mirron Willis KING LEAR read by Yuri Rasovsky SCENE: “Blow Winds...” read by Yuri Rasovsky, Lorna Raver SCENE: Lear, Fool, Kent read by Stefan Rudnicki MACBETH read by Harlan Ellison TIMON OF ATHENS read by Robertson Dean PERICLES read by Stefan Rudnicki SCENE: Pericles, Marina read by Stefan Rudnicki, Emily Janice Card CYMBELINE read by Don Leslie THE WINTER’S TALE read by Gabrielle de Cuir THE TEMPEST read by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. SOLILOQUY: Prospero read by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

An American Family Shakespeare Entertainment, Vol. 2

Fielding’s rollicking comic masterpiece sparkles with life in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization. Abandoned child Tom is raised by the rich and benevolent squire Mr. Allworthy, much to the chagrin of Allworthy’s mean-natured nephew Blifil, and develops into a good-natured rake. But Tom’s inability to resist a pretty face lands him in hot water when he impregnates Blifil’s betrothed. When the lovely Sophia runs away to London, Tom pursues, embarking upon a series of riotous and amorous adventures. However, further trouble and the revelation of his true identity await him in London.

Tom Jones

Mark Twain is a master of adventure, mystery, and wit. This collection, containing three tales of mystery, offers a healthy dose of each—and more! In Tom Sawyer, Detective, a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Tom Sawyer Abroad, take a ride down the Mississippi to Uncle Silas’ farm. Mark Twain’s satirical take on the immensely popular detective novels of the time provides enough twists and turns to satisfy any avid mystery fan. In “The Stolen White Elephant,” Mark Twain is a character in his own story! Listeners will delight in this tale of an Indian elephant getting lost in New Jersey—and the hunt that ensues. Finally, in “A Double-Barreled Detective Story,” Sherlock Holmes comes to America! When the legendary detective finds himself in the American West, his extraordinary skills and scientific methods are called upon once more. Twain’s biting satire, cunning wit, and provocative mysteries will entertain listeners of all ages.

Mark Twain’s Mystery Tales

Inspired by the classic silent film of 1919, this original audio play won the Independent Publishers Award in 1998 for best direct-to-audio production. John de Lancie stars as a young poet who visits a fair one night with his friend and girlfriend. Entering Dr. Caligari’s tent, they meet the mysterious Cesare, a kind of zombie, who is neither alive nor dead—and who forecasts doom for our high-strung protagonist and his friends. Combining the directness of an old-time radio play and the language and themes of high psychological drama, this unique production was written, produced and directed by Peabody and Audie Award–winner Yuri Rasovsky and features a superb cast.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

"From the moment she burst into the downtown art scene, seventeen-year-old Addison Stone was someone to watch. Her trademark subversive street art and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more about this brilliant wild child who shone so bright and was gone too soon." Two-time National Book Award finalist Adele Griffin offers an ingenious fictional take on celebrity biography, as told in first person interviews through the eyes of Addison Stone's parents, friends, boyfriends, mentors, critics, and more—punctuated in full color with Addison's artwork, photographs, and emails. When it comes to Addison's untimely and mysterious death, nobody escapes unscathed.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone

With the premiere of two new film versions of the Snow White tale, Blackstone enters the fray with its own adult, edgy, and not altogether serious full-cast exposé of fairy-taledom. At last it can be told! Was Snow White really as pure as the driven snow? Did her allegedly wicked stepmother get a bum rap from the Grimm brothers? What went on behind the closed Dutch doors of the dwarves’ cottage? How many handsome princes does it take to screw in a light bulb? These and other burning questions may or may not be answered in this new pseudogothic audio play that Blackstone commissioned from award-winning author and audio dramatist Yuri Rasovsky. 

Die, Snow White! Die, Damn You!

This is an epic of independence and devotion, of hardship and fulfillment, of a woman so strong that knowing her could change your life. When ten-year-old Dinah Kirkham saw her father leave their Manchester home in the middle of the night, she asked when he would be back. “Soon,” he replied. But he never came back. On that night in 1829, John Kirkham laid the foundation of his daughter’s certainty that the only person Dinah could ever really trust was herself. From that day forward, Dinah worked to support her family, remaining devoted to their welfare even in the face of despair and grinding poverty. Then one day she heard a new message; a new purpose ignited in her heart, and new life opened up before her.

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