National Audio Theatre Festival

The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. (NATF) is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and special effects, audio playwriting and podcasting, and more. The workshop is helmed by professionals in the field and is frequently held in the small city of West Plains, Missouri.

The last day of the festival is a live performance of audio drama, carried over local television and radio, as well as streamed live over the internet. The night's entertainment includes original radio plays performed by attendees, and a short workshop play written and produced by first-time conference participants.

Many participants of the National Audio Theatre Festivals' Audio Theatre Workshop have notable careers in the audio arts, such as Yuri Rasovsky, Audie-nominated producer Sue Zizza, Richard Fish (producer and frequent collaborator with Firesign Theatre), Tom Lopez (producer and founder of ZBS), and Lance Roger Axt. Groups which frequently participate or support the NATF mission include the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, Firesign Theatre, ZBS Foundation, the Williamette Radio Theatre, and many more. Among the board of directors and advisors are experienced professionals and luminaries such as Norman Corwin. The host for the 2009 conference was audiobook narrator and actress Kathy Garver, who also taught a master class in voice acting, with notable voice actor and announcer Corey Burton linked in by satellite for a special discussion.

History

The National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. evolved from its predecessor, the Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop. In 1979, a number of radio theater enthusiasts, based around community radio station KOPN, decided to stage a teaching workshop on the radio arts.^[1] The host was Jim Jordan, of Fibber McGee and Molly fame, and also included Firesign Theatre regulars David Ossman and Peter Bergman (comedian).^[2]

For twenty years, this five-day workshop continued under the MRTW name. In 2001, the National Audio Theatre Festivals became the new sponsor of this weeklong event and workshop.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Richard Fish, "Genesis and Renaissance: A Brief History of Radio Theater", http://lodestonecatalog.com/downloads/AudioTheatre_History.PDF
2. ^ Interview with Richard Fish, Firezine #2, http://www.firezine.net/issue2/fz2_08.htm

External links

• The National Audio Theatre Festivals website
• Podcast of 2009 NATF live performances
• Twitter feed for NATF
• "Avian Invasion," a 2007 play and podcast created by first-time students at the NATF, and published by the Missouri Review