Barnaby Druthers and the Ghost of William Terriss. A return to the classic case files of Barnaby Druthers in the Victorian era in London. A fictionalized account based on true events, the listener is invited into the Viscountess’ parlor to hear a story that requires Barnaby and Irene to investigate elements of the world of the supernatural.
There are three “station stops” on the Nutmeg Junction trolley for this episode.
LISTEN HERE!
SYNOPSIS:
The first feature: Fanny and Fred and the Telephone Company. Your friends and mine Fanny and Fred from Locust Hollow have to contend with reaching a live person at the telephone company in this all too real scenario!
Starring Jandi Hanna and Jeff Savage as Fanny and Fred with Laurel Briggs, Kurt Boucher, Lana Peck and J. Timothy Quirk
The second feature: Thank Your Lucky Stars hosted by Jack Sheedy with Robert C. Fullerton. In What’s Kazoo With You, the world’s greatest kazoo club of Syracuse, NY entertain and inform. Starring Jack Sheedy and Robert C. Fullerton with Kurt Boucher, Olivia Wadsworth, David Robinson and Jandi Hanna
Finally the third feature is the first Nutmeg Junction “short” entitled “The Choice” starring Laurel Briggs and J. Timothy Quirk
CREDITS
Nutmeg Junction Episode 219 was written, created and produced by J. Timothy Quirk (c)2019 and recorded at WAPJ Torrington Community Radio
Nutmeg Junction performed full shows live for the very first time on 4/27/2019 at the Center on Main in Falls Village, CT. This is the audio of part two of the evening where the audio theater team performed 3 episodes
In part two our guest conductor for this episode was Mariel who acted in a prior Nutmeg Junction episode as “the doll” in our “Brady Bunch” homage of the Space-y Squad.
Our first story celebrates our “detective” characters all meeting and interacting for the very first time.
There’s Inspector Trompe-Loeil (Jandi Hanna), Harriet Holmes (Olivia Wadsworth), Nathaniel (Kurt Boucher) and Netta (Lana Peck) Chance, Daring Darling Darly (Deborah Goodman) and characters from other stories including Red Herring (Jeff Savage) and mention of Packa Dermy Poo, and Lenny Snitchwell (Jack Sheedy).
Rich Cyr portrays the librarian and also portrays…himself in a conversation with the Conductor, Conrad Sienkiewicz. Phil Hall portrays the Adman.
The second story we ran was a Doc Keen short which was heavy into audience participation.
I decided for the audio of this show to put in the recording of the live “Thank Your Lucky Stars” story with Olivia Wadsworth as the world’s greatest audio theater magician on Jack Sheedy’s talk show-thank your lucky stars. It features wonderful piano by Robert C. Fullerton and Deborah Goodman as “the volunteer.
All stories were written by J. Timothy Quirk
Next post will be Part 3, the conclusion of the Live show!
Nutmeg Junction introduces Fanny and Fred. Down in Locust Hollow, Fanny and Fred make their way in this modern world. Today’s story: The Big Box Store!
Then we continue the journey of the Salisbury crew with another installment of Space Sentries: The Additional Lineage in The Vector Theorem!
SHOW NOTES
Inspired by comedy duo programs like Lum and Abner, we wanted to introduce characters portrayed by Jeff Savage and Jandi Hanna into our lineup of Junction characters. The story was directly inspired by a trip I had to a store not unlike “Value Fun”. I walked home from the store and wrote out the story that day.
We also introduce the character of “Rich Cyr” which is wonderful because we also have Rich Cyr as a cast member of Nutmeg Junction. Having Rich jump in to the ad was a lot of fun and we have done more of this since. Rich has told me this is his favorite character to play!
CREDITS
Nutmeg Junction was written, created and produced by J. Timothy Quirk (c)2019.
The program was recorded at WAPJ Torrington Community Radio
Fanny and Fred and the Big Box Store
Jandi Hanna as Fanny
Jeff Savage as Fred
Olivia Wadsworth as Customer
Kurt Boucher as Store Manager
Lana Peck as Store Clerk
Dan Willey as the Announcer
Rich Cyr as himself
The theme music to Fanny and Fred was written created and performed by Kurt Boucher (c)2019 and used with permission.
Space Sentries: The Additional Lineage: Vector Theorem Part 3
Rich Cyr as Ensign Puffle
Kurt Boucher as Admiral Alx
Phil Hall Admiral Complication
Jeff Savage as Space Brigand 2
Lana Peck as Space Brigand 3
Olivia Wadsworth as Ace Grimsely
Jandi Hanna as Lieutenant Machinery
Dan Willey as the Announcer
The theme music to Space Sentries was written created and performed by Robert C. Fullerton and used with permission (c)2019
Introducing Malcolm MacDuff: Theatre Detective. Jeff Savage stars in the title role and with his faithful associate Concord (Dan Willey) investigates a plot that occurs within a Shakespeare Festival.
Then we continue the Space Sentries: Additional Lineage story The Vector Theorem Part II. On the Salisbury, Ensign Puffle, (Rich Cyr), Lieutenant Laurel Yanny (Lana Peck) and Security Chief Ace Grimsely (Olivia Wadsworth) must deal with the Space Brigand invasion (Robert C. Fullerton and Jeff Savage) with the assistance of Admiral Alx (Kurt Boucher) and Hologram Admiral Complication (Phil Hall).
LISTEN HERE:
SHOW NOTES
One of the original ideas for Nutmeg Junction that I had yet to write was the Theatre Detective, a Detective that played in to the Theatre tropes of backstage shenanigans. with puns galore.
I finally had the opportunity to write the script and put, if not every Shakespeare pun, certainly everyone I could think of.
We then continued the story of Space Sentries. I asked which actors would be available and then tailored the second part of the story to include those characters.
CREDITS
Nutmeg Junction was written, created and produced by J. Timothy Quirk (c) 2019
The program was recorded at WAPJ Torrington Community Radio and is available to all
community radio stations.
Malcolm MacDuff Theatre Detective starred
Jeff Savage as Malcolm MacDuff
Dan Willey as Concord
Kurt Boucher as The Director
Olivia Wadsworth as Tamora
Rich Cyr as Nick Bottom
Lana Peck as the Prop Master.
and Robert C. Fullerton as Sampson
Malcolm MacDuff Theme Song written, performed by Robert C. Fullerton (c) 2019
Nutmeg Junction Theme Song written, performed by Robert C. Fullerton (c) 2019
Space Sentries: The Additional Lineage= The Vector Theorem part two
Starring:
Jeff Savage as Space Brigand II
Robert C. Fullerton as Space Brigand I
Dan Willey as the Narrator
Kurt Boucher as Admiral Alx
Olivia Wadsworth as Ace Grimsely
Rich Cyr as Ensign Puffle
Lana Peck as the Laurel Yanny
For Nutmeg Junction Season 2 Episode 11, (episode 211) we present the conclusion of the Professor A: Adjunct Professor to the Multiverse story “Dean of Death Part II”. Starring Lana Peck as Professor A, Kurt Boucher as Dr. Robere and Tiffy McKay as Ms. Gentry, the program also stars Jeff Savage in an extraordinary performance as Dean Hewland, also dubbed the Dean of Death!
Added to the program is “A Case of a Little Light Murder”, a Nathaniel and Netta Chance mystery.
In prior episodes of our “new” old time radio audio-theater program Nutmeg Junction, we presented the concept of “Space Sentries” which pays homage to the classic sci-fi programs of the golden age of radio. We take the concept into the future in this mockumentary where we imagine Space Sentries as a program that has been updated decades later and the amazing concept they come up with..is that the crew is older.
Rejoin Puffle and Commander (now Admiral) Alx, and Admiral Complication (now Hologram Admiral Complication) and the new crew as they discuss the adventures of the Starship Salisbury! Let’s hope the new team can keep control of the ship!
Season 2: Episode 9.
Listen HERE!
Show notes:
The original concept of Space Sentries was to pay homage to the sci-fi golden age radio programs of old-especially one program in particular that seemed to use sci-fi jargon instead of great sound effects to indicate it was a space program. Having done multiple episodes with characters Ensign Puffle and Commander Alx with Admiral Complication, we expanded the “universe” to include First Op Gillard, Lieutenant Laurel Yannie (which by now is a dated reference which makes it funnier for us), Beautician Jenny Snips, Doctor Wolfe (whose catch phrase is “Oops”), Ace Grimsely and of course the seemingly mythological enemies;the Galaxons.
The conceit of this “update” is to bring the show forward into the future, and by our standards, bringing it up to 1987. We introduce new characters like Captain Hudson, Lieutenant Fields, Murph, Lieutenant Machinery and a producer and a writer for the program.
This was one of our largest groups recording a show so we took shifts to make sure we could do it right. Kurt Boucher (Commander-now Admiral Alx) was under the weather so he recorded his lines at home and we dubbed him in.
Everyone had the script for the mockumentary portion. When we arrived for the rehearsal/recording, I provided the short “The Vector Theorem” which we recorded immediately thereafter.
We may create MORE Space Sentries stories in the future depending on the availability and interest of the cast but if you have any comments on it, feel free to share!
Credits
Written/created and produced by J. Timothy Quirk (c)2019
Space Sentries Theme Song (1 and 2) written and created and performed by Robert C. Fullerton (c) 2019
Episode 28 features an HP Lovecraft inspired story written by Lana Peck, the Corpse Conductor written and performed by Josh Newey and The Snarflepoofs return!
The Corpse Conductor introduces us to the stories and provides a wonderful bookend to the episode. For the third and final installment of Nightmare Junction (The October Halloween episodes) Josh brings it home for us and deserved a week off to rest the vocal chords!
The Call of the Trolley is the first full story segment written by a cast member and it’s wonderful. Created by Lana Peck, it was pitched at the time we were discussing ideas for the Nightmare Junction stories. David Robinson was cast to portray the character (a stand-in for Lovecraft) and Lana’s script gives two nods to two prior Nutmeg Junction stories.
We then conclude with Snarflepoofs-Snarfleween, the mandatory holiday special. Snarflepoofs are “America’s Most Recent Toy Branded Children’s Entertainment Product” and the idea makes fun of the types of shows that only serve to sell toys by having stories and situations that actually discuss concepts of substance. So Snarfleween allows us to talk about climate change and the environment by talking about an Apple bobbing competition all while the characters maintain their philosophical inclinations. We introduce Nick Bourne into the Junction team. Nick and Lana had worked together under the direction of Keith Paul for a staged reading show at the Warner! (note: I had the opportunity to work for Keith in a staged reading many years ago with, among many others, Lana and Kurt Boucher!) Nick will return next week with two roles as he acts in both story segments we present!
Once again, Jandi Hanna is the narrator for the Snarfle-poofs and has a few fun commercials for “Flattread Tires” and “Greedymine Bottled Water”. Melissa Gabehart returns as “Sneetchey” (Nietzsche) and Jeff Savage is Plato! The first joke in this story pays homage to a famous Jack Benny line (we just did it in our own way). Kurt is Renny (Rene Descartes), Olivia is Wollstonecraft and Lana is Simone. We decided not to keep the “Princess” joke going as it had been done already and it would be cumbersome to continue it. The actors like these roles so much, we might have to do a Thanksgiving special, a “not as loved as Halloween or Christmas but still mandatory viewing holiday special”. And Rich Cyr becomes a Snarflepoof-which one? Listen to find out!
Nutmeg Junction: Nightmare Junction Special #3
Was directed by J. Timothy Quirk and recorded at WAPJ Torrington Community Radio
The Corpse Conductor was written by and starred Josh Newey
A delayed trolley allows a father and son to reconnect over the memories of Saturday morning cartoons.
Jeff Savage and David Macharelli as “Dad and Jake” in “Looking Forward to It”
Jeff Savage and David Macharelli helm this featured episode hearkening back to when Saturday mornings were meant for a bowl of cereal and cartoons on the television. The story is really a contemplation about “time”. Starting out the second half of our inaugural season of audio-theater, Nutmeg Junction presents an episode that takes the anthology series to a different level.
Director Jandi Hanna, Lana Peck and Kurt Boucher in “Looking Forward to It”
Directed by Jandi Hanna (her prior directorial work for the show was episode 18 “Battle of Elsenorift”) this talented cast all have moments in the spotlight.
MUSIC
Of particular interest for this show is the music. Robert C. Fullerton, the official troubadour of Nutmeg Junction show, creates a special theme for Packy-Dermy-Poo, our miniature Elephant mystery.
Kurt Boucher created an ode to tort law the way “schoolhouse’ style public service announcements might present the topic with contributions by Lana Peck and Nicole Boucher.
Lana Peck and Mik Walker’s 1998 “Jellybean Stomp” was the perfect theme for the SNARFLEPOOFS!
And apologies all around to anyone who has the “Snarfleday Song” still stuck in their heads. It was created and performed on guitar by J. Timothy Quirk and sung by the whole cast.
STORIES
Regarding the main story:
Jake and his father speak with an understanding of the other’s knowledgebase and not everything said is spoken with words. During rehearsal we discussed where the father was going and why and the performance by Jeff Savage and David Macharelli demonstrated deep insight into the characters. As the writer, I’m incredibly proud of this piece and thrilled it came to life the way it did.
Regarding Snarflepoofs 1 and 2
It seemed there was a time when cartoons were created specifically to sell a line of toys. I won’t go into specific names. But whenever there was a large troupe of characters in a cartoon, it was usually (it seemed) because they were selling figures of each character and the cartoon was completely secondary to that effort. The cartoons usually told some generic and forgettable “lesson” about “friendship” or “sharing” or “being nice”. I thought it would be funny if a cartoon was used to teach something a lot greater, like general philosophy. So that’s the idea of how Snaflepoofs was created. We make references to Rene Descartes (Day Cart says, “call me Cogito!” Plato (who wants to go into my cave and stare at the wall?” and Nietche (Sneetchey steals the show here-nice work by new addition to the team “Melissa Gabehart”)
The song for the holiday song just made me laugh. It’s three chords, generic and infectious. During editing I added in the jinglebells, then expanded the guitar-work to fit the narration so that at the end of each narrated segment, we came back to the refrain.
The largest segment of the show is Packy-Dermy-Poo, the homage to the “teen mystery solvers with an animal” genre. The story nearly wrote itself. I enjoyed immensely the idea of a character specifically named Redmond Herring (red herring). Packy Dermy Poo may be a one-off parody but I loved the laughter at the end and included it in the audio. It fits within the framework of the cartoon but it also demonstrates the fun we have creating Nutmeg Junction.
Mister Tort Law is wonderful, a creation from the mind of Kurt Boucher. I reached out to the musical cast members about what they wanted to create for the show, giving free reign. Kurt came up with the idea of teaching the concepts of torts in the PSA format. Fantastic. We may do an entire tort episode and base it in Winsted where the American Museum of Tort Law is located and we’ll use that song again.
We had a separate PSA that was non-musical and was a parody of the “ad for a TV disguised as a PSA but instead of saying a generic lesson, we taught Einstein’s law of relativity. It was a good idea but there was no time for it once the foley was added to the other segments during editing.
CREDITS
EPISODE 20: LOOKING FORWARD TO IT”
Written, created and produced by J. Timothy Quirk (c) 2018
recorded at WAPJ in Torrington, CT
Directed by Jandi Hanna
Starring Jeff Savage as Dad in the main story, Plato in Snarflepoofs, Redmond Herring in Packy Dermy Poo
David Macharelli as Jake in the main story, Day Cart in Snarflepoofs and Chuck in Packy Dermy Poo
Kurt Boucher as Mister Tortlaw, Renny in Snarflepoofs and Simon in Packy Dermy Poo
Nicole Boucher as Mister Tortlaw’s friend
Rich Cyr as Beau in Packy Dermy Poo
Mellisa Gabehart as the Passenger, as Sneetchey in Snarflepoofs
Jandi Hanna the narrator in Snarflepoofs and Professor Culpritt in Packy Dermy Poo
Lana Peck as Chum in Mister Tort Law, Princess Simone in Snarflepoofs and Val in Packy Dermy Poo
Olivia Wadsworth as Princess Wollstonecraft in Snarflepoofs and Kristine in Packy Dermy Poo
Nutmeg Junction 