Audio Drama Debuts: A Light Exists in Spring
May chose a fruitful flock, heralding a bountiful summer.
The final spring month brought us audio dramas released before the summer deluge, when many more podcasters are liberated from school-system jobs that may hamper release schedules. These are some choice blossoms from May, some of which were in production for years prior to release. Whether you want immersive deep space audio or the early years of Philip Marlowe with the jazziest noir vibe you could ask for, we’ve got it all and more.
In our continued dedication to the world of audio drama podcasts, this monthly series brings you notable new debuts. Catch up on April’s list here.
The New Adventures of Red Riding Hood
I’m cheating a little here — apparently this actually dropped on April 30th, but the first episode was so thrilling, I’ve decided to include it. It’s a science-fiction Red Riding Hood, if she were a member of the space military and charged with carrying precious cargo, in a slick blend of espionage and action in audio.
Deus Ex-Machina
If you like playing around with Greek mythology, Wart Hill does rewrites and retellings in this lovely, simple podcast. He narrates a new version of Persephone and Hades’ story, while remaining faithful to the myth’s original intent.
Starcalled
This is a deeply-immersive science fiction audio drama, made with a soundscape and soundtrack that fills your chest with how big and cosmic it feels. Taking place some time after a devastating galactic war, two officers in the Colonial Fleet find themselves in a fight for their lives at the edges of the galaxy. I cannot recommend this audio drama highly enough for an enormous universe of which we have only seen the tip.
A Man Named Marlowe
This is a 6-part mini-series produced by the podcast Wallbreakers, which imagines early adventures of Philip Marlowe, the private detective created by noir crime author Raymond Chandler. This drama starts in 1935, covering what happens before the first novel The Big Sleep and considering how Marlowe becomes the man we know from the novels. The has excellent audio production and the perfect choice of music tracks cannot be underscored enough.
Dark Ages
Mentioned in this issue of the Bello Collective newsletter, Dark Ages is a lengthy, monthly, high fantasy comedy podcast about workplace shenanigans in a museum trying very hard not to fail. In the first episode, they get derailed by a giant goblin army led by a Dark Lord… whose crow is in the new exhibit. Whoops.
Lost in Spaces
This is a comedic, somewhat cheesy sci-fi comedy about two friends who discover an unmapped moon and their quest for adventure ends up on as a dangerous romp through time, space, and a bungalow in West Midlands. Space is full of weird creatures, and weirder administrators, so buckle in and try not to get too lost.
Mount Olympus University
May was apparently the month for retellings of Greek mythology! Pandora, invited to a mysterious university populated by students who can do weird things, is followed around — stalked really — by a radio room. With the help of her roomie Aphrodite, she starts a radio show, and this ends up as a fun and cute re-imagining of Greek myths in the modern world.
Aero-Girl Adventures
If you wanted the superheroic adventures of a girl with her jet pack and avoiding her homework, look no further. An audio drama that came from creator DeWayne’s comic book, it bears all those hallmarks of youthful superhero fiction. Did I mention her sidekick is a superpowered gorilla?
This Sounds Serious
From the producers of CBC’s This is That and Stop Podcasting Yourself, comes this hysterical true crime parody — which you’d think “it’s been done”, but I don’t think I’ve laughed like this before, unwittingly and with surprise. A baffling 911 call reveals a famous weatherman dead in his waterbed and it only gets wilder from there as the journalist goes further into the caller’s life, probably inadvisably. This is not just parody; this has fully-fleshed out characters and a serious hand at serializing the narrative.
Tales from the Aletheian Society
This is a comedy podcast about cultists in Victorian Scotland and oh, my goodness, I think my sides split. The main character is given lead of the hopeless chapter of Glasgow, which they call “Hell’s Darkest Pit”. The acting here is impeccable, each character bringing to life their quirks and habits, and the plot is simply rollicking good fun — if you can have fun dealing with occult forces.
Note: The title comes from this Emily Dickinson poem, A Light Exists in Spring.
The Bello Collective is a publication + newsletter about podcasts and the audio industry. Our goal is to bring together writers, journalists, and other voices who share a passion for the world of audio storytelling.
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