Radio Scripts

Package 77
March 2006

The Long Dry Season: A Tale of Greed and Resourcefulness

Using and Adapting the Drama Scripts

A guide for using drama scripts

(adapted from March 2003 Voices)

Farm radio broadcasts are intended to be informative and educational. But radio must also be interesting and entertaining. That's a challenge that we face every time we step up to the microphone.

Sometimes, radio drama is the answer. Drama provides a framework to help listeners understand how certain attitudes and behaviours shape everyday events. Through drama, listeners connect with characters and their struggles - and become involved in finding solutions to the characters' conflicts and challenges.

There is much more to producing a radio drama than reading from a script. Here are some important things to consider when bringing radio dramas to life:

Find the right actors. You don't need professional or experienced actors to produce a successful radio drama. Try to find willing volunteers through theatre groups in your area, or at local schools and community centres. Also, consider casting people you know who are natural speakers and would be willing to participate. When casting roles, it is important that you find voices that are clearly distinct from one another to provide texture in the production and to avoid confusion for the audience. Avoid casting based on what you see and pay attention to the actors' ability to convey action and emotion through what you hear.
Practice, practice, practice. It is important for your actors and studio technicians to feel comfortable with their cues, and to develop appropriate timing and pacing for the drama. When you have chosen your actors, ask them to read through the script together, in advance, so that everyone will be comfortable with their lines. Discuss with them ways to adapt the script to suit their needs and change awkward wording. The cast should have additional rehearsals to develop natural conversational tones and timing. When you feel everyone is ready, assemble them together to rehearse in the recording studio. This will help you plan how equipment such as microphones will be shared, and how to limit unnecessary noise (such as ruffling of script pages).
Plan sound effects. Though package 77 contains cues for sound effects, you may wish to adapt these cues for your audience and local situation. While you can add a lot to a drama script by using sound effects to set the scene or suggest an action, you must plan carefully. You might be tempted to use so many effects that your audience will become confused. Keep effects simple, consistent and easily identifiable.
Use music. Use the instructions in these scripts to guide your choice of music. Music in radio dramas can be very useful as a simple transitional device. A clear, uncomplicated melody can be very effective. Perhaps you can find musicians in your community who are willing to participate in your production.
Prepare the studio. Whether you are recording the drama in advance or broadcasting live, you will need to set up your studio. If you have enough equipment, position each of your main characters at their own microphone. Minor characters can share a microphone. If you have just one microphone, instruct the actors to step back when they are not involved in a particular scene or when they do not speak for several lines. Actors should feel comfortable with their microphones and should practise projection as well. Usually, a regular conversational volume and tone will be appropriate, but you can also convey distance between characters by placing them away from the microphone. Pay attention to the instructions in this package, e.g., "OFF MIC", "COMING ON", etc. Work out ways to limit background noise on the recording. If possible, place scripts on stands to avoid the sound of paper shuffling. Practise with actors to limit heavy breathing, coughing or footsteps.
Put it all together. The easiest way to record a radio drama is in "real-time", when everything is performed - including sound effects and music - without interruptions. This allows for a more natural feeling and momentum to come through on your final product. The energy and spontaneity of everyone being "kept on their toes" will contribute to the recording as well. If mistakes are made during the drama - keep going (especially if you're on air!). If you are recording, you can go back to the opening of the line and retake the dialogue after you have reached the end of the scene.
The final product. If you recorded the drama, and you have the necessary equipment, you can edit in retakes and edit out pauses and distracting noises. In all stages of production, you should pay close attention to what you hear rather than what you see. Try closing your eyes occasionally to focus on what works well and what should be changed.

Remember - a successful radio drama allows your audience to picture what they are listening to and imagine that they are right in the middle of the action. As you can see, you don't need professional actors or special equipment to tell a good story. With good planning, teamwork and imagination, you will be able to bring your scripts to life.

Broadcasters aren't expected to be technical experts on subjects they broadcast

Broadcasters are first and foremost communicators, not subject matter experts. In other words, broadcasters, with few exceptions, do not have the technical knowledge to answer detailed questions about desertification or other subjects, nor should they be expected to. But it is useful for broadcasters to know where to find this kind of information. This knowledge is useful both because it will support their efforts to develop better programming, and because it will help them direct listeners to accurate and up-to-date information.

Appendix I offers some general guidance on what kinds of organizations to contact for technical questions about the script content. For this package, you can also consult the original ten scripts (41-1, 42-6, 42-8, 43-8, 44-1, 44-2, 44-8, 45-2, 45-7, 75-4) on which the present drama is based, which are all posted on DCFRN's website. We have also included some drawings in Appendix II which illustrate some of the land conservation methods used by characters in the drama.

Tips for adapting package 77 for broadcasters with limited resources

While large stations may have the staff, resources and skills to mount a production of these multi-character dramas, smaller stations may need some help in adapting the dramas to their capacities. Thus, while we offer the following suggestions for using and adapting the dramas to all partners, they are directed in particular to broadcasters at smaller radio stations.

Pool your resources with other radio stations and/or interested organizations in your region or country. Serial radio dramas can be expensive and time-consuming to produce, and this can help small stations to make the best use of limited resources. Together, you may find it easier to hire the actors and translators, research the local content, organize the production, and do all the other things required to produce the 13 episodes. Mounting a serial radio drama might be a perfect opportunity to practice fundraising. There are potential funders for projects which combine popular entertainment with important development messages. Appendix III provides Internet addresses for documents which list possible funders, and offer tips on fundraising.
A second idea is to collaborate with a local theatre group to produce the dramas. It might be a good idea to find a theatre group which aims to promote environmental and social goals such as land conservation and community development.
Thirdly, you could read through the drama and consider which episodes might tell a stand-alone story, or which could be condensed and adapted as shorter dramas. If handled correctly, a narrator can cover some of the actions in multi-character dramas, with actors voicing the parts of the two or three major characters.
We are including what is termed a "design document" which was created by ARDA for package 77 as Appendix IV. This version of the design document is a greatly summarized version of the document which ARDA created to guide writing the 13 episodes of the drama. Stations with little or no funds can use this document to produce shorter dramas, for example dramas with two characters and a strong narrator who tells the stories as they are in the design document. The two-person cast can then improvise short dramatic dialogues and action from time to time. With effective rehearsals, this could be produced live or recorded quickly using an edit-free style when the studio is available. If you wish to use the design document to create scripts with the desertification messages featured in package 77, please consult the original Network scripts on which the serial is based. It will be important to clearly write out the farming methods mentioned in any episode so that the actors can read these descriptions, even though the rest of their dialogue is improvised.

These are just a few ideas; you will probably come up with many more yourself! And, remember, Network partners are the real broadcasting experts, so please don't hesitate to approach other partners with questions or suggestions about adapting this package to your needs and capacities. Please visit our website to see who our partners are. If you would like contact info for a partner, contact Blythe McKay at bmckay@farmradio.org. Remember - as always with DCFRN scripts, don't forget to add local content and local expressions whenever possible.

Information sources

Brooke, Pamela. (1995) Communicating Through Story Characters. Boston: University Press of America.
Center for Communications Programs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Entertainment-Education Resources.
Crook, Tim. (1999) Radio Drama: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge.
Crook, Tim. Principles of Radio Drama.
De Fossard, Esta. (1996) How to Write a Radio Serial Drama for Social Development
De Fossard, Esta. (1998) How to Design and Produce Radio Serial Drama for Social Development - A Station Manager's Guide.
McLeish, Robert. (1999) Radio Production. Fourth Edition. Oxford: Focal Press.
Proceedings, 4th International Entertainment Education Conference, September 2004, South Africa.