Dreams of Sumatra
Encyclopedia
Dreams of Sumatra is a radio drama
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
. It is the ninth of the Jack Flanders
adventure series and the fourth (and last) of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Americana
, Old-time radio
and Sufism
.
is approached by Louise Nettles, whose daughter, Jesse, has vanished whilst doing anthropological
research in Sumatra
. An exotic and unusual country where Islam
has been integrated happily into a matriarchal
society. Indranee, Jesse's teacher, helps Jack
to investigate the Kabut, a secret society practicing ancient tribal magic. She also calls in another expert in tribal magic - a certain piano player called Mojo Sam. Together they must dodge the Bukittinggi
Vortex, end of Ramadan
fireworks and, most importantly, two factions of a dangerous organization engaged in an internal power-struggle, neither of which wants outside interference.
"Production was made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
. Additional support provided by Garuda Indonesia Airlines
, Garuda Orient Holidays, the Indonesian Tourist Office for North America and Aerowisata Hotels."
and Dreams of the Blue Morpho - which are not part of it.
Each story involves Jack
being approached by a beautiful woman who asks for his help. In three of them he is sitting in a restaurant, eating alone, when this happens. The fourth (Dreams of Bali
), while it begins with a strange dream concerning food, starts after Jack
has already accepted the invitation and been flown out.
These are the only stories that Jack
asks for his expenses be paid for.
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation, a small non-profit audio production company, was founded by Thomas Lopez in 1970 with a grant from Robert E. Durand as a working commune based on a donated farm in Upstate New York...
. It is the ninth of the Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
adventure series and the fourth (and last) of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
, Old-time radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
and Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
.
Plot
JackJack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
is approached by Louise Nettles, whose daughter, Jesse, has vanished whilst doing anthropological
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
research in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. An exotic and unusual country where Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
has been integrated happily into a matriarchal
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
society. Indranee, Jesse's teacher, helps Jack
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
to investigate the Kabut, a secret society practicing ancient tribal magic. She also calls in another expert in tribal magic - a certain piano player called Mojo Sam. Together they must dodge the Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi is one of the larger cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of over 91,000 people and an area of 25.24 km². It is situated in the Minangkabau highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang. It is located at , near the volcanoes Mount...
Vortex, end of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
fireworks and, most importantly, two factions of a dangerous organization engaged in an internal power-struggle, neither of which wants outside interference.
Quotes
Jack: "I have looked into the gaping mouth of that Vortex and there is no way in hell I'm going in there. Period. Savy?"Credits
- Jack FlandersJack FlandersJack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
- Robert LorickRobert LorickRobert Lorick is an actor and lyricist, best known as a Broadway lyricist and for his work portraying Jack Flanders, a character in an ongoing series of ZBS Foundation audio adventures. In 1972, he made his debut as a lyricist with the Off-Broadway musical Hark! at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre... - Louise Nettles - Valeria Vasilevski
- Indranee DeSilva - Yolande Bavan
- Mojo Sam - Dave Adams
- Wu Ling - Menica Jayatilake
- Jesse Nettles - Christina Denziger
- Henry - Baju
- Storyteller - Sarah Braveman
- Executive Producer - Thomas Manuel LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Story & Script - Meatball FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Music - Tim Clark
- Engineers - Robert Harari, FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
& Clark - Graphics - Jaye Oliver
- Environments and music recorded in Sumatra by Meatball FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
"Production was made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. Additional support provided by Garuda Indonesia Airlines
Garuda Indonesia
PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk , publicly known as Garuda Indonesia, is the flag carrier of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia...
, Garuda Orient Holidays, the Indonesian Tourist Office for North America and Aerowisata Hotels."
Travels with Jack
All of the instalments in this sub-series are entitled Dreams of ... although there are two others with a similar title - Dreams of RioDreams of Rio
Dreams of Rio is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the fifth of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with themes of lost cities, jungle exploration and shamanism...
and Dreams of the Blue Morpho - which are not part of it.
Each story involves Jack
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
being approached by a beautiful woman who asks for his help. In three of them he is sitting in a restaurant, eating alone, when this happens. The fourth (Dreams of Bali
Dreams of Bali
Dreams of Bali is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation . It is the eight of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the third of the Travels with Jack sub-series...
), while it begins with a strange dream concerning food, starts after Jack
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
has already accepted the invitation and been flown out.
These are the only stories that Jack
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
asks for his expenses be paid for.
- Dreams of the AmazonDreams of the AmazonDreams of the Amazon is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation . It is the sixth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the first of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with themes of lost cities, jungle exploration and shamanism...
(1992) - Dreams of IndiaDreams of IndiaDreams of India is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation . It is the seventh of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the second of the Travels with Jack sub-series...
(1992) - Dreams of BaliDreams of BaliDreams of Bali is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation . It is the eight of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the third of the Travels with Jack sub-series...
(1992) - Dreams of Sumatra (1993)