CornerHOUSE Radio Shorts is back, and we’re looking for more radio dramas. Last Spring (2021) we had 24 submissions of which 12 were selected and are still available on our website to listen to at Radio Shorts .
The plays will be assessed by a panel of listeners. We’re looking for a number of good plays that will make for an interesting selection rather than a single “winner”. This isn’t a competition.
We’re asking you to write, then perform and record your 5 to 10 minute-long play and send it to us as an MP3/4 (audio) file, which can be made using a laptop or a mobile phone, to thechartistic.team@gmail.com with “Radio Shorts” in the subject line.
If you’re new to Radio Shorts, welcome! You’re in good company. If you submitted before and you’re creating a new piece, that’s great. If you submitted before and following our feedback you’d like a chance to resubmit an improved version of a play that wasn’t selected before, we’re really glad to see that too.
Submissions will be accepted up to and including November 15th, 2021.
For information about how to record a radio play, including how to create or source great sound effects click here
For more information about what makes a great radio play, and how to write one? Click here
If you have any queries please contact the cornerHOUSE artistic team at thechartistic.team@gmail.com with “Radio Shorts” in the subject line.
The Brief
- Write a 5 – 10 minute radio play.
- Record your performance as an audio file (MP3/4 preferred) and email it before November 15th, 2021 to thechartistic.team@gmail.com
We do not need to see your script. Just email your audio file with the same subject title as the play. Within the email include the kind of two to three line description of the play you might find in the Radio Times. Do not mention your (ie the writer’s) name within the recording itself:
At the beginning of your recording make the announcement below, just as you would expect if you turned on the radio to listen to it:
“(The title of your play)…and then your cast list…(character) is played by (your cast)…
For example: “Leaving the Nest”. Mother is played by Ann Payne, Aunt Joan is played by Sybil Jones and Dave is played by John Smith.”
…then your play begins.
End your play with the words: “This was a Radio Shorts Production”.
For the recording:
- Rehearse, and practise recording small sections until you’re happy with how it sounds. This isn’t a live show so you have the luxury of wiping performances that don’t work well and making a better one.
- Position your actor/s carefully so they are equidistant from the recording device.
- Have fun with sound effects, but remember to ask yourself “it is clear to a listener and does it add to the drama” before adding a sound effect, and keep any sound effects you do use very simple.
- Beware of unwanted ambient sound (script rustling, the door slamming, the dishwasher). Even a mobile phone will pick up a surprising amount of background noise, and
- Do a sound check before you start.
What happens next?
A panel of listeners will be looking out for the following:
Is it a good story?
Is it clear what’s going on?
Do I want to know what happens next?
They’ll arrive at a shortlist of plays to be posted on the cornerHOUSE Radio Shorts section on our website by January 7th. All writers will receive brief feedback on their production.
Other resources/guides on the cornerHOUSE website
Want to know more about how to record a radio play, including how to create or source great sound effects? Click here
Want to know more about what makes a great radio play, and how to write one? Click here
If you have any questions about submitting a play for Radio Shorts email thechartistic.team@gmail.com with the words “Radio Shorts” in the email header.