The “You Have Five Minutes” Live Radio Drama Experience

Hey! For the purposes of posterity we’re including some details behind a workshop/live event/party room experience we developed with some audio drama friends originally for CONvergence in Minneapolis, MN (the home of Mark Time Radio Awards for many years).

Pioneered in 2013, the concept was to introduce the larger CON to the mini audio drama track taking place in their midst. Back in those days, CONvergence would host audio drama artists from around the world thanks to the Mark Time Radio Awards. Highlights included years where we met up with Aural Stage Studios, Icebox Radio, Jonathan Mitchell (The Truth), Dieter Zimmerman of South Africa’s Protophonic, the team of Our Fair City, Jack Bowman and Robert Valentine of The Wireless Theatre Company, Domien and Eline of Audio Epics, and many more.

The concept, thus: you randomly walk into our hotel party room, pick up a script, grab a friend (or join with a bunch of strangers) and start acting.  We provide all the sound effects and equipment, you lend your voice and get to experience radio drama first hand.

We had an enthusiastic and engaged response – ranging from people who had never acted in anything before in their lives, to seasoned radio pros who were excited to push themselves a bit and try something new.   Over the course of the weekend, at least a hundred people streamed in and out and learned a little bit about the joy us audio people share.  We even had a podfic group join us to record some of their own material!

Fred has gone on to introduce this concept in classrooms from 8th grade to college-level, as well as art walks, Cons, and other public events in Maine. Usually he does a little presentation about the power of audio storytelling, and then invites the people in attendance to actually be part of something! It’s a fun workshop that gives people a taste of voice acting even if they have not previously self-identified as an actor.