Wireless Theatre Company
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Wireless Theatre Company
OR:
Wireless Theatre Company on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The Wireless Theatre Company is an online audio
theatre company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
specializing in creating modern
audio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
. It was founded in July 2007 by Mariele Runacre Temple, daughter of actress
Jenny Runacre Jenny Runacre (born 18 August 1946) is a South African-born English actress. Her film appearances include '' The Passenger'' (1975), ''The Duellists'' (1977), ''Jubilee'' (1978), ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1979), and '' The Witches'' (1990). Caree ...
.


Overview

The company produces
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
, audio comedy and short stories for digital download in
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
format, creating a modern forum for radio productions and specialises in new writing from international authors, originally beginning as a not-for-profit company. In February 2008,
Nicholas Parsons Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show '' Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' ...
became patron of the company, recorded an interview and appeared at the company's official launch party in July 2008, along with
Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...
. It has showcased as of the end of 2013, 177 actors (a mix of established names - see below - and new performers to audio), as well as 43 new writers and 35 crew members and had won several radio awards and nominations for its output, all "designed to nurture and encourage fresh new writers, up and coming acting talent and bring audio theatre to the ' iPod generation'". Its recent output was named as one of the Best Twenty Radio Productions of 2012, while Mariele Runacre Temple was placed on the top 200 Sound Women List. It is a member of the
Radio Independents Group The Radio Independents Group, or RIG, is the trade body that represents the interests of the independent radio producers of the United Kingdom. Established in June 2004, RIG is mandated to negotiate terms with broadcasters and audio consumer ...
and in 2011 won a place on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Radio Preferred Supplier's List. As of the end of 2013, the current website is visited by 15,000 unique visitors per month, of which 7% become subscribers.


Notable developments (2008-2016)

In May 2008,
Prunella Scales Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English former actress, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy '' Fawlty Towers'', her nomination for a ...
starred in its production of the ''Youth of Old Age'' with Knight Mantell and directed ''The Ceremony'', which featured Jenny Runacre. Wireless Theatre Company has also worked with
Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
,
David Benson David Benson (born David Hodgson on 11 January 1962) is an English theatre actor, writer and comedian. He was born in Oxford, England, and has a twin sister, Miranda, and an older brother, Jonathan. Educated at Park Hall Secondary Modern in C ...
,
Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carte ...
,
Christopher Timothy Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...
and
Josephine Tewson Josephine Ann Tewson (26 February 1931 – 18 August 2022) was an English actress, best known for her roles in British television sitcoms, such as Edna Hawkins ("Mrs H") in '' Shelley'', Elizabeth "Liz" Warden in ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1 ...
. Glover worked on the company's first audio series, '' The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack'' – the first series of '' The Springheel Saga'' – based around the legend of
Springheeled Jack Spring-heeled Jack is an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported all over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban Lo ...
. The Wireless Theatre Company has been featured in ''Metro'' and ''Live Radio Theatre? The Perfect Night Out or In'' in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. Since early 2015 Wireless Theatre have been producing full length multi-cast dramas for
Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...
UK, including Passenger 23 starring Max Beesley and
Rebecca Hall Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and filmmaker. She made her first onscreen appearance at age 10 in the 1992 television adaptation of '' The Camomile Lawn'', directed by her father, Sir Peter Hall. Her professional s ...
and the double
Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...
winning Jungle Book, The Mowgli Stories starring Bill Bailey,
Richard E Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Eswatini, Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hoc ...
and
Martin Shaw Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition as Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series '' The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the title roles in '' ...
.


Notable contributors

The Wireless Theatre Company has attracted several notable contributors; in 2012
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
recorded a guest appearance, playing a fictional version of himself, in the company's production o
"We Are The BBC"


Wireless Theatre Live

The company launched its LIVE recordings in 2008, the first being the Wireless Theatre Company pantomime, ''Pig in Boots'' written by
Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...
in December 2008. Live productions include ''The Grimm of Stottesden Hall'', loosely based on the stories of
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
, and ''2010: Space Commander!'', both written by Stuart Price. The company produced a live radio recording of
Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
's play ''Not Tonight Caligula'' by
Ray Galton Raymond Percy Galton (17 July 1930 – 5 October 2018) was an English radio and television scriptwriter, best known for the Galton and Simpson comedy writing partnership with Alan Simpson. Together they devised and wrote 1950s and 60s BBC sit ...
and
John Antrobus John Arthur Antrobus (born 2 July 1933) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, ''Crete and Sergeant Pepper'' at the Royal Court. He authored t ...
at
Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...
, London, and a second Halloween special entitled ''Phonophobia'', co-written by Robert Valentine and Gareth Parker. In 2011, it undertook a season of live recordings of Grimm's Fairytales at the Roundhouse Theatre, while since 2012 it has launched the London Horror Festival. 2013 saw live shows produced by Wireless Theatre in London (including a "Sci-Fi Showcase" and a "36 Hour Theatre Challenge" at the LOST Theatre) and at the
Buxton Festival The Buxton Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music and (since 2000) a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire, England since its beginnings in July 1979. The 2020 festival would have run but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 cri ...
.


Wireless Theatre Kids

In November 2010 the company launched ''Wireless Theatre Kids'' to produce original radio drama and stories for children.


Awards and nominations

Since 2009 The Wireless Theatre Company has received several award nominations and awards, most notably in 2011 when it won Best Entertainment Producer and Best Online Multi-Platform Creator at The Radio Academy Radio Production Awards and in 2016 when it won two Audie awards for The Jungle Book, The Mowgli Stories produced for Audible UK.


2013 - Current (Documentaries, BBC Radio 4, Audible, New Model and Relaunch)

2013 saw the company branch into documentaries, beginning with "Life At Death's Door", narrated by
Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of '' I, Claudius'', King Richard I ...
, followed by "The Springheel Files", narrated by Cameron K. McEwan. October saw its first production broadcast on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
as part of the Wednesday Afternoon Play, written by Marty Ross, a dramatic adaptation of "The Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk", directed by Cherry Cookson. In the summer of 2013, it was announced that The Wireless Theatre Company would change its business model, relaunching as Wireless Theatre Ltd. This decision was made to help increase production and support the actors, writers and crew involved in the company, and as such, was seeking investment as a result, a move supported by Parsons as Company Patron in an online video. As such, in December 2013, Wireless Theatre ceased to be a not-for-profit company and became a subscription-based audio platform. At the end of 2013, it finished the year with releasing "Cross Party" co-written by
Tom Harris (British politician) Thomas Harris (born 20 February 1964) is a British journalist and former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow South, formerly Glasgow Cathcart, from 2001 to 2015. A former member of Scottish Labour, he left the pa ...
with his wife, Carolyn and the second series of ''The Springheel Saga'', '' The Legend Of Springheel'd Jack'', featuring Nicholas Parsons. From 2015 to present day it combines in-house productions for the website subscribers with large-scale productions for Audible UK. The company has also partnered with
AudioBoom AudioBoom PLC is an on-demand audio and podcasting distribution platform. AudioBoom offers business-to-business services to the radio, media and podcast industries. AudioBoom's platform has been used to power on-demand audio for businesses incl ...
to offer free drama and behind the scenes extras.


References


External links


Official homepageOfficial Audio Boom channel for free content
{{authority control 2007 establishments in the United Kingdom Theatre companies in the United Kingdom British entertainment websites British radio dramas