Audio Drama Genre Update
(source: starwarsfanworks.com, 01-16-06)

As we enter 2006, it's time to take stock of the somewhat floundering audio drama subgenre of Star Wars fan audio.

As many Fanworks visitors likely saw earlier this month, the two projects that had spun out of the Rise of Nobility audio drama have both left the roster of upcoming dramas. A Summer's Dream was cancelled, while Surrender of Promise was put on indefinite hold.

We now also have more disappointing news to report.

We've heard from Julius Harper of Trek Wars: The Furry Conflict that the second chapter of that audio drama series is also on indefinite hold (though his Silent Universe will still premiere on Feb. 15).

Rich Sigfrit has let us know that while X-wing: Gold Squadron (which he is producing for writer Wil Kitchenmaster) and A Sith's Journal (which he is working on with Michael Smith) are both still underway (albeit somewhat slowly), the long-awaited Despair Duology (which he is to produce for writer Casey Brown) is on indefinite hold, as Brown has yet to send the collected recordings and other materials to Sigfrit for mixing.

We can also report, thanks to a quick phone call to Ian Bowie, that his Exile and Coexistence audio dramas will still be made, but they are on indefinite hold, while the short fan film that they are to be based on, also called Exile, is being completed this year.

On the plus side: Matt Loewen's Anthology: Runaway is still on track to be mixed by Steve Fluharty; Fluharty's Blue Harvest seems to still be in production; Conquest of the Empire's final three chapters and the Special Edition of its first chaper are all still in production (albeit hindered by slow submissions from some actors); Brooks Child's Freighting is now being recorded; and Michael Sheridan's The Logan Chronicles is still on track with its second episode.

(There are also rumblings that a previously shelved project from Butler, Context, may be picking up steam to actually enter production, but that's still up in the air at this point. Another rumor out there suggests that Mark Newbold may be gearing up for a new audio drama from NHP, but no official announcement has been made.)

On a non-Star Wars note, albeit from Star Wars fan audio creators, we can also report that Jeff Roney's True Tales, Joe Harrison's Age of Swords, and Nathan P. Butler's Echoes are all still underway.

Also on a non-Star Wars note, we sadly have to report that Eric Olp's Myst: The Book of Atrus has gone on indefinite hold due to legal questions and the loss of the lead actor.

So, the audio drama genre seems to be undergoing a few changes, twists, and tuns. We'll keep you posted as things develop on these projects.