Category: Audio Drama

I’m hosting an audio drama writing workshop this Saturday featuring talks from a number of writers I’ve worked with over the years. They’ll talk about their experiences and their approaches to writing audio drama.

This will be taking place in the Northside Civic Centre in Coolock on Saturday 12th December from 11.00-14.00. There are a small number of spaces available so drop me an email at gavin@near.ie if you’re interested in coming along.

The line up of speakers is as follows:

Henry Hudson – Writer

Playing for Time – https://soundcloud.com/nearfm/drama-on-the-northside-playing

Twin Candles – https://soundcloud.com/nearfm/kay-farrell-trilogy-1

Black Monday – https://soundcloud.com/nearfm/tales-from-the-northside-3

Gareth Stack – Writer/Producer

Been There, Seen There – http://garethstack.com/tag/beentherecomedy/

Any Other Dublin – http://garethstack.com/tag/anyotherdublincomedy/

Choices – http://garethstack.com/tag/choicescomedy/

The Wall in the Mind (Coming Soon) – http://garethstack.com/2015/11/25/the-wall-in-the-mind-new-drama-series-coming-early-2016/

Jack Byrne – Writer

Rising Heat Trilogy – http://nearfm.ie/risingheat/

Dante’s Domain – http://nearfm.ie/dantes-domain/

The Hanging Gardner of Ballymun – https://soundcloud.com/nearfm/kay-farrell-trilogy-2-hanging

The St. James Rejoice Boarding House – https://soundcloud.com/nearfm/drama-on-the-northside-the-st

Susan Collins – Writer/Producer

The Critics Choice – http://nearfm.ie/the-critics-choice/

Pat Meehan – Writer

The Shamrogues – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mki4Lz6IXKw

Rivitin’ History – http://nearfm.ie/rivitin-history/

Part 2 of the Rising Heat Trilogy is now available online. Quite a bit of work had to go into the sound effects for this one.

The second play highlights for Dubliners how we may fare with a changing climate and increased severe flooding, as some may think it will all happen somewhere else.

Susan was Adrianne Murphy
Burt was Gareth Stack
Ned was Joe Murphy
Mrs Ford was Carol Dempsey
Danny was Frank O’Connor
Dr Hartley was John O’Connor
Detective Flannery Peter Prior
Jacinta was Deborah Gafney

Script by Jack Byrne
Directed by Declan Cahill
Production assistant was Deborah Gaffney
Music by Ken Tuohy

I have two new radio drama projects which will be going into production this year. One is a 3 part drama about climate change called ‘Rising Heat’ and the other is something very special that will be broadcast as part of the 1916 centenary next year.

We rely heavily on local amateur drama groups to help out in the production of these radio dramas and we’re always looking for new people and new voices for our plays. So if you think you’d be interested in trying out acting in a radio drama then please get in contact with me at gavin@near.ie 

We’ll be having a preliminary read through of the plays on Thursday the 2nd July 2015 in the Northside Civic Centre in Coolock.

The Craol Achievement Awards 2015 were presented, Friday 5^th June, at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire. The live radio drama “A Woman, A Dog and a Walnut Tree” that I produced last October won an award in the Special Programming (non-commissioned) category.

“A Woman, A Dog and a Walnut Tree” deals with the topic of domestic abuse and was presented along with a panel discussion about the realities of domestic abuse.

You can hear the entire play and panel discussion online here:

Last Sunday we booked a big block of studio time and I recorded the latest Near Drama Company production ‘Rivitin’ History’

Now I’ve got to start on post production and get all the sound effects added in. We should be ready for broadcast in March.

This is a follow up to two previous episodes that were produced about 2 years ago.

It’s a Irish time travel comedy written by Pat Meehan who was one of the writers behind The Shamrogues series of childrens books back in the 80s.

We got a nice mention in the Irish Independent on Saturday for ‘A Woman, A Dog and a Walnut Tree’:

Finally, production deadlines prevented me covering this, but the ever-inventive community radio station Near FM deserve a mention for really pushing the boat out with a unique broadcasting event. A Woman, a Dog & a Walnut Tree (Wed, 9.30pm) was a radio play, but with a significant difference: it was performed live, over one-and-a-half hours. Written by Denis Byrne, the work tells the stories of three women in a refuge victims of domestic violence, and was followed by a panel discussion on the subject.

But it’s the live element that really tickled my fancy. What ambition, courage and imagination – would larger organisations, with better finances, take such risks? ­ It’s all available to listen back on www.near.ie.

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/radio/music-and-memories-make-for-rockin-good-radio-30667105.html

Last night’s live broadcast of ‘A Woman, a Dog and a Walnut Tree’ by Denis Byrne went well. (Although at one point as I was turning a script page my finger tipped off the mouse and triggered a door sound effect too early, d’oh!)

We had representatives from Women’s Aid Ireland and the Rape Crisis Centre on a panel discussion after the play and I was worried they’d be our strongest critics but they really liked the play, so I guess we did a good job.

You can listen to the entire thing as it was broadcast live here:

Currently hard at work on ‘A Woman, a Dog & a Walnut Tree’ by Denis Byrne a radio play that we’ll be performing LIVE on air on the 15th of October. First time I’ve attempted a live broadcast like this and it’s a fairly long play with a lot of sound effects cues. You can hear the promo for the play below.

Near Drama Company present, Denis Byrne’s radio play,
A Woman, A Dog & A Walnut Tree LIVE on air !!!!

The play is set in the cooking area of a Refuge Centre for married women who have suffered at the hands of violent spouses. It is the present and past stories of three women from different backgrounds.

Marge, the oldest, has little or no education, and has sought asylum in the Centre together with her three children, who are referred to during the play, as she ferries food to them offstage. She is a feisty individual with a typical Dublin accent. Thelma is a doctor’s wife, well educated, and eventually having been driven to violence herself after years of enduring her husband’s jealous rages which inevitably led to physical violence on many occasions. But was what she carried out spontaneous, or had she deliberately provoked her spouse on the night she did the deed?

Amanda has sought refuge in the Centre after accidently discovering her controlling and violent husband had been sexually abusing her eight-year-old daughter since she was six while she was out of the house. He has never penetrated the child, but made her do things which no child should ever have to endure. Without proof, Amanda cannot have him charged. He discovers where she is and threatens in a letter that he is taking the matter to court to regain custody of his daughter. Amanda, against all advice, decides to go and plead with him not to go through with it. But he merely laughs and sneers at her, telling her that because of her past mental history, he’ll have no problem winning custody. Then he beats her up and throws her out.

What follows when Amanda returns to the Centre leads to a tragic conclusion after she’s come to her final decision to protect her daughter.

Near Drama Company will perform Byrne’s play LIVE on air
October 15th 2014 from 7.30-9.00pm, and will be followed up by a
panel discussion on the topic of domestic abuse, with a number of experts.

Sound supervision: Gavin Byrne
Broadcasting assistant: Deborah Gaffney
Announcer: Carol Dempsey
Narrator: Niamh Murphy
Producer…. Declan Cahill
Facilitator …. Debbie McMahon

Marge ….. Francis Keogh
Joe……….. Joe Murphy
Thelma….. Ann Loughney
Michael….. Peter Prior
Amanda…. Mary McNamara
Paul……….. Michael Sharp

Today is National Podcast Day so last week I thought I’d dust off an old script that I had lying about and had never done anything with and finally record it and release it exclusively online.

So here is POLLY

A young woman murders her boyfriend and in an attempt to absolve herself of guilt assumes the personality of God and her dead boyfriend. But her sister is due to arrive for tea.

Written and produced by Gavin Byrne
Polly is played by Jessie Doyle
Sara is played by Barbara Ceannt

I’m currently working with the Near Drama Group on producing a radio drama that will be performed live on air. This will be the first time we’ve attempted something like this and a lot of work is going into the rehearsals at the moment.

The play is called ‘A Woman, a Dog & a Walnut Tree’ and is by Denis Byrne, we’ve previously produced a number of his plays. The play deals with the topic of domestic violence against women. We’ll be also running a discussion panel immediately after the live broadcast to discuss the issues raised in the play.

The broadcast date is expected to be some time around mid-October. I’ll be sure to post more updates as we work on it

Meanwhile you can listen to ‘Poodles’ by Denis Byrne. This play explores the haphazard effort of young drug addict aided by his hapless girlfriend from well-to-do families to rob a small cafe to get money to feed their habit. The play breaks through the veneer of respectability and what goes on in these families. However, the cafe owner, whose own nephew died from drugs, saves the day by forcing the young man to fight his demons, re-discover his artistic abilities and start on the road to recovery.