The radio play may have fallen on hard times, but interest in the form hasn’t disappeared altogether. Perhaps that’s because some writers are excited by the potential of a drama delivered entirely in sound. Curiously, the origins of the form stretch much further back than the radio. The first writer to create drama entirely for sound was Seneca the Younger, a philosopher, statesman, dramatist, humorist and a Roman contemporary of Christ’s.
Radio dramas of distinction include Orson Welles' famous adaptation of War of the Worlds, which had many Americans in 1938 convinced that aliens were invading the planet, and Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood. The form peaked in the 1930s and 1940s, but radio plays continue to be written and broadcast today, despite the form having been replaced by several generations of new technology.
Arts Mitten, youth radio station SYN’s arts and entertainment program, is planning to launch a regular segment showcasing radio plays throughout August. It’s making a call-out for new and emerging playwright to submit their plays to be aired on SYN. Plays need to be 10 to 20 minutess in length, can be of any genre and based on any theme, as long as it works as a radio play. Thesubmission date is Monday, 18 July. To submit or to obtain more information, emaill Florence at artsmitten [at] syn [dot] org [dot] au.