Yuri Rasovsky
Encyclopedia
Yuri Rasovsky is an American
award-winning writer and producer working in the field of radio drama
in the United States
.
He founded and operated The National Radio Theater of Chicago
from 1973 to 1986 and later formed the Hollywood Theater of the Ear
(since 1993). In the 1990s, he forsook radio for audiobooks. Many of his radio plays have been published as commercial recordings or as Internet downloads. His new plays are being released by Blackstone Audio
. He currently resides in Los Angeles
with actress Lorna Raver
. In February 2011 he was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer
.
s, 2006) and, with Carol Madden Adorjan, co-author of WKID: Easy Radio Plays for Children (Albert Whitman & Co., 1987).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
award-winning writer and producer working in the field of radio drama
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He founded and operated The National Radio Theater of Chicago
The National Radio Theater of Chicago
The National Radio Theater of Chicago was an anthology radio drama series that began as a local program in 1973, but always had national aspirations . Episodes consisted of original radio plays, adaptations of fiction and stage plays, and radio plays from Europe and the Far East...
from 1973 to 1986 and later formed the Hollywood Theater of the Ear
Hollywood Theater of the Ear
Hollywood Theater of the Ear is a non-profit production company specializing in audio theater, founded in 1993 by Yuri Rasovsky, which releases productions through Blackstone Audiobooks.-External links:*...
(since 1993). In the 1990s, he forsook radio for audiobooks. Many of his radio plays have been published as commercial recordings or as Internet downloads. His new plays are being released by Blackstone Audio
Blackstone Audiobooks
Blackstone Audio is the largest independent audiobook publisher in the United States, offering over 4,500 audiobooks. The company is based in Ashland, Oregon with five in-house recording studios. It is the official publisher of audio plays by the award-winning Hollywood Theater of the...
. He currently resides in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with actress Lorna Raver
Lorna Raver
Lorna Raver is an American actress who has appeared in numerous plays, films, and television series. She is sometimes credited as Lorna Raver Johnson....
. In February 2011 he was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
.
Major works
Rasovsky has written, directed or produced more than 150 audio plays. Notable examples include:- The Chicago Language Tape. WFMT. 1972.
- The Odyssey of Homer. National Radio Theater. 1980. Winner of a George Foster Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
. - Craven Street. American Dialogues Radio. 1993.
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Based on the silent film. Hollywood Theater of the Ear. Revised 1998.
- 2000X: Tales of the Next Millennium (series of 26 one-hr programs). NPR, Hollywood Theater of the Ear. 1999–2000. Winner of a Bradbury AwardBradbury AwardThe Ray Bradbury Award is presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to recognize excellence in screenwriting...
. - Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls. Blackstone Audio, Hollywood Theater of the Ear. 2007. Winner of three Audie AwardsAudie AwardsThe Audie Awards are annually bestowed annually in the USA for outstanding audiobooks. The Audies have been granted by the Audio Publishers Association, a not-for-profit trade organization, since 1996. The nominees are announced each year in January, and the winners are announced at a gala banquet...
: Best Audio Drama, Best Audiobook Original and Distinguished Achievement in Production. - The Maltese Falcon, with Michael MadsenMichael MadsenMichael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
, Sandra OhSandra OhSandra Oh is a Canadian actress. She is best known for the role of Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, for which she has won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award. She also played notable roles in the feature films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and had a supporting role on the...
, Edward HerrmannEdward HerrmannEdward Kirk Herrmann is a U.S. television and film actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayals of Franklin D...
. Blackstone Audio, Hollywood Theater of the Ear. 2008. Grammy nominated. Winner Audie Award: Best Adaptation. - Saint JoanSaint Joan (play)Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, based on the life and trial of Joan of Arc. Published not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts...
, with Amy IrvingAmy IrvingAmy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...
, Edward Herrmann, Kristoffer TaboriKristoffer TaboriKristoffer Tabori is an American actor and television director.-Early life:Tabori was born in Malibu, California, the son of director Don Siegel and Swedish-American actress Viveca Lindfors. He appeared in one of his mother's films, Weddings and Babies, as a young boy...
, Gregory ItzinGregory ItzinGregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
, Armin ShimermanArmin ShimermanArmin Shimerman is an American actor. Shimerman is best known for playing the Ferengi bartender Quark in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kramer's caddy Stan on Seinfeld, voicing Dr. Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank series, and Andrew...
, Granville Van DusenGranville Van DusenGranville Van Dusen is an American stage, screen, and voice actor who portrayed Race Bannon in the 1986 television series The New Adventures of Jonny Quest, Jonny's Golden Quest, Jonny Quest vs...
, et al.. Blackstone Audio, Hollywood Theater of the Ear. 2010. Winner Audie Award: Best Audio Drama of 2010. - The Mark of ZorroThe Mark of ZorroThe Mark of Zorro may refer to:*The Mark of Zorro , silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks*The Mark of Zorro , starring Tyrone Power*The Mark of Zorro , television movie starring Frank Langella...
, with Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
, Blackstone Audio, Hollywood Theater of the Ear. 2011. Grammy nominated.
Books
He is the author of The Well-tempered Audio Dramatist (National Audio Theatre FestivalNational Audio Theatre Festival
The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and...
s, 2006) and, with Carol Madden Adorjan, co-author of WKID: Easy Radio Plays for Children (Albert Whitman & Co., 1987).
Awards
Over the past three-plus decades, Rasovsky's audio work has won:- two George Foster Peabody Awards,
- three Grammy nominations and another Grammy Award,
- five Ohio State awards,
- nine Audie AwardsAudie AwardsThe Audie Awards are annually bestowed annually in the USA for outstanding audiobooks. The Audies have been granted by the Audio Publishers Association, a not-for-profit trade organization, since 1996. The nominees are announced each year in January, and the winners are announced at a gala banquet...
, - four Major Armstrong awards,
- four Publishers WeeklyPublishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
Listen Up awards, - two Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
awards, - the Independent Publishers' Audio Award,
- the Gabriel AwardGabriel AwardThe Gabriel Awards were originated by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals in 1965. They were designed to honor works of broadcast excellence that have a positive and creative treatment of concerns to mankind....
, - the NFCB Golden Reel,
- Mark Time Lifetime Achievement Award,
- BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
Editor's Pick - the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
BradburyRay BradburyRay Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
Award.
See also
- Thomas 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...
- National Audio Theatre FestivalNational Audio Theatre FestivalThe National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and...
- Norman CorwinNorman CorwinNorman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing...
- Arch ObolerArch ObolerArch Oboler was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, and director who was active in radio, films, theater, and television. He generated much attention with his radio scripts, particularly the horror series Lights Out, and his work in radio remains the outstanding period...
- Giles CooperGiles CooperGiles Stannus Cooper was an Anglo-Irish playwright and prolific radio dramatist, writing over sixty scripts for BBC radio and television. He was awarded the OBE in 1960 for "Services to Broadcasting"...
External links
- Yuri Rasovsky Homepage, last revised Nov. 19, 2010
- The Well-Tempered Audio Dramatist, A Guide to the Production of Audio Plays in Twenty-first Century America, by Yuri Rasovsky, last modified July, 2006
- The Chicago Language Tape, 1972
- Yuri Rasovsky's Radio Plays