NPR Playhouse
Encyclopedia
NPR Playhouse was a series of radio drama
s from National Public Radio. The series was a successor to the NPR series Earplay
and was discontinued in September 2002.
In 1981, the Playhouse production of the first of the Star Wars radio dramas
, a 13-part 6½-hour version of the original Star Wars film
, generated the largest response in NPR's history, with an audience averaging over 750,000 listeners per episode.
A 14th episode was produced for this series consisting of an audio documentary of the production. The series author, Brian Daley
, also wrote the script to "Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell," which precedes The Empire Strikes Back and succeeds Star Wars.
Among the broadcasts in its final season were the science fiction
/fantasy anthology 2000X
, the Radio Tales
series of dramatizations of classic literature and mythology, and the Los Angeles-based Open Stage.
The dramatic-reading series Selected Shorts
continued as the only national program devoted to regular offerings of radio drama, leaving aside the sketches on A Prairie Home Companion
and Le Show
and the intermittent presentation of drama on the largely documentary series The Next Big Thing.
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...
s from National Public Radio. The series was a successor to the NPR series Earplay
Earplay
Earplay was the longest-running of the formal series of radio drama anthologies on National Public Radio, heard from 1972 into the 1990s. It approached radio drama as an art form with scripts written by such leading playwrights as Edward Albee, Arthur Kopit, Archibald MacLeish and David...
and was discontinued in September 2002.
In 1981, the Playhouse production of the first of the Star Wars radio dramas
Star Wars (radio)
An expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy was produced in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first two radio series, based on A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio as part of NPR Playhouse...
, a 13-part 6½-hour version of the original Star Wars film
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, generated the largest response in NPR's history, with an audience averaging over 750,000 listeners per episode.
A 14th episode was produced for this series consisting of an audio documentary of the production. The series author, Brian Daley
Brian Daley
Brian Daley was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the Star Wars radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes.-Biography:...
, also wrote the script to "Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell," which precedes The Empire Strikes Back and succeeds Star Wars.
Among the broadcasts in its final season were the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/fantasy anthology 2000X
2000X
2000X is a dramatic anthology series released by National Public Radio and produced by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear. There were 49 plays of various lengths in 26 one-hour programs broadcast weekly and later released on the Internet. Plays were adaptations of futuristic stories, novels and plays...
, the Radio Tales
Radio Tales
Radio Tales is an American series of radio dramas produced by Generations Productions. 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...
series of dramatizations of classic literature and mythology, and the Los Angeles-based Open Stage.
The dramatic-reading series Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts is an event at New York’s Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The annual season of the live events at Symphony Space begins in the mid-fall and ends in mid-spring, and a typical episode would include...
continued as the only national program devoted to regular offerings of radio drama, leaving aside the sketches on A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
and Le Show
Le Show
Le Show is a weekly syndicated public radio show hosted by satirist Harry Shearer.The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy...
and the intermittent presentation of drama on the largely documentary series The Next Big Thing.
External links
- NPR Playhouse October 1, 2002 - R.I.P., from a production company supplying material to the show
- Collection of NPR Playhouse Broadcasts via Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...