"Plus" is a word used to connect clauses, sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause. But for me, I've learnt to use the word as a verb, an action word, with all my creative endeavours. So to "plus" something I'm working on, is to improve it and give more.
So where The Radioplay Hour - Sherlock Holmes and the Musgrave Ritual was a product of quarantine measures due the early stages of the pandemic, Candy Matson is a product of the easing of restrictions, utilising social distancing, laying the foundations for my online theatre and finding ways to add to this audio experience.
In my blog Turning 2020 into the 1930s... with twist, I mentioned that I would use The Radioplay Hour as a platform to also give local musicians, and creative artists, a platform to showcase their original content, in an easy listening / palatal way.
The concept in my mind was like old episodes of Scooby Doo, where a special guest, or guests, play their music during the chase scene, or the Mystery Inc. gang popping up in Gotham city to work a case with Batman or the Blue Falcone.
In the case of The Radioplay Hour it was our special guests joining myself and the cast in our Retro Audio Storytelling adventure, enter Cat Deller and Sean Millar, the duo who form Auras Like Auroras, whose help and creativity evolved and laid down some of the foundations to this Time Travelling podcast / show.
After some promo photos with Collaborator Mark Williams and his students beatriz-castanheira, catalina-garzón, Stefano Denegri at Entrepreneur Education, it was off to Motet Studios, with the last minute additions of regulars Kent Lee and Bailey Seymour Smith, to put this puppy together.
Performing and recording this episode at Motet Studios was an absolute blast and learning curve for myself working in a studio environment! Although in the process of moving the studio to a new location, the team at Motet were amazing to collaborate with, before and at the studio. I would highly recommend anyone searching for a space to record their work in, or just jam, to visit their website and have a chat to them.
The cast and I had one more read through of the script, which this time included Kent Lee and Bailey Seymour Smith performing some of the smaller roles and helping me out with the sound effects.
IxIn fact whilst Bailey was being a Beethoven on the grand piano found in the studio, whilst we waited for the cast to arrive, I was instantly inspired to have him piano improv throughout the show as well. After our read through and introduction to the sound effects, Bay then set up the microphones for Cat and Sean to rehearse their debut song “Blue like the Blue Sky”.
After some toe tapping and head bopping we decided then an there to recorded it along with their cover of a Tom petty and Stevie nicks song “Stop dragging my heart around”, before moving onto recording the radioplay itself.
Motet studio is a friendly and transparent Creative Studio based here on the Gold Coast, with a well-deserved reputation for success. Before the pandemic happened, Motet was going to house my immersive/voyeuristic production of Venus in Fur in July. Obviously, this did not happen, but will sometime in the future, when I can afford the cost & manpower of putting on a live staged show in a time of Economic ups and downs, social distancing & Covid 19.
Instead I have decided to utilize the Motet studio, and hopefully with their help, to continue to evolve the concept of my online theatre company, to include some exciting avenues to allow for audience involvement before the shows are only available in its audio format.
The show will be split into two bite sized parts and can be heard on here on The Drama Merchant Facebook event only.
Part 1 will be released 11th Aug 2020
& Part 2 will be released on 12th Aug 2020, before being taken down Midnight on the 13th.
A full edit will found on The Radioplay Hour on 15th August.
To follow or listen to more of Auras like Auroras follow them on Instagram or Facebook under
@auraslikeauroras