Let's face it: everyone knows that acting is hard. You have to contort your face and perfect your motions until they are believable to an unquestionable extent. But have you ever thought of taking the stage, props, and costumes away from actors and forcing them to remain where no one can see them? These actors can only use their voices. And that is the art of radio drama.
You can imagine how tough it can be. Everyone must pour those expressions and emotions into their voices, with no help from their faces or motions. Having performed in three radio dramas (and our teacher is very intense), I know what it is like to be in one.
After regular drama on Friday mornings, I head over to radio drama. Mrs. Bono, our teacher and director, has already set up her expensive equipment and mics are at the ready. The class takes their seats. Mrs. Bono usually gives a talk about either how much work we have to do, why we should be practicing, or how good we really are. Then we're given the 5 count and the sound crew pulls up track #1, our opening music. Our practicing then starts.
If you think that all there is to radio drama is talking into the mic while you read from your script, your wrong. That's not acting. In order to get it done right, the Shine Radio Drama Group spends weeks jotting their i's and crossing their t's. Not only do they pour the emotions that a person would most likely have in a given situation into their voices, but they must first determine what their character acts like and portray that in their voice. Sound demanding? It can be.
On top of that, our radio drama group spends a good deal of their time going over and over a scene just to make sure that we are in sync with the music and sound effects that our sound crew (which is composed of homeschool students, just like the rest of us) is playing. Why is this so important? Well, often after or during the music, there is a sound effect (say, the shutting of a door) that should be heard when a character says a certain thing. Now what if you could never really tell exactly when it's going to happen? You would have to fit all of the necessary lines in before that sound, otherwise your character would be talking to a shut door instead of another character! This is especially important to our group since we perform live and don't have the advantage of a recording studio.
An interesting fact- Think about your favorite speakers on the radio. Did you know that these people most likely don't sound the same if you talk to them in real life? Jack Riccardi, a news-talk show host that I had the pleasure to be interviewed by, used a totally different voice on the radio as he did off the radio when he was talking non-publicly to me and my friends. You would never recognize his voice. It's the same for everyone else- including me. And everyone's radio drama voice is different from everyone else's.
That's actually how casting is done. Our teachers not only look at our voice acting abilities, they listen to see what kind of radio voice we have. My friend was a very motherly voice, so she often gets the gentle, reassuring characters. I, on the other hand, have a very authoritative voice, which contributes to the amount of narrator parts I have received.
The sound crew is also a vital part of a great performance. Having to be exactly on cue, these unseen and unheard performers must know the whole script like the back of their hands. They're the ones who provide the audio effects, without which our dramas would plummet to failure. They also provide cues, since many lines are meant to be said after the certain sound. A character couldn't vent about a vase shattering unless the vase had already shattered! A tip of the hat definitely deserves to go to the sound crew.
One little anecdote. When I was watching some of our actors practice their parts on the night of the performance, I couldn't believe how physically you could get involved with something so voice-oriented. They looked at each other and interacted, just as they would on a stage or in real life. Although it was their voices that counted, the emotion was also enscribed into their faces. The reality was great, and the chemistry of that practice amazing.
Chemistry. What makes these dramas come to life. It's the chemistry between the actors, sound crew, and everything else. We are more like a radio drama team than a group, and everyone must do their share. And that's what makes the whole experience beautiful; it's not an individual effort, but a team effort.
Next time you hear a radio drama, remember that it doesn't come easy. Many talented people have worked on it to make it shine. In the future, I hope that more and more people will appreciate the work that goes into these dramas and develop a new appreciation for them. And if you ever get the chance to do radio drama, give it a try. You'll be amazed.
As a Shine Radio Drama member, I have some thanks:
First of all, to my Savior and King Jesus Christ, without Whom I wouldn't even be here.
Second, to my wonderful teachers Mrs. Medlock and Mrs. Bono, who go above and beyond the call of duty and make a bunch of wild amateurs look professional.
Third, to my wonderful friends at the Shine Radio Drama Group. Without you guys, none of this would have ever been possible!
Fourth, to my great parents who always find the time for our practices in their already busy schedules.
Technical terms (just in case you're interested)-
5 count- A countdown that starts at five and goes down to one. Usually this countdown is performed manually instead of verbally due to the fact that it will be heard when we record our performance. At the end of this count, the beginning performer will be pointed at, indicating that they should begin.
Off mic- The mic is held at a greater distance from the actor's mouth than usual. This is usually used to create the illusion that the actor is in another room.
Popping your P's- When the mic is too close to the actor's mouth, the letter p starts to make a popping sound. When this happens, we say, "You're popping your p's."
Handhelds- handheld mics (not mics on stands).
