As you may have heard, HartLife will be bringing it’s Corporate-Compliant live show “The Archibald Funnypants Radio Hour” to CONvergence 2013!  Best described as a “Post-apocalyptic Johnny Carson show” (or “Garrison Keeler sells out to the Dystopian Overlords”), the show combines short scenes, music, advertisments, and of course, everyone’s favorite host: Archibald Funnypants!

We’ll be performing at 3 pm on Saturday, July 6th on the Harmonic CONvergence stage.  If you’re going to be at the convention (or in Minneapolis), come see the show!

Dann Tincher, HartLife NFP’s Visual Art Director, put together this stunning PSA.  Listen, Watch, and Remember.

See you in the tunnels,

Vice President Gardner

• Benny Lemieux—Kamron Palmer
  
• Cumulus Jane—Lise “Kat” Evans
• Neal Henderson—Sebastian H. Orr
• Alison—Nina O’Keefe
• Jack— Mark Soloff
• Greyson— David Rheinstrom
• Clear Skies Tim—Tyler Samples
• Loamy— Lise “Kat” Evans

Written by Clayton Faits. Narration written and performed by Ansel Burch. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Illustration by Dan Streeting. Produced by David Rheinstrom.  Created by Clayton Faits.

Head Writer Clayton Faits listening to the premiere of his episode “Davenport Rises.”

Producing art that is primarily released on the internet is a very strange thing for a lot of the performing artists involved in Our Fair City.  We’re used to hearing (and seeing) the reactions of our audience, both good and bad—and shouting into the void of the internet can be profoundly alienating at times.

That’s part of why the launch parties are so important to me—and why I make sure to get up on a ladder to look out over our crowds at least once during the party.  It’s a really precious thing, to be able to interact with and, at a fundamental level, just see people enjoying (or not enjoying) the work.  It’s just so damn nice to have that direct, human feedback, whether good or bad.

So- enjoy the season, Listen, Remember, and as always-

See you in the tunnels,

VP Gardner

It’s been a great year for Our Fair City.  We’ve been nominated for several awards (and won a few as well), appeared at conventions, performed live, found new ways to deliver episodes, made plans, found new artists, met new actors, forged deeper connections with both the international audio drama community and the Chicago theatre community, applied for (and received) grants, and thrown some damn fine parties…which is all to say, a huge number of people have put an incredible amount of work into this project, and there is no possible way we could thank them all adequately.

But we’d like to try.

Head Writer Clayton Faits and Director Jeffrey Gardner

First off: to the actors, artists, writers, sound designers, and everyone who has touched season four already (or will in the future)- this is, without a doubt, our slickest, cleanest, and best season yet.  We’re so thankful for all of your efforts-this season especially proved that many hands make light work….light, awesome work.

We’d like to thank our dynamic, tenacious, and cupcake-supplying board of directors-the organization, support, and expertise they’ve provided to HartLife NFP has given us a safe launching space for the art, making it all the better.

One of the many unsung heroes of Our Fair City deserves special praise- for his dedicated patience with our boneheaded questions and continual maintenance and monitoring of our website- our Technology Director Michael Tomczak.  Keep your eyes on the site—there are a few really exciting updates coming down the pipeline, we can’t wait for you to check out his work!

We’d also like to single out Betsey Palmer, our stellar Production Manager.   Without here exhaustive (and often, exhausting) work,  Our Fair City could not function at the high level of productivity and speed that it does today.  She schedules, updates, reminds, monitors, reports, corrals, nudges, and advises on every piece of our production, serving not only as a master organizer but as a valuable artistic mind involved in nearly every element of our process and a fierce advocate for our artists.  We’d be (quite literally) lost without her.

The Season Four launch party gets moving!

As you can see from the pictures, the Season Four Launch Party was a smashing success.  It couldn’t have existed without the organizational and creative minds of Betsey Palmer and Steph Charaska, the fabulous lighting design of Brianna Johnson, Davonte Johnson‘s spectacular video design, and the kickin’ tunes of DJ Catnip.  We also want to give a special shout out to Sebastian Orr Photography and Jenna Braunstein Photography- not only did the run a great corporate-themed photobooth, but they got some great images of the party.    We had food and drink donated (and created!) by Mark Harrison (our cocktail master), Sarah B.(jello shot maven), Duo Yang, David Rhienstrom, Julie Schaeffer(chefs and bakers extraordinaire)–an amazing range of post-apocalyptic/corporate themed delights ranging from “Algae Crisps” and “Algae Bar-Treats” to a pair of delicious coffee cocktails and algae-themed jello shots, along with our expert bartender, Mike Tomczak.  We’d also like to a shout out to Ben Aldred and David Rheinstrom for their “motivational, teambuilding” performance of the evening, along with the huge number of staff, board, cast, and friends who volunteered to man the door, work the merch table, run the bar, and everything in-between.    And of course, enormous praise and thank you to Collaboraction, our hosts for the evening.  Not only did they provide a tremendous space-but as a company, they served as an artistic home and growing space for many of Our Fair City’s artists.  They’re a tremendous company, and you should absolutely go check out their upcoming SKETCHBOOK festival.

Finally: we’d like to thank the record-breaking number of people who came out to the party, and everyone who has been listening to the show, whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or are a brand new fan.  Your continued support means so much to us, and the chance to celebrate the project with you was amazing.

So.  Season Four is under way, episodes are going up on the website, and the MolePeople have had a recommended 8 hours of rest.  And tonight?  Tonight, we hold our first writer’s meeting for Season Five.

See you in the tunnels,

Vice Presidents Gardner and Faits

• Vice President Davenport —Ben Aldred
• Jenny— Marsha Harman
• Josh— David Rheinstrom
• The Voice of HartLife— Jeffrey Gardner

Written by Clayton Faits. Narration written and performed by Ansel Burch. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Illustration by Jess Cwik. Produced by David Rheinstrom.  Created by Clayton Faits.

We’ll be presenting “The Archibald Funnypants Variety Hour,” a late night Johnny Carson-style show set in the world of HartLife (or, if you like: a Corporate-Compliant Garrison Keeler) featuring skits, commercials, musical guests, and everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic Radio Host: Archibald Funnypants!

Commitment will involve a moderate rehearsal schedule in August of 2013 and three performances in early September.  Performances will be in an un-announced venue in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood.

We’ll be looking especially for someone with great organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.  Cue-calling experience is not mandatory, as this is a show with relatively few external sound or lighting cues.

There is a small honorarium/stipend attached to this position.

If interested, please send your resume to ourfaircityradio@gmail.com.

See you in the tunnels,

Vice President Gardner

I’ve been posting for the last couple of days (weeks, really) about “the War of the Worlds.”  It’s a piece of art that has occupied an interesting space in my brain for some time– I think I was first exposed to the story some time in middle school, in comic book form.  I remember a very distinct gamut of emotions–shock, horror, fear, awe—running through my body after the first attack, against the delegation with the white flag: how could an enemy be so casually destructive to an obviously non-threatening and peaceful mission?  The Martians might have been my first exposure to an enemy that was uncaring rather than evil, destructive instead of diabolical.  This exposure to unconcerned (and perhaps more frighteningly, unreasonable) violence was deeply affecting, and probably went on to shape my love for things like HP Lovecraft, et cetera.

I’ll admit, though, that as I grew older, I became disenchanted with the story.  Phrases like “clumsy deus ex machina,” “unclear story,” and “whygothroughthewholestorywhenweknowitsjustthecommoncoldthatwinsintheendanyway” spring to mind.  I was disappointed in the structure—if a disease, without human intervention or agency, was going to defeat the martians, why did I have to sit through the whole narrative?

I think I understand a little better now. I understand because I finally listened to it.

I’d never taken in the “War of the Worlds” in the form that most people know–as a radio broadcast.  A week or so ago, I downloaded Radio Drama Revival’s episode 319, which includes David Ossman’s 50th Anniversary “War of the Worlds” broadcast.  Yesterday, I listened to it as I walked through downtown Chicago, and with the hubub and bustle of the busy Loop crowd around me, I began to weep, as the plaintive “2X2L calling CQ.  2X2L, calling CQ.  New York?  Isn’t there anyone on the air?  Isn’t there…2X2L, Calling CQ.  2X2L, calling CQ.” repeated again and again in my ears.

I think we may be too used to winning in our narrative fiction, especially in Science Fiction.  The odds are stacked, the enemy is undefeatable, but don’t worry–here comes Jeff Goldblum with a computer virus that will bring everything crashing down. Even in our apocalyptic fiction, we never really believe the heroes might lose.  There will be massive destruction, but human ingenuity, steel-eyed resolve, and our hero’s love for their girl back home will lead them to make the crucial sacrifice, find the hidden answer, or wend their way into the center of the labyrinth and save the day in one massive stroke.

I think that’s what makes the War of the Worlds so amazing: we don’t win.  We lose.  We lose hard, and it isn’t a plucky Jon Connor rising up with time travel and rail guns who pulls humanity away from the brink: it’s dumb luck, chance, and biology.  We, as a species, have no control over our fate.  We go into the battle overconfident, remarking that “[this] almost looks like war!”–and effort after effort is repulsed.  We don’t even scratch the Martians: we’re totally helpless.  And sure–in the end, humanity survives- but I think what is so perfect about the ending is that in the midst of the celebration, the children playing, in the mounting and displaying of the broken tripods: we know that our survival is utterly un-earned, and is no less fragile or temporary than the day the Martians landed.

I think this is a story we desperately need to hear, especially as Americans.  There will come a time, and I think quite soon, when America will lose.  If the current climatological predictions are right, humanity as a whole will lose.  Hard.  We will be knocked to our knees, then flat on our faces, then drowned in the rising waters as our planet’s environment spirals into a completely new form.  It is terrifying, and enormous, and absolutely impossible to avert with last-ditch heroics.

We need to listen to the War of the Worlds because we’ve been a country on top of the heap for a long time, and I’m so scared that it makes us feel like we are invincible.  We’ve managed to control so many things for so long through military and economic might, but we’ve got challenges coming up where all of our old, conventional tactics will fail.

So.  If you haven’t already, go listen to the War of the Worlds–either the original version or the 50th Anniversary edition.  Keep your ears open for the 75th Anniversary Competition, and if you’re an audio producer, go make something. This is an important story. I needed to hear it:, and who knows: you might need to as well.

See you in the tunnels,
Jeffrey Gardner

If you’re joining us for the first time after reading his review, welcome!  Stay awhile, find us on facebook, leave us a comment saying hello—you know the drill.
From Radio Drama Reviews:

“Suffice to say that, while the series is ostensibly set in the future, its roots lie firmly in the past; more specifically in the old-time radio serials (which later migrated to the cinema) that held audiences spellbound in the midst of the previous century.  If you like that kind of radio fare, then you’ll loveOur Fair City.“

 

Read the full review here!

In response to the recent power shortages caused by the tragic loss of our lightning collection vessel Stormhawk, Vice president Davenport cordially requires your presence at a teambuilding retreat on Saturday, May 11th.The agenda will include class four refreshments, corporate-approved musical selections, and opportunities for you, the good policies of HartLife, to show your support for the company in this time of scarcity. While not technically mandatory, policies are strongly encouraged to donate Fifteen of their discretionary credits at the door. Corporate attire encouraged.

THE BASICS:

Our Fair City’s Season Four Launch Party!
at Collaboraction’s Room 300
Flat Iron Arts Building: 1579 W Milwaukee
Chicago, IL

Featuring screenings of brand new episodes of the award winning sci-fi audiodrama Our Fair City

Complimentary Food and Refreshments
Custom Libations mixed by Mark Harrison
Sonic Design by DJ Catnip
Lighting Design by Brianna Johnson
Appearances by VP Davenport
Photobooth by Sebastian Orr Photography and Jenna Braunstein Photography
Silent Auction

$15 Suggested Donation
All proceeds go towards supporting the audiodrama Our Fair City