Moon Voyager (radio)

“Moon Voyager” is a radio program from the American radio anthology series Radio Tales. The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and 1998), a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] The "Moon Voyager" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of “The First Men in the Moon”, the classic novel by H. G. Wells.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “Moon Voyager” was first broadcast via National Public Radio on November 6th, 2001 [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. IV] . The program encompassed two half-hour installments that were distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] . The “Moon Voyager” program debuted on XM Satellite Radio on February 15, 2003.

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] . Composer Winifred Phillips created over fifty-six minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] . “Moon Voyager” was part of the sixth year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. IV] .

Media

The Radio Tales production of “Moon Voyager” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] .

Opening narration

Plot Summary

The story begins as a small spacecraft crash lands on the surface of what appears to be a lifeless moon, blanketed in a thick coating of snowy white powder. The vessel contains a lone researcher (who serves as the narrator). She watches the sun rise, after which the ‘snow’ transforms into a gas that provide a breathable atmosphere and the impetus for plant life to spring forth at a super-accelerated rate. Disembarking, the researcher enjoys the effects of the low gravity by leaping across the now thickening jungle, but then discovers that she can no longer locate her ship amidst the foliage. Wandering the surface, she encounters a group of insect-like aliens. Panicked, she stumbles to the ground, and the aliens rush her en masse, after which she loses conciousness. She awakens in chains, whereupon a group of aliens comes to escort her through an underground terraforming facility. When they lead her to a perilously narrow bridge crossing a chasm in near darkness, she is forced to break free of her chains and attack them (since she can not make them understand that she would fall to her death if she tried to cross the bridge). She overpowers them by way of the superior strength of a body evolved for heavier gravity, and flees to the surface, where her ship is waiting. As she boards her ship and takes off, night falls on the moon, and the jungle quickly dies back while the atmosphere solidifies and falls to the ground as snow once again.

References

External Links

* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Full Catalog on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio's Sonic Theater Channel]