Watchers (radio)

“Watchers” is a 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 [Hear Here: "Tales by American Masters". AudioFile Magazine, pg. 8, Feb/March 1999, Vol. 7, No. 5.] ) 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 "Watchers" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the short story “The Crystal Egg” written by H. G. Wells.

Broadcast history

The Radio Tales production of “Watchers” was first broadcast via National Public Radio on October 2, 2001. [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Fall 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. IV] The program encompassed one half-hour installment that was 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 “Watchers” program debuted on XM Satellite Radio on November 29, 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 twenty-eight 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.] “Watchers” 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] .

Opening narration

Plot summary

An antique dealer purchases a crystal egg from the forced sale of another dealer’s items. After the purchase, this crystal egg sits in the antique dealer’s shop for some time, when late one night the dealer goes down to his shop and sees that the crystal egg is glowing. He peers within the weirdly illuminated object, and for a brief moment receives a vision of what appears to be an expansive countryside. Over the next days, by looking into the egg from careful angles and in particular lights, the antiques dealer is able to clearly see a broad plain bordered by cliffs, with impressive buildings lining a nearby river, and large beetle-like creatures lounging on the green lawn. At one point, a face passes across the view and the antiques dealer is able to discern a pair of huge dark eyes looking into his own, before disappearing again.

At this point the dealer comes to see the unnamed narrator at the teaching hospital where she works. The dealer is very upset, telling the narrator that a black-clad stranger has come to his shop and expressed an interest in purchasing the crystal egg. This has forced the dealer to remove the egg from the shop to save it from being sold. The dealer tells the narrator everything that has happened in regards to the crystal egg. After hearing this remarkable story, the narrator examines the egg, looks upon the vision it presents of a wide plain, and notices that similar crystal eggs can be seen resting on pillars there. Perhaps these objects enable some sort of visual communication to take place … or maybe they constitute a method of two-way observation? Whatever their purpose, the narrator is able to determine that the unknown countryside in the vision must exist on some far-off alien world, for the constellations of its night-time sky are completely unfamiliar.

Over the next few months, the antiques dealer takes the crystal egg back and forth from his shop to the narrator’s office, unable to be separated from it for any length of time. His fascination has become extreme, to the detriment of his health. When a period of ten or eleven days passes without the elderly antiques dealer visiting her office, the narrator goes to see him at his shop and discovers that he has died, and has already been buried. The dealer’s effects have been quickly sold, the crystal egg falling into the possession of a mysterious buyer who is described as clad all in black, with a large hat hiding his face. The narrator tries to find this unknown buyer, without success.

References

External links

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* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Full Series - Streaming Audio Excerpts]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio – Information on the Sonic Theater Channel]