A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(October 2016) |
Radio Tales is an American series of radio drama which premiered on National Public Radio on October 29, 1996. [1] This series adapted classic works of American and world literature such as The War of the Worlds , Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , Beowulf , Gulliver's Travels , and the One Thousand and One Nights . The series was co-produced by Winnie Waldron and Winifred Phillips. Waldron created the series and served as on-air host. [2] Phillips composed music for the series.
The Radio Tales series has won awards which include the International Radio Festivals WorldMedal [3] for its production "Fortress of Doom" and four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, including a Best Actress in a National Network Drama award for Winifred Phillips' performance in "The Yellow Wallpaper".
In 1996, Waldron and Phillips produced the pilot program for a new series of dramatic radio adaptations of classic stories and novels from around the world. The series was first presented on National Public Radio Playhouse under the title Generations Radio Theater Presents, [4] and then later as Generations Radio Theater Presents: Radio Tales. [5] The pilot program was an adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe horror story "Masque of the Red Death", and was described by NPR as "elegantly macabre". [6] National Public Radio Playhouse aired the pilot program on October 29, 1996.
The Generations Radio Theater Presents: Radio Tales series aired on National Public Radio affiliate stations from 1996 until 2002. During its broadcast run on National Public Radio, the Radio Tales series was underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts. [7] In 2002, the series moved to XM Satellite Radio’s Sonic Theater channel. [8] Retitled Radio Tales, the series made its XM Satellite Radio premiere on Thanksgiving Day with the holiday program "O. Henry's Thanksgiving". The Radio Tales series aired on XM Satellite Radio's Sonic Theater channel from 2002 until 2008 and was dropped from the channel when it was renamed Sirus XM Book Radio.
The Radio Tales series has received generally positive reviews for its programs. AudioFile described the series as delivering “vivid, intriguing new radio drama”. [9] In its review of "The Mummy", Billboard described Phillips’ on-air performance as “a cultured voice that’s appropriate to Stoker’s formal language but is able to convey the appropriate tone of horror,” adding that “subtle and mysterious music adds to the atmosphere”. [10] In its review of the series’ adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s feminist horror story "The Yellow Wallpaper", Publishers Weekly wrote, “Sensational. … (Phillips') charged narration is augmented with sound effects and a musical score.” [11] In reviewing the series’ production "Sleepy Hollow", Billboard wrote, “This telling of Washington Irving’s classic yarn is a real treat”, also describing the music as adding “an effectively spooky touch to the production.” [12] AudioFile described the series’ production "Masque of the Red Death" as “a magnificent demonstration of the very best the medium has to offer.” [13] The series was selected as a "Featured Artist Spotlight" by MP3.com, which described the programs as "an art form in and of themselves," adding that the programs feature "richly textured music and sound-scapes commensurate with the changing moods and atmospheres of the text," and that "(Phillips') experience in acting shines through in her apt delivery." [14]
Edgar Allan Poe 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 widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States, and of American literature. Poe was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story, and considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre, as well as a significant contributor to the emerging genre of science fiction. Poe is the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.
"The Masque of the Red Death" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination".
XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its service included 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional traffic and weather channels, and 23 play-by-play sports channels. XM channels were identified by Arbitron with the label "XM".
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed. The victim was an old man with a filmy pale blue "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, attempting the perfect crime, complete with dismembering the body in the bathtub and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's actions result in hearing a thumping sound, which the narrator interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
"Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman. The narrator, who fell in love with Annabel Lee when they were young, has a love for her so strong that even angels are envious. He retains his love for her even after her death. There has been debate over who, if anyone, was the inspiration for "Annabel Lee". Though many women have been suggested, Poe's wife Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe is one of the more credible candidates. Written in 1849, it was not published until shortly after Poe's death that same year.
Le ChevalierC. Auguste Dupin[oɡyst dypɛ̃] is a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", widely considered the first detective fiction story. He reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" (1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1844).
"William Wilson" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839, with a setting inspired by Poe's formative years on the outskirts of London. The tale features a doppelgänger. It also appeared in the 1840 collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, and has been adapted several times.
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is a short story by the American author Edgar Allan Poe about a mesmerist who puts a man in a suspended hypnotic state at the moment of death. An example of a tale of suspense and horror, it is also to a certain degree a hoax, as it was published without claiming to be fictional, and many at the time of publication (1845) took it to be a factual account. Poe admitted it to be a work of pure fiction in letters to his correspondents.
"Berenice" is a short horror story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1835. Egaeus, who is preparing to marry his cousin Berenice, tends to fall into periods of intense focus, during which he seems to separate himself from the outside world. Berenice begins to deteriorate from an unnamed disease until only her teeth remain healthy. Egaeus obsesses over them. When Berenice is buried, he continues to contemplate her teeth. One day, he awakens with an uneasy feeling from a trance-like state and hears screams. A servant reports that Berenice's grave has been disturbed, and she is still alive. Beside Egaeus is a shovel, a poem about "visiting the grave of my beloved", and a box containing 32 teeth.
The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century.
"The Oblong Box" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1844, about a sea voyage and a mysterious box.
"Hop-Frog" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character, a person with dwarfism taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a king particularly fond of practical jokes. Taking revenge on the king and his cabinet for the king's striking of his friend and fellow dwarf Trippetta, he dresses the king and his cabinet as orangutans for a masquerade. In front of the king's guests, Hop-Frog murders them all by setting their costumes on fire before escaping with Trippetta.
American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has had significant influence in television and film. Many are adaptations of Poe's work, others merely reference it.
"A Predicament" is a humorous short story by Edgar Allan Poe, usually combined with its companion piece "How to Write a Blackwood Article". It was originally titled "The Scythe of Time". The paired stories parody the Gothic sensation tale, popular in England and America since the early 19th century.
Edgar Allan Poe has appeared in popular culture as a character in books, comics, film, and other media. Besides his works, the legend of Poe himself has fascinated people for generations. His appearances in popular culture often envision him as a sort of "mad genius" or "tormented artist", exploiting his personal struggles. Many depictions of Poe interweave elements of his life with his works, in part due to Poe's frequent use of first-person narrators, suggesting an erroneous assumption that Poe and his characters are identical.
Winifred Phillips is an American music composer and author. Her music composition credits include God of War, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, and the LittleBigPlanet series.
Winnie Waldron is an American music producer for video games, a producer for radio, a radio script editor / adapter, a manuscript editor and a radio host.
Edgar Allan Poe's 1842 short story "The Masque of the Red Death" has been depicted and referenced numerous times in popular culture.
"Cordially Invited to Meet Death" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published in abridged form as "Invitation to Murder" in the April 1942 issue of The American Magazine. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection Black Orchids, published by Farrar & Rinehart in 1942.