The Theatre of the Imagination.

The Theatre of the Imagination.

The 1930s was a golden age for radio, with 28 million American households owning a set by 1939. As radios became smaller and cheaper. They became the central piece of furniture, with folks crowding around the set to listen. National broadcasting networks such as NBC and CBS came into being to fill the demand and advertisers saw the potential to capitalize on radio’s popularity. Thus were daytime drama serials born and the ‘Soap opera’ came to be. As manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive became the sponsors for these shows. Lux Radio Theatre every week broadcast an hour-long adaptation of a popular film or Broadway play, often starring members of the original cast. Born in 1957 and growing up in the 1960s, radio very much featured in my early life. Our family were avid listeners to all the shows. I still vividly recall gathering around the table for Sunday lunch and hearing the comedy show ‘Round the Horne’ or ‘Two-Way Family Favourites’. My deep love of radio came from these times and began my fascination with the human voice’s ability to conjure stories, to make us laugh or cry. Often these very popular radio shows were performed in front of an audience for the ‘live vibe’ which it gave. This idea was given a new lease on life when Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie set up Alien Voices. A project set up to produce audio-books of science fiction novels in the style of radio plays. These were filmed and shown on the SciFi Channel. This inspired me to do the same and so began my foray into the world of radio.