SKYBLUE: Replay Radio

SKYBLUE, winner of the Best Dramatic Production in the 2013 New Zealand Radio Awards, returns to the airwaves this Sunday 16 June at 3:04pm.

Set in a forensic psychiatric unit, the one-hour drama spends a day at the sharp edge of New Zealand’s mental health system.

The cast includes Tess Jamieson, Jamie McCaskill, Nigel Collins and Mick Rose. SKYBLUE is produced by Jason Te Kare, engineered by Phil Benge, and brought to you by Radio New Zealand National.

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Plug

Goodness gracious: Radio New Zealand will be broadcasting a little something I adapted for radio last year, and which was recorded earlier this year.

So if you’ve an hour to spare this Sunday 5 April, between 3pm and 4pm, try out some Kiwi-made drama.

Thanks again to producer Jason Te Kare who was very patient with all my ummm‘s and ahhh‘s to his questions, engineer Phil Benge who put up with my exclamations of I keep expecting someone to run in there between takes and polish the mike!, voice actors Jerome Leota, Sopa Enari, Shadon Meredith, Natano Keni, Rob Lloyd and Eteuati Ete who made the recording day a hoot to watch hear, and big ups to the House of Ash and Fi who very kindly put me up for a couple of nights whilst I was in Wellington.

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Pots on the Boil

INT. LOUNGE, HOME – EVENING

I lie in the arms of THE GODDESS.

ME

I haven’t done ANYTHING this year.

THE GODDESS

Oh rubbish.

ME

I’m serious.

THE GODDESS

What were you busy doing at the beginning of the year then?

ME

... The short film.

THE GODDESS

And what have you been doing with those playwrights, hm? And that stuff for the guild?

I open my mouth, then close it.

THE GODDESS

And then there’s your radio play. Well?

ME

You can’t just let me feel sorry for myself, can you?

She kisses my forehead --

THE GODDESS

No, I cannot.

What have I achieved this year then?

I’m tempted to skew my stats a la the police leadership in The Wire but, for me, a project isn’t finished unless it’s finished, knowwha’Imean?

So:

  • To’ona’i crawls towards completion;
  • I’m co-writing a play, to premiere in 2012;
  • I have my own play to push – and thanks to the joys of misery likes company peer pressure, the first act is due by mid-January 2009;
  • the diversionary feature spec has copious thematic and strucutural notes… but an actual story has yet to emerge;
  • enamoured with the short radio play’s ‘success’, I’m writing an hour-long radio play: I’ve got the opening and closing acts while the middle is currently all rough notes – forty pages to go!
  • and the long awaited spec feature of 2007 has been roughed out and is approaching a proper first draft.

[Takes a few steps back and squints]

Okay. I suppose it’s just about perspective.

INT. LOUNGE, HOME – LATER

ME

Maybe this is my dash. Maybe this is IT. Maybe –

THE GODDESS

Maybe you needed a year to consolidate.

ME

I thought last year was a consolidating year.

THE GODDESS

It’s a bit hard to consolidate when you’re juggling paying work, don’t you think?

I mumble something.

THE GODDESS

Pardon?

ME

... I suppose.

She nods, knowing, as always, that She’s right.

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Point & Click

I managed to get the number of Unread posts down to less than 200 when I add a few new feeds – and phwappp as the Unread posts leap gaily to 315. Fine. I can keep up with my essential daily reading out of the way. If I don’t sleep.

Enjoy.

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