Sonic Tales: Recent Episodes
Eastside Radio 89.7 FM
Sonic Tales brings the very best of Australian playwriting to you through our originally produced, contemporary radio plays.
Produced by Gill Falson and Eastside Radio, Sonic Tales delves into the creative play-making process, bringing you new and original works from the best local writers, actors and sound designers.
This episode of Sonic Tales is produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation – www.cbf.com.au Who stole the sax? Is the cigarette girl a suspect? And just exactly what year are we in? Written by Eastside Radio Voiced by the presenters of Eastside Radio Recorded by Jacqueline Labrador. Sound effects byJacqueline Labrador. Audio [...]Read More... from Sax In The City
This episode of Sonic Tales is produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation – www.cbf.com.au 1965. A gaol break! Alarm! Pandemonium! A prison guard is killed. The State Premier wants blood. Ronald Ryan is about to be convicted of the murder. A prison officer, Helmut Lange, has evidence to prove the man is [...]Read More... from Ronald Ryan and the Blood on Helmut Lange
This episode of Sonic Tales is produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation - www.cbf.com.au
Who stole the sax? Is the cigarette girl a suspect? And just exactly what year are we in?
Written by Eastside Radio
Voiced by the presenters of Eastside Radio
Recorded by Jacqueline Labrador. Sound effects byJacqueline Labrador. Audio mastered by Jacqueline Labrador.
Produced and Directed by Gill Falson and Katerina Skoumbas.
Sonic Tales has been produced by the wonderful Gill Falson.
This episode of Sonic Tales is produced with the assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation - www.cbf.com.au
- A gaol break! Alarm! Pandemonium! A prison guard is killed. The State Premier wants blood.
Ronald Ryan is about to be convicted of the murder. A prison officer, Helmut Lange, has evidence to prove the man is innocent, but producing it will jeopardise his future and those of his fellow officers.
Helmut needs courage to do what is right, but childhood memories torture him as he wrestles with the conflict between self-preservation, and loyalty, and courage. Misplaced ideals always exact a price.
This is his story. It is based on the true case of Ronald Ryan, the last man hanged in Australia. Ronald Ryan and the Blood on Helmut Lange tells of a daring gaol break and the resulting last man to be legally executed in Australia. This extraordinary case actually resulted in the laws pertaining to capital punishment to be forever changed in Australia due to the Premier's blind insistence that the execution proceed regardless of any appeals. The protests by Australians went on for a long time afterwards until the law was abolished.
Written by Gerry Greenland.
Helmet Lange - Nicholas Gledhill
Ronald Ryan - Harley Connor
Dorothy Ryan - Jodie Muir
Chief Warder - Kim Kncukie
Phillip Opas - Christopher Dibb
Premier Bolty - Chris Lewis
Premier Bolty's Secretary - Jackie Greenland
1st Guard / Judge - Peter Towmax
2nd Guard / Jurymen - Paul Dowson
Recorded by Tegan Nicholson & Nate Edminston. Sound effects by Gerry Greenland. Audio mastered by Nate Edminston.
Produced and Directed by Gill Falson and Gerry Greenland.
Sonic Tales has been produced by the wonderful Gill Falson and Tegan Nicholls.
Episode 1 of Sonic Tales Season 6 presents one of our favourite brand new productions, Spirit by AWGIE award winning writer Donna Abela.
The play takes place in a processing centre on Christmas Island. It is here that bureaucratic and officious Vera faces off with severely persistent and positive Albert in the interview that could grant or reject his claim for asylum. Alice Livingstone and Craig Meneaud rise and fall in a performance that is both tense and tender, and despite being written for the stage back in 2007, the themes of Spirit couldn’t be more relevant for the audience of now.
Spirit by Donna Abela
Performed by Alice Livingstone & Craig Meneaud Sound Design by Tegan Nicholls Produced by Gill Falson
Sonic Tales Season 5 comes to a close with Mick, the last monologue in Frank Gauntlett’s For Men Only series. Mick has travelled far to share the ancient tale Oden and the birth of poetry. Performed by Christopher Dibb, Mick will take you deep into the beginnings of time where myth and legend serve as the science behind human creativity and artistic innovation.
Special guest producer Gill Falson joins us to discuss the play and the changing role of language in artistic and everyday communication.
Mick by Frank Gauntlett
Performed by Christopher Dibb Sound Design by Robbie Armfield Produced by Gill Falson
Robbie has found himself in an unusual place, surrounded by unusual people he has never really understood. It is here that he tells the story of his unusual life and his unusual struggle for normality.
Third in Frank Ganutlett’s diverse story series For Men Only, Robbie (performed by Harley Connor) reflects on what it means to be human in this beautifully crafted tale.
Special guest Harley Connor joins Tegan Nicholls in the studio to discuss the piece and his approach to finding the voice of Robbie.
Robbie by Frank Gauntlett
Performed by Harley Connor Sound Design by Robbie Armfield Produced by Gill Falson
Following on from Twirler comes Cec, the second play in Frank Ganutlett’s delightfully obscure For Men Only series. Kim Knuckey delivers a wonderful performance as Cec, the newspaper man who knows too much, and joins Tegan Nicholls in the studio to discuss the piece and his approach to developing the character.
Twirler by Frank Gauntlett
Performed by Kim Knuckey / Sound Design by Robbie Armfield / Produced by Gill Falson
Kicking off Season 5 of Sonic Tales are the four incredibly diverse and wonderfully bizarre monologues which make up For Men Only by Frank Gauntlett. Listen below to hear the first of the four, Twirler, and hear from the playwright as he discusses the origins of For Men Only with Gill Falson and Tegan Nicholls.
Twirler by Frank Gauntlett
Performed by Nicholas Gledhill Sound Design by Robbie Armfield
An intimate insight into modern relationships that developed a surreal fishy ending.
CAST
Stephanie Lindwall
Stephen Penn
PRODUCTION
Sound Design and Production Coordinator: Tegan Nichols
Directed and Produced by Gill Falson
In recognition of the excellence of the first three seasons, Sonic Tales has received grants from The Rodney Seaborn Playwright’s Trust and the City of Sydney.
Produced in the Paddington studios of Eastside Radio, Sonic Tales 4 continues the tradition of excellence in Australian drama.
A working mother is forced to reconcile different parts of her life when an ordinary day turns into something far more shocking.
CAST
Heather Mitchell
PRODUCTION
Director: Katie Pollock / Soundscape: Cluny Edwards / Sound Recorder: Alexandre Reyter / Producer: Gill Falson
In recognition of the excellence of the first three seasons, Sonic Tales has received grants from The Rodney Seaborn Playwright’s Trust and the City of Sydney.
Produced in the Paddington studios of Eastside Radio, Sonic Tales 4 continues the tradition of excellence in Australian drama.
A teacher struggles with giving a teenage class a Sex Education lesson. He’s in enemy territory. A mini riot is possible at any moment.
Teacher: Garry Scales
Students: From the Australian Academy of Drama - Steph: Stephanie Lindwall / Amy: Gins Drew / Tom: Nicholas Foustellis / Justin: Stephen Penn / Izzy: David Falson
PRODUCTION
Sound Design: Alexandre Reyter
Directed and Produced by Gill Falson
In recognition of the excellence of the first three seasons, Sonic Tales has received grants from The Rodney Seaborn Playwright’s Trust and the City of Sydney.
Produced in the Paddington studios of Eastside Radio, Sonic Tales 4 continues the tradition of excellence in Australian drama.
Episode 2 of Sonic Tales Season 3 shares Gaz Simpson’s Elegy Delivered in a Country Pub. Expertly performed by one of Australia’s radio and television icons Moya O’Sullivan, the play takes us to a remote country town in rural Australia, where in the only pub in town, we let in on the town’s dark history.
Writer Gaz Simpson joins host Tegan Nicholls for a Q&A after the play to discuss his motivation for writing the piece for Sonic Tales.
In Season 2 of Sonic Tales we’re sharing Our Picks, a selection of our favourite plays from previous Sonic Tales seasons. We finish the season, sadly, with The Night We Lost Jenny. Written by Vanessa Bates and directed by Augusta Supple, it is a beautiful monologue about youth long lost, starring Jane Phegan and with sound production by Jacob Craig.
A Walk in the Park: A Difference of Opinions is the first play to be aired during the first season of Sonic Tales.
Written by: Donna Abela
Directed by: Vanessa Hughes
Sound Design: Stephan Franz
Cast: Emma Jones, Libby Ahearn
Donna Abela writes for audiences of all ages, collaborating across a range of performance genres to produce over thirty works.
Vanessa Hughes is a Sydney based freelance director.
Stephan Franz is a Berlin based sound designer.
In this episode of Season 2 of Sonic Tales writer Noelle Janaczweska and Director Kate Gaul present the black comedy Seeking Mr. Freud.
Seeking Mr. Freud – Written by Noelle Janaczweska and directed by Kate Gaul
Performed by – Kate Worsley (Sigrid), Jane Phegan, Shingo Usami, Sunny Vrebac and Petter McAllum
Sound Design by – Stephan Franz
In Season 2 of Sonic Tales we launch with our Captain’s Pick, as producer Gill Falson and Tegan Nicholls share Gina Schien’s Australian thriller Pulpit Rock, performed by Elaine Hudson with a chilling sound design by Jacqueline Labrador.
Pulpit Rock by Gina Schien
Performed by Elaine Hudson Sound Design by Jacqueline Labrador Produced by Gill Falson
Eastside Radio presents a Sonic Tale: It's Your Funeral written by Noelle Janaczewska.
Directed by: Susie Lindeman
Sound Design by: Serge Stanley
Cast: Anthony Phelan [Dad] & Stephen King [Daniel] Susie Lindeman [Mum]
Noelle Janaczewska is a Sydney-based writer with over 30 radio plays under her belt. They have been broadcast and published throughout Australia and overseas. She is the recipient of a Centenary Medal and four AWGIE Awards for radio writing.
Susie Lindeman is an internationally renowned, and multi-awarded actress and director.
Serge Stanley is a professional sound designer and editor based in Sydney. Serge won ASSG Award for his work on the film ‘The Boys’.
Anthony Phelan has appeared in a multitude of Australian TV series, films and stage productions, including the 2011 award winning Belvoir production of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck.