News | National Audio Theatre Festivals

NORMAN CORWIN AWARD NOMINATION FORM

THE NORMAN CORWIN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO THEATRE

Norman Corwin Award Committee:

Lance Roger Axt, Andrew Davis, Steve Donofrio, William Dufris, Richard Fish, Charles Potter, Ellen Stewart, and Sue Zizza

Each year, the National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. will honor an audio dramatist or a group of audio drama dramatists who has/have made significant contributions toward furthering the medium of audio theatre in the United States with the presentation of The Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre.

Rules and Criteria for Nominations

1. Only members in good standing of the National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. may submit nominations, and a member may submit up to three (3) nominations in any given year.

2. Nominees do not have to be affiliated with the National Audio Theatre Festivals, but they must be citizens of the United States at the time of nomination, and will be judged on their contributions to American audio theatre

3. Contributions are defined as:

producing, writing, directing, or performing of modern audio theatre with the highest degree of professional quality;

promotion of the medium through radio, the internet, or other means;

educating the next generation of audio dramatists.

4. Nominees must have worked in the audio theatre field for a minimum of ten (10) years.

5. Current members of the NATF Board of Directors or the Corwin Award Committee may not be nominated for the Award while in office. Advisory Board Members can be nominated.

6. Nominations for the Award can be made by postal or electronic mail between the dates of July 1 and November 30, 2010.

7. The winner will be announced through the National Audio Theatre Festivals website and through print and internet press outlets (print and internet) on May 3, 2011, Norman Corwin’s birthday.

Please print the following page and print your responses legibly if submitting by postal mail. Postal address:

NORMAN CORWIN AWARD NOMINATIONS
National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc.
PO Box 15221
Tallahassee, FL 32317-5221

If submitting by electronic mail, copy and paste the information and send your nomination to ed {at} natf(.)org with “Norman Corwin Award Nomination Form” in the subject line. The Committee will filter candidates to a total of three prospective candidates. From that group the Award winner will be chosen by The Committee.

Your name and address:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Member since: __________

The name of the nominee:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

A list of his, her, or their audio productions or achievements in the field of audio theatre:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Specific achievements that should either be taken into account or heard by Committee members:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

A brief essay (100 words) as to why this person should receive this award:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Norman Corwin Weekend in Los Angeles

We are very happy to report that on May 1 and 2, the National Audio Theatre Festivals was ably represented in Los Angeles by Executive Director Andrew Davis, and Advisory Board Members Richard Fish and Helen Englehardt as Norman Corwin was honored on the occasion of his 100^th birthday with tributes, book signings, performances, and the presentation of the first ever Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre. Mr. Fish, would you please:

“On May 1, the program at the Writers Guild Theatre was extraordinary. Leonard Maltin hosted and Peggy Webber’s California Artists Radio Theatre performed excerpts from, or cut-down versions of, three of Norman’s plays: Mary and the Fairy, Soliloquy to Balance the Budget, and Our Lady of the Freedoms. Performers, and those who gave personal tributes, included Ian Abercrombie, Ed Asner, Shelley Berman, Samantha Eggar, John Harlan, Richard Herd, Hal Kanter, Paul Keith, Norman Lloyd, Shelley Long, Tony Palermo, Phil Proctor and Melinda Peterson, Carl Reiner, Ken Stange, Simon Templeman, Tom Willams, and Joanne Worley.

“Carl Reiner was funny and touching ad-lib; Norman Lloyd was deeply moving fully scripted, and Hal Kanter was rolling-on-the-floor hilarious! During their remarks, Phil & Melinda announced the National Audio Theatre Festivals’ creation of the Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre, which will be given every year on Norman’s birthday. This received great applause from the hundreds of people in the audience.

Audio Theatre Scholarly Papers Sought!

Dr. Will Anderson of Central Michigan University is calling for Audio Theatre topics to be presented at the Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference in October. As the chair for the Radio division, please direct your inquiries to Will at Ander1ww {at} cmich(.)edu – Will is a former NATF Member and has participated several times in the NATF Script competition.

Interested, but have a paper outside the realm of Audio Drama? Check the MPCA/ACA website for the right chairperson to contact.

40 years of ZBS!

The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. congratulates Tom Lopez for 40 years of “mindful entertainment” as ZBS reaches a milestone! More Jack! More Ruby! More film noirs! www.zbs.org!

NATF Members in the News

Maine-based Fred Greenhalgh has been a longtime friend of the National Audio Theatre Festivals; he is one of the most vocal supporters of its mission, and of audio theatre itself. You can hear his WMPG-supported radio series and podcast Radio Drama Revival at www.radiodramarevival.com each week, which showcases the best in modern audio drama from both the masters and the new generation.

Well, Fred has his own company, FinalRune Productions. Recently Fred undertook an exciting new project with FinalRune: the audio adaptation of Archer Mayer’s detective novel Open Season. Fred has recorded the piece a la Roger Gregg and Crazy Dog Audio: on location (in Vermont)! When the script called for snow, his actors (including our very own Bill Dufris) walked on honest-to-goodness snow. And wouldn’t you know it, his adventures in on-site recording have reached the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Here’s the article, which also features Sue Zizza: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575085313479028540.html

NATF Board member Marideth Sisco of West Plains, MO, is finding that the “15 minutes of fame” foretold by Andy Warhol can take on a life of its own if you’re attached to a project that’s getting international recognition.

Sisco is the featured singer and music consultant on the Debra Granik indie hit Winter’s Bone, which recently took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival (Best Dramatic Cinema, Best Dramatic Screenplay) and went on to gather more applause (and prizes: Taggespiegel Readers’ Choice award and Best Forum Film from the International Confederation of Art House Cinemas) at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival).

The film is an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s splendidly gritty novel of the same name. Sisco’s vocals are all over the film, from the opening scenes to the outro under the credits, including a picking session about a third of the way through, and have come to be strongly identified with the film. You can catch a glimpse at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-xangQaLTg.

Marideth said she had no idea the music or the film were going to get such recognition, and is now trying to respond to the increasing demand for more of her music. She’s currently hard at work producing song clips for iTunes as well as a CD with her band, the Davis Creek Rounders. The film soundtrack will be released in June, when the film is scheduled for general release.

A tribute to Norman Corwin…

On May 3, 2010, the first poet laureate of radio and National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. Advisory Board Member, Norman Corwin, the author, director, and producer of some of radio’s greatest dramas including We Hold These Truths and On a Note of Triumph, will turn 100 years old (www.normancorwin.com). In his honor the NATF is initiating a new award, presented each year to an audio dramatist in the United States who has contributed significant achievements to this art form. And the first recipient of the Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio will be its namesake.

Audio theatre is not just for radio, explains NATF Board Chairman Steve Donofrio, “It started on cylinder recordings, and today flourishes vibrantly on the internet. For over 30 years, we have been finding, inspiring and training new young talent; fostering the development of audio theatre for modern audiences; and exploring the possibilities of new technologies. Norman Corwin has honored us by serving on our Advisory Board and actively helping our work, leading seminars during our annual Workshop. We are tremendously excited by this chance to honor him, and we believe the Corwin Award will make a major contribution to audio theatre in the 21^st Century and beyond.”

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, because we’re just getting started!

Native Radio Theatre Announces Upcoming Shows

Native Radio Theater is proud to announce two new programs that will be coming to the airwaves and streaming over the Internet starting in November.The Red Road:Written and performed by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo/Creek), this one-woman show takes audiences straight to the heart of Indian Country by stepping back to the summer of 1977.

Raven’s Radio Hour celebrates the vast diversity of Alaska Native cultures with this heart warmingly funny radio show that features timeless stories, traditional songs and jokes.

Contact your local public, community or tribal radio station to find out when these and other great Native Radio Theater productions will be on the radio dial in your area. Click here.

You can also listen live on the AIROS livestream. Check out current feedtimes. Click here.

Read more about these and other great Native Radio Theater productions. Click here.

New play submission guidelines

Since the inception of the National Audio Theatre Festivals, the commitment to the production of new works for audio has been a vital part of our mission. The NATF is currently looking for world premiere audio dramas for future inclusion in our Audio Theatre Workshop live productions. Moreover, we are looking for stories written specifically for the medium of audio that exemplify the human experience, that hold a mirror to life, that will make you think. The type of material we are seeking:

World-premiere full length audio plays or musicals, 25 – 30 minutes in length
World-premiere ten minute audio plays or musicals (tell a story from beginning to end in ten minutes!)
World-premiere five minute audio plays (same as above…in five minutes or less! It can be done!)

We do not accept: stage plays, short stories, adaptations, or spoofs/satires of old time radio programs (or anything with allusions to old time radio).

To submit a full-length audio play for consideration at the National Audio Theatre Festival ATW, please send the following materials:

· An introductory cover letter and theatrical resume
· A one-page synopsis of the play you wish to submit
· Five pages of dialogue from the play

After considering your submission, we will let you know via e-mail if we would like the full script. We will respond to every submission, and we apologize if said response takes longer than expected.

To submit a five or ten minute audio play for consideration at the National Audio Theatre Festival ATW, please send the following materials:

· An introductory cover letter and theatrical resume
· The full play

These materials should be sent by e-mail to: newplays {at} natf(.)org (spelled out to keep out those nasty spambots).

Please note: the format for audio drama is different from that of stage plays and screenplays. Please visit the Resources page to learn how to do it!

Mark Time and Ogle Awards 2009

NATF wishes to congratulate the winners of the 2009 Mark Time and Ogle awards, including productions by NATF Members Fred Greenhalgh and Roger Gregg.
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Thirza Defoe wins Grammy!

NATF congratulates Native American musician and performer Thirza Defoe for being a featured performer on the Grammy Award Winning Album Come to Me Great Mystery Native American Healing Songs

Tom Wasinger, producer

The album won the category Best Native American Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental.)
( Various Artists)

This stunning collection of all new recordings is another unique conceptual project by Grammy Award winning producer Tom Wasinger. As with his ground breaking World Music and Native American Lullaby collections, he works with with a talented and experienced cast of Native American singers including Thirza Defoe, Doug Foote, Lorain Fox, Allen Mose, and Dorothy Tsatoke. Together they create a healing sound that truly touches the human spirit.

Thirza (center) reviewing audio with writer Rhiana Yazzie and producer John GreggPhoto- Janine Marr

Thirza was an active participant in acting and musical performances at the 2006Audio Theatre Workshop. Thirza’s melodic and enchanting flute playing always drew a crowd. Even while Dianne Ballon was editing Thirza’s interview about her week at the Audio Theatre Workshop (ATW), folks would stop and stick their head in the edit studio to listen.