Here in Australia, we are facing many issues. Our economy is in a bad way and we are facing a hot summer. This time last year we were in the midst of bush fires with an intensity never seen in living memory. And of course, political intrigues of inadequacies, narcissism, corruption, and inefficiencies abound – and do not pass the pub test. So what’s new?
What we are NOT facing, is the huge number of Covid cases, and/or deaths experienced in most areas of the globe. While we too have had the pain, we are now experiencing gain, i.e. a country that is cautiously proclaiming itself Covid free.
During the last 8 months, while many of us have been denied the opportunity to meet with loved ones, friends or family, in the flesh, we have probably seen them even more frequently via cyberspace: courtesy of Zoom, Skype, Messenger, or the myriad platforms allowing virtual meetups. In some cases, we have found a new family, or sorority, via the growing popularity of podcast interviews or niche programs.
I have been fortunate in falling into this group through two podcast programs I produce. This website, GDayFromOzDownUnder is a fairly new PodBlog, combining News and Views with Interviews of interest. However, FastFictionPodcasts has been aired for nearly three years, with almost 90 of my own audio dramas in a variety of genres.
But I am more than happy to say it is undergoing a metamorphosis.
About three months ago I submitted a post on a few of the support platforms asking for new scriptwriters and actors to join me. And in this regard, I was most fortunate.
Among the people who responded from around the world, there is one who provides a mirror image of FastFictionPodcasts.
David Pollard runs Hand to Mouth Sound Theatre situated in Hereford in the North of England. This group of over 100 talented members focuses on the theatre of the airwaves. some of whom have recently participated in FastFiction podcasts. It is, therefore, a delight to be able to feature a recent interview David gave to Amateur Hour. He talks of the challenges of acting for radio rather than theatre, and many other issues facing dramatists in our strange 2020 world. In fact, he mentioned that Zoom has allowed full-fledged audio dramas to be produced without the actors ever meeting. (Secrets of the Ceremony, featuring USA, UK, and Australia)
On a personal level, I enjoy meeting up with a group of fellow crime writers – Sisters in Crime. In fact for the last few months, we have enjoyed unprecedented attendance, because the Convenors no longer need to find a location common to all, with a quiet back room, somewhere close to public transport or cheap parking – a nightmare for those who try. Add to that no need for babysitters, we can eat and drink without worry of upsetting a landlord, and – for those fellow slobs, no need to change from our tracksuits.
In fact these are the factors that apply to the popularity of Zoom, Skype and all the other internet platforms that we are enjoying between friends and families. There is no longer a need to worry about the sick or elderly relation, for we can meet with them – virtually – every day.
So, I raise a glass to those aforementioned cloud-based video services and hope they prosper, so that we may enjoy their services for years to come.
*****