Click the icons for more info on our audio plays:
Hear us in-person, 2 nights only
“They did not prepare you.
Fools get taken.”
our audio play has been FEATURED ON:
Click the image above to hear our interview with WGN AM 720’s Dean Richards!
WGN Radio: Interview with Paul Lisnek
ABC 7’s Weekender Report
plus
SYNOPSIS
Based on the true story of Chicago’s notorious multi-murderer. Guiding us through the story is a devilish carnival barker named Hatch. Ticket price includes a “ride” on the Great Wheel. An edifying spectacle not to be missed!
Ben Pitezel scores a bit of luck with a new job in Chicago but soon discovers that his new position with smooth, successful Dr. Holmes is really a deal with the devil. Can Ben reap the rewards of his station without paying the price?
who was H.H. Holmes?
Holmes (1861-1896) was a con artist and alleged murderer who resided in Chicago during the incredible 1893 World’s Fair. He ran the infamous “Murder Hotel” which no longer stands.
Interestingly enough, though many people refer to Holmes as a serial killer, he wouldn’t fit the bill! Motivated by self-advancement rather than psychopathy, Holmes eventually confessed to over 2 dozen murders… though how many of them were real?
by Rick Kinnebrew // directed by Corey Bradberry
originally presented as a live online audio broadcast, March 2023
“They did not prepare you.
Fools get taken.”
2 WAYS TO LISTEN:
Order your pre-recorded copy to stream or download on-demand
Sign up for a ‘22-’23 Season Pass, and hear all 3 original audio plays of the season!
FEATURED ON
Click the image above to hear our interview with WGN AM 720’s Dean Richards!
wgn: “behind the curtain” with paul lisnek
ABC 7’s Weekender Report
plus
SYNOPSIS
Based on the true story of Chicago’s notorious multi-murderer. Guiding us through the story is a devilish carnival barker named Hatch. Ticket price includes a “ride” on the Great Wheel. An edifying spectacle not to be missed!
Ben Pitezel scores a bit of luck with a new job in Chicago but soon discovers that his new position with smooth, successful Dr. Holmes is really a deal with the devil. Can Ben reap the rewards of his station without paying the price?
who was H.H. Holmes?
Holmes (1861-1896) was a con artist and alleged murderer who resided in Chicago during the incredible 1893 World’s Fair. He ran the infamous “Murder Hotel” which no longer stands.
Interestingly enough, though many people refer to Holmes as a serial killer, he wouldn’t fit the bill! Motivated by self-advancement rather than psychopathy, Holmes eventually confessed to over 2 dozen murders… though how many of them were real?
CREATIVE TEAM
Top row (L to R): A. Beaubien, E. Carlson, R. Fertitta, K. Jordan, E. Lin, K. Odenkirk, B. Parry
Bottom row (L to R): D. Walker, T. Wilkes, R. Kinnebrew, N. Montopoli, C. Bradberry, J. Sorgen
The Cast: ANNIE BEAUBIEN ETHAN CARLSON ROBIN FERTITTA KATHARINE JORDAN ERIN LIN KEENAN ODENKIRK BRIAN PARRY DYLAN WALKER TAYLOR WILKES
Original Music Composed/Performed by NICK MONTOPOLI
Sound Design by JAKE SORGEN
Publicity: JOHN OLSON COMMUNICATIONS
Written by RICK KINNEBREW
Produced and Directed by COREY BRADBERRY
“As Kane lies in bed with thirty playthings,
Ahmad eats the apple from the inside out.”
Hear the first 12 minutes of our audio play below:
SYNOPSIS
A Theater in the Dark’s new audio play, A MURDER IN THE COURT OF XANADU, is a tale of “murder most foul and spoiled revenge”, re-imagining Kublai Khan’s 13th century empire as a 21st-century mega-corporation verging on the brink of bankruptcy. As Xanadu dominates the world markets, an indispensable executive eats the apple from the inside-out and threatens to bring the entire empire tumbling down around him. Written in verse, this modern-day epic drama full of corporate espionage honors the crumbled empire of ancient Mongolia while satirizing modern-day corporate greed.
who was kublai khan?
The powerful prototype for our play’s protagonist:
Grandson of the great and terrifying Ghenghis Khan, who amassed one of the largest empires the ancient world has ever seen. Kublai Khan is mostly known to the western world through Marco Polo’s adventures from Europe, where he spent decades in the employ of Kublai as a traveling tax collector and merchant.
creative TEAM
L to R: N. Amherst, C. Bradberry, R. Cyprian, V. Ferro, G. Fries, E. Lin, P. Sottnik
The Cast: NESSA AMHERST ROBINSON J. CYPRIAN VAN FERRO GABRIEL FRIES ERIN LIN
Original Music Composed/Performed by PAUL SOTTNIK
Produced & Sound Designed by COREY BRADBERRY
Publicity: JOHN OLSON COMMUNICATIONS
Written and Directed by COREY BRADBERRY
This project is supported in part by a grant by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency; and supported in part by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS
by Greg Garrison Directed by Corey Bradberry // Premiered August 2022
“Like a ripped-up newspaper,
we were only getting half the story.”
red herring (Noun)
1 : a herring cured by salting and slow smoking to a dark brown color
2 [from the practice of drawing a red herring across a trail to confuse hunting dogs] : something that distracts attention from the real issue
(from Merriam-Webster)
how to enjoy our audio play:
Get your stream link (or you can choose a digital download)
Build a dark cozy space at home
Listen by yourself or with a loved one on your favorite speakers or headphones!
SYNOPSIS
Directed by Corey Bradberry and written by Greg Garrison, with original music by Paul Sottnik, the audio play follows Detective Stainless Steel as she trains a new partner facing down deadly criminals while managing a client she’ll never forget: her ex-wife. From racetracks to rooftops, car chases to funerals, A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS is about identity, forgiveness, and the comedy of courage told with its tongue firmly holstered in its cheek. Starring Amy Gorelow and Julian 'joolz' Stroop as the two detectives, this laugh out loud comedy utilizes the gags and thrills of any Golden Age radio play… with the technology of the 21st century.
A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS is performed entirely without visuals and tells the story combining the written word, the human voice, rich soundscapes, and thrilling original music. In this 80-minute audio adventure, A Theater in the Dark cooks in signature style while painting a hilariously deranged love letter to detectives, criminals, ghosts, and a very anachronistic 1920s Chicago.
Turn off your screen and crank up your speakers as you journey with us into the dark…
TEAM
L to R: C. Bradberry, L Erle, A. Gorelow, G. Garrison, C. Meister, J. Stroop, P. Sottnik
by GREG GARRISON
Directed by COREY BRADBERRY
The Cast:
Detective Stainless Steel: AMY GORELOW
Detective-in-Training Watley Holm: JULIAN ‘joolz’ STROOP
Vesper Kind & others: LAURA MICHELE ERLE
Vincent Valconi & others: CHRISTOPHER MEISTER
Rod Wrong: COREY BRADBERRY
Wilhelm Wrong & Narrator: GREG GARRISON
Original Music Composed/Performed by PAUL SOTTNIK
Soundscape Design: GREG GARRISON & COREY BRADBERRY
Sound Engineer & Producer: COREY BRADBERRY
Publicity: JOHN OLSON COMMUNICATIONS
“Fish with Mustache” Design: BETHANY DAIGLE
“If we hunt not Moby Dick, God hunt us all.”
WINNER! 2021 ATLANTA AUDIO FRINGE FESTIVAL
CRITIC’S CHOICE AWARD—Best Production, Best Sound Mixing, Best Performances
WINNER! 2021 THORNHILL THEATRE FESTIVAL
BEST AUDIO DRAMA
how to enjoy our audio play:
GRAB Your stream link (click for link)
BUILD a Dark COZY Space AT HOME
mix ‘A MEASURE OF GROG’ (click for our recipe)
LISTEN IN THE DARK
Critics Agree:
AUDIENCES RAVE:
SYNOPSIS
After losing his leg in pursuit of the devilish white whale Moby Dick, Captain Ahab vows vengeance at all costs, but to what lengths will he turn to seek that vengeance——and at what cost to his crew?
Originally broadcast live each night over Zoom, three actors breathe life into the Pequod’s crew as Captain Ahab chases the White Whale Moby Dick.
Turn off your screen and crank up your speakers as you journey with us into the dark…
In this 90-minute audio adventure, actors originally connected live across 5,500 miles to audiences in real time as A Theater in the Dark cooked in signature style its spin on the story of young Ishmael’s three-year voyage across the earth’s oceans in pursuit of Captain Ahab’s fiery revenge for an elusive and vengeful sperm whale named Moby Dick.
A WHITE WHALE, OR: MOBY DICK is performed entirely without visuals and tells the story combining recorded sound, live Foley effects, an original musical score, and the human voice.
ARTISTS
Performed from Chicago, Vancouver, and New Orleans!
Our show was originally broadcast live! Where are you listening from?
(Top, L to R: R. Cyprian, M. Gordon, E. McCoy, C. Bradberry.
Bottom, L to R: N. Montopoli, J. Kaufmann, S. Oliver, B. Sheaff)
Ishmael & others: ELIZBAETH MCCOY
Starbuck, Stubb & others: MACK GORDON
Captain Ahab & others: ROBINSON J. CYPRIAN
From the novel by HERMAN MELVILLE
Adapted & Directed by COREY BRADBERRY
Featuring Original Music by NICK MONTOPOLI
Soundscape Design: MACK GORDON, with COREY BRADBERRY
Stage Manager/Sound Engineer: COREY BRADBERRY
PRODUCING TEAM
Producing Artistic Director: COREY BRADBERRY
Artistic Producer: MACK GORDON
Sponsorships & Community Partnerships: JAKE KAUFMAN, BRIDGET GRACE SHEAFF
Social Media Assistant: SOLANA OLIVER
Publicity: JOHN OLSON COMMUNICATIONS
“Anchor” Design: BETH DAIGLE
“i wear the chains i forged in life…”
Hear a short sample from our show:
how to enjoy our audio play:
GRAB Your stream link (click for link)
BUILD a Dark COZY Space AT HOME
mix ‘A hot rum punch’ (click for our recipe)
LISTEN IN THE DARK
SYNOPSIS
Do you believe in ghosts?
Dickens' immortal holiday classic comes to life with Theatre in the Dark's signature audio style as listeners join Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly Christmas Eve journey through darkness towards light. While the script reveres Dickens' language, actors broadcasting from Chicago, Vancouver, and Philadelphia breathe fresh life into this Christmas Carol.
Who hasn’t heard of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story? Well, you’ve never heard it like this:
Turn off your screen and crank up your speakers as you journey with us into the dark...
We broadcast from Chicago, Vancouver, and Philadelphia…
…and connect with audiences all over the world. Where are you listening from?
Artists
(L to R: S. Althen, C. Bradberry, M. Gordon, K. Puls Andrade, & J. Sorgen)
The Three Storytellers: SARAH ALTHEN, KATHLEEN PULS ANDRADE, and MACK GORDON
Scrooge: COREY BRADBERRY
Adapted & Directed by MACK GORDON
Adapted from the novella by CHARLES DICKENS
Featuring Original Music by JAKE SORGEN
Sound Design: MACK GORDON
Stage Manager/Sound Engineer: COREY BRADBERRY
“those who have never seen a living martian can scarcely imagine the horror…”
“No one would have believed in the first years of the 21st century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than our own...””
how to enjoy our audio play:
GRAB Your stream link (click for link)
BUILD a Dark COZY Space AT HOME
mix ‘A RED MARTIAN NEGRONI’ (click for our recipe)
LISTEN IN THE DARK
critics were thrilled:
SYNOPSIS
H.G. Wells enters the 21st century as a Chicagoland science journalist thrust into the events of an alien invasion after a meteor from the “Red Planet” Mars crashes outside the suburbs of Chicago at the start of the new decade.
Separated from family, friends and everything they’ve ever known, our actors bring a cast of eclectic Chicagoland characters to life as they do everything in their power to survive as our world comes crashing down around them. As the Martians reveal their deadly Heat-Ray and their true intentions, whirling our characters into hair-raising chases across Chicago one question remains: is life on Earth doomed?
This 75-minute audio adventure connected actors broadcasting live each night across 5,500 miles to audiences in real time for Halloween 2021. Four actors breathe life into H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi story of Martian conquest.
The CHICAGO READER’s Kerry Reid called the 2020 production a “stylish and compelling adaptation.” AROUND THE TOWN’s Julia W. Rath said Ben Zucker’s “extraordinary and distinctive sound design and music add to the overall feeling of dread.” Ed Tracy’s PICKS IN SIX praised it as “a fascinating and innovative approach utilizing our ever-evolving pandemic-driven virtual technology to connect us in the moment.” RESCRIPTED called it “cosmic and intimate.”
Don’t miss this audio theatre experience unlike any other, created by a company critically-acclaimed for its “innovative,” “elaborate,” and “viscerally compelling” storytelling; and winner of the 2021 Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival.
ARTISTS
Performed from Chicago, Vancouver, New Orleans, and Chattanooga!
Our show was originally broadcast live! Where are you listening from?
(Top. L to R: G. Garrison, M. Gordon, M. Hudson, E. McCoy
Bottom, L to R: C. Bradbery, B. Zucker)
H.G. Wells & others: MACK GORDON
Isabel Wells & others: ELIZABETH MCCOY
Dr. Ogilvy & others: GREG GARISSON
The Professor & others: MING HUDSON
From the novel by H.G. WELLS
Adapted by MACK GORDON & COREY BRADBERRY
Directed by COREY BRADBERRY
Featuring Original Music by BEN ZUCKER
Soundscape Design: MACK GORDON, with COREY BRADBERRY and ROSS BURLINGAME
Stage Manager/Sound Engineer: COREY BRADBERRY
PRODUCING TEAM
Producing Artistic Director: COREY BRADBERRY
Artistic Producer: MACK GORDON
Publicity: JOHN OLSON COMMUNICATIONS
Additional PRAISE FOR OUR AUDIO PLAY:
“No one would have believed in the first years of the 21st century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than our own...””
SYNOPSIS
In this 90-minute online audio experience, originally presented live each night in October 2020, H.G. Wells enters the 21st century as a Chicagoland science journalist thrust into the events of an alien invasion after a meteor from the “Red Planet” Mars crashes outside the suburbs of Chicago at the start of the new decade.
Separated from family, friends and everything they’ve ever known, the eclectic cast of Chicagoland characters must do everything in their power to survive as our world comes crashing down around them. As the Martians reveal their deadly Heat-Ray and their true intentions, whirling our characters into hair-raising chases across Chicago one question remains: is life on Earth doomed?
Actors play dozens of characters in an online theatre experience unlike any other, created by a company critically-acclaimed for its “innovative,” “elaborate,” and “viscerally compelling” storytelling.
Hear HG Wells’ Martian invasion masterpiece like never before. A WAR OF THE WORLDS was presented:
LIVE: Each performance brought our cross-continental cast (broadcasting from Chicago, Vancouver, and New Orleans) directly to listeners in real time.
ONLINE: We’ve created a pandemic-safe performance you can safely tune into from your own home or pod.
AUDIO: Create a dark cozy space, turn off your screen, and crank up your speakers.
DRAMA: Not an audiobook. Not a podcast. Not a staged reading. This is theatre for the 21st century.
Additional content and buzz:
THANKS TO Our Show Sponsors:
Interested in becoming a current show sponsor? (CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE)
“I’ve been running from the truth so long,
I almost got it lapped.”
a noir mystery thriller
LIVE ONLINE AUDIO THEATRE
STREAMING ON-DEMAND
DIRECT FROM OUR SOUND STUDIOS
TO YOUR SPEAKERS
WRITTEN BY MACK GORDON
DIRECTED BY COREY BRADBERRY
ORIGINALLY PRESENTED LIVE VIA ZOOM, MAY 2020
After her husband is killed, a transit cop finds herself mixed up in Vancouver’s criminal underground. A fast-paced twister of a play that keeps you guessing until the end. Our performers broadcast live into your home for a theatre experience unlike any other.
An 85-minute noir mystery originally presented in entirely in the dark, the actors play nearly a dozen characters including cops, priests, journalists, and grifters in a theatre experience critics called “innovative,” “elaborate,” and “viscerally compelling”!
This is theatre for the digital age.
Featured performers: Mackenzie Gordon (L) and Bethany Arrington (R). Photo: Zachary Parkhurst.
“THREE STORIES UP has the vibe of iconic pre-TV radio dramas, melded with the intimacy and immediacy of live performance, and the pure joy of being read to as a child. Highly recommended.” ”
SYNOPSIS
Beatrice, a Vancouver transit cop, discovers both her husband’s dead body and his history as an undercover police officer working deep within Vancouver's criminal underground. In search of the killer, she recruits her late husband’s last known informant, a drug runner who carries secrets of his own. The two embark on a hair-raising investigation through the city's colorful characters in search of justice… and revenge.