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Theatre Arts for Advanced Secondary Schools

Recorded radio drama
Recorded radio drama performances emerged as result of advancement in
technology. It is called recorded because during its transmission no live actors
are present at the radio station. Instead, drama is played from soft files stored in
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tapes, flash disc, CD or computer. Development of radio drama depends on the
development of technology. As technology advances, the performing techniques
and recording devices are innovated to produce sound effects and music necessary
in establishing background of a scene. For instance, if a story is taking place at
market place, the sound effects are a composition of voices that one can hear at
the marketplace. The recording of the performance and music is done in studio
settings while sound effects are generated from computer and added or edited,
mixed or synchronised with sound effect before it is broadcasted. While some of
the sound effects can be done vocally, some can be done with specific equipment
or instruments that are brought to studio. For example, baby cries or animal
sounds can be produced in the studio. Technological advancement does always
require physical presence of actors to record their performance in studio settings.
The recording can be done remotely by actors independently recording their
dialogues from wherever they are. Then, producers synchronise the dialogues
with music and sound effects to create the final product for broadcast. Figure 4.9
shows a recorded radio drama performance.

Figure 4. 10: A recorded radio drama performance

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