STRANGERS IN PARADISE--The Audio Drama (and a little something else)! Update 9/29

Good day, friends!  We’re edging up on my favorite time of year, and also my busiest, as I go through my annual Halloween Horrorfest (this year benefiting a slew of charities, including Black Lives Matter; go to dejasdomicile.blogspot.com for more details).  But that doesn’t mean the Audio Train stops!

This past Sunday, the Ocadecagonagon Theater Works had their first recording session.  The first episode of our adaptation of Strangers In Paradise is in the can, even with temporary internet problems!  Our talented cast, who literally are located all across America, came together to bring Terry Moore’s classic to life.  And not only did we get that episode in the can, we had fun!

We do have a tentative premiere date, which we will announce once we get some more episodes in the can...but let’s say you might have something else to do on Black Friday for a change....


Oh, and we also did something else that will be released very shortly.  We came up with the idea of giving everyone a preview of what’s in store in the future, so I adapted a horror story from the 1951 Fiction House comic Ghosts, and Chris Honeywell did it up like an old-school radio program.  So keep an eye out next month for our first Public Domain Comics Theater: Flee The Phantoms.  Please go the the Two True Freaks Network when it comes out and hear what Eugene R. Hendricks, David Ellis, Vanessa Van Zerr, Brad Oxnam, Anna Crawford, Nicole Thomte, Lauren A. Kennedy (whose horror film, Horror House LLC, will be featured during the Horrorfest!), Femmie London, Amy Riddle, special guest Witney Seibold and Chis and I can do!


(And we had so much fun doing this, we’re going to do more!)

Please keep an eye on this blog for more information on present and upcoming projects...and write us at Ocadecagonagon@gmail.com if you’d like to submit voice reels or be a part of the Theater Works in some other way!

MEET OUR DAVID...AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR COMPANY

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Riley Maness in the role of David.

Director Thomas Deja says, “David is such a complex character, with so many things going on both internally and externally.  In Book One, he’s sort of in the background...but he’s connected by so many threads to all of our major players.  In many ways, he’s the fulcrum that drives much of the drama in Terry’s masterpiece.  We need a very versatile actor capable of handling the many shifts, and I think we found him.”

Riley Maness is Texas-born and Georgia raised, now residing in Athens, Georgia as a full-time college student, He found his way into voice acting back in March. He has a deep relationship with the arts, having performed as an actor, musician and comedian in his hometown for several years, and continued with improv and music at college. Voice acting came along and added itself to the expanding performance outlets he chooses from. When not performing, you can find him playing obscure board games or binging all the B rate horror films he can get his hands on.

“I'm ecstatic to have the chance to bring David to life,” Riley says.  “Getting to play complex characters is always a joy; even more so when you get complex relations like the love triangle/rectangle of him with Francine, Katchoo and Casey. I'm eager to get into his backstory and show people who he is!”

OTW is also proud to add the voice talents of David Ellis (left)and Vanessa Van Zerr (right) to our Repertory Company.  David and Vanessa will be giving life to the short term characters along with Gene Hendricks and Chris Powell.  

Production of Book One will begin later this month, with an intended release date of this holiday season.  Please check in to this blog and on social media for future news and possible projects!

YOU MIGHT WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS....

Click the graphic below!

MEET OUR TAMBI

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Amy Riddle in the role of Tambi.

“When she first appears in Terry Moore’s epic, Tambi just seems to be Darcy Parker’s right hand muscle...but as we go further, we realize that this formidable figure has an agenda of her own...and a connection to one of our heroines that runs deeper than just criminal fascination,”   Director Thomas Deja explains.  “When Amy auditioned for Katchoo, I detected a steeliness that I imagine Tambi would have....a voice that implies control and intelligence that may very well be the true danger rather than her impressive physicality.  It turns out she really liked the character, so I suspect there was fate playing a hand here.”

Amy Riddle fell in love with Strangers in Paradise while recovering from having her appendix out. New to voice acting, she can’t think of a better project to start with. A dabbler of many things, Amy spends most of her time hanging out with her kids, playing WoW, and working in her comic book store.

“Tambi is one of the most guarded characters in S.I.P. She would totally clean up in a poker tournament,” Amy says about her role. “She can be your best friend or your worst nightmare, and at times you never know which one it is. I look forward to giving her a voice.”

More news is forthcoming, including casting and other goodies.

MEET OUR FREDDIE

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Brad Oxnam in the role of Freddie Femur.

“I’ve referred to Freddie as ‘The Most Annoying Man In Comics,” Director Thomas Deja explains, “and he is essential to this work because he’s like the pebble in your shoe.  He isn’t a real threat, unlike Darcy or Tambi, but he’s always there irritating and inhibiting you as you move forward.  The impulse is to play him totally for laughs, not taking into account how seriously messed up he is.  Brad is able to walk that fine line with his performance between comic relief and a realistic obstacle in Francine’s journey of discovery.”

Brad Oxnam is an actor/director/voice actor from Nashville, TN, by way of Texas and Mississippi. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Southern Mississippi, and has worked in regional commercials, independent films, and regional stages, namely with The Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Watershed Public Theatre, and Street Theatre Company. A strong character actor with a knack for comedy, his vocal stylings have been featured prominently on The Inexplicable Dumb Show and BOOM: A Serial Drama Podcast. A fan of animation and comics since childhood, Brad has followed Terry Moore's work since discovering SiP in the late '90's.
 

He is presently working on a virtual performance of Charlotte’s Web, starting on September 14th of this year.

"I'm over the moon to bring Freddie Femur to life,” Brad says.  “It's fun to play characters who are not only funny, but allow you to stretch yourself in exploring a different personality from your own.”

Brad does add, however, “Hopefully, Freddie doesn't affect me too much - my wife would hate me!"

Keep an eye on this space for more information as we edge closer to bringing Terry Moore’s beloved characters to life!

MEET OUR KATCHOO!

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Lauren A. Kennedy in the role of Katchoo.

“Lauren was the first person to read for Katchoo....and a lot of people read for her,” Director Thomas Deja said.  “And her reading was always in my head throughout the screening process.  But it was when I had her read with Nicole that I saw the chemistry we need between our two leads, so I offered her the role on the spot.”

Lauren is a film actor living in Brooklyn, NY. Her love of acting was sparked when she heard Judy Garland sing ‘Over the Rainbow.’ Recent film credits include the indie feature film Meme, the found-footage sleeper hit Hell House LLC, and the PBS documentary 1971, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. When not acting, she is probably playing Dungeons and Dragons (level 17 knowledge cleric & level 5 tabaxi rogue) working out, honing her Bop-It Extreme skills, watering her insane plant collection, or listening to the My Favorite Murder podcast.

“I’m looking forward to bringing such an iconic badass to life!” Lauren says about her character. “Katchoo is loyal and sweet (deep down) and way cooler than I am. I can’t wait to see what she teaches me. It’s an honor to be working on a project that has such a fan base thanks to the amazing work and imagination of Terry Moore.”

Keep an eye on this blog for more announcement, including the full cast list and....maybe a lil’ tease.

MEET OUR CASEY!

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Femmie London in the role of Casey.

“Casey may seem like a punchline to a joke made in the very first episode when we first meet her,” director Thomas Deja says about the role, “but she’s actually one of the strongest characters in the series, being a pillar of support and a resource for Francine, Katchoo and David throughout their journeys.  And when you find out her somewhat dark back story, it makes her absolute sunniness and positivity all the more impressive.  It was very important to me to find the right voice actor to represent her.”

Femmie London is, and shall always be, a huge dork. With not a practical bone in her body, the sequin clad, pink haired bard can be found singing songs at various venues in and around Seattle, playing Dungeons and Dragons at a nearby gamer tavern, or geeking out with the owners of her favorite Local Comic Shop. Her love affair with the world of voiceover began when she became involved with the official radio station of a popular MMORPG. She thoroughly enjoys the spinster life with her feline companion Tanuki.

“I’m unbelievably excited to be voicing Casey,” Femmie says about the role. “She’s perky and plastic, but also a total badass.”

“The world and characters that Terry Moore created for Strangers in Paradise are incredibly rich and complex, and I am truly honored to be a part of this project.”

More casting announcements are coming.  Please keep an eye on this space to learn more.

MEET OUR DETECTIVE WALSH!

Ocadecagonagon Theater Works is proud to announce the casting of Jacob Derwin in the role of Detective Walsh.

As fan of Strangers In Paradise know, Detective Walsh has a small role in Book One...but has a much larger role in Book Two, I Dream of You, where he becomes entangled in the web spun by the villainous Darcy Parker and her Parker Girls.  Derwin, who is also acting as a voice casting consultant, will be giving life to the laid back but very no-nonsense detective!

Jacob Derwin is an actor/songwriter operating out of Brooklyn. NY.  He has spent the last several years performing around New York City and the U.S. as a whole.  Modern Romance, his EP is available to stream, and he hosts a podcast entitled I'm Trying.

“Jacob was one of our earliest, and most enthusiastic, supporters, referring me to a number of other voice talents and reading for every role,” Thomas Deja, director of this adaptation of Terry Moore’s landmark comic.  “But even on that first day, he expressed an interest in playing Walsh...and his reading for the character played right into my conception--to the point where someone suggested he wasn’t ‘cop-like’ and I said ‘That’s the point!  Walsh is real, real chill.'”

There will be more announcements in the coming day.  Keep an eye on this blog for new developments!

STRANGERS IN PARADISE--The Audio Drama! Still Looking For David

 Good afternoon, everyone!  I hope you are well and keeping yourself safe in the Time of Plague!

If all goes well, we will have the eight episode ‘season’ that will encompass Book One written and ready for production by early next week..  We’re building our ‘repetory’ with the addition of Gene Hendricks (left) and Chris Powell (right), who will give life to many of the incidental background characters, and we’re closing in on deciding on casting for more of our main characters (expect announcements in the next week or so).

But....


We are having a hard time casting David and, as all fans of Strangers In Paradise know, he’s an essential part in the Main Triangle that we will be following.  So we once again appeal to voice actors who are fans of Terry Moore’s work who might want to play a major role in this attempt to bring it to earholes around the world to contact me here.  I would especially be interested in Asian-American voice actors for David and, looking down the line, Darcy Parker.

As we’ve pointed out in previous posts, this has to be a fan production due to rights issues.  We have the blessing of Terry, but we gotta do this for the love.  Obviously, there will be exposure and experience and something to put on your voice reel but we don’t want to be ‘those guys’ who sound like they’re doing you a favor....the fact is, we’re doing it for love of the property, love of audio drama and as ‘proof of concept’ that we can do this.  So we’re not asking you to do anything we’re not doing ourselves.

We are also looking for musicians.  In particular, we’re looking for someone who might be willing to put music to the various songs that pop up throughout the series as well as a main theme that can be broken down into a ‘Francine’ (a soft version; think Lilith Fair and pampered cats) and a ‘Katchoo’ (a hard version; think mosh pits and guard dogs) rendition.  Trust us, we know what we’re doing.

There will be more announcements coming soon.  The present schedule is for Book One to start coming out before the end of the year for free on the Two True Freaks Network.  There might even be a teaser soon.  We are super excited, and we hope you are, too!