A letter from Artistic Director Kyle Hatley
Hello and welcome.
I know what you're thinking. "Audio theater? Who does audio theater anymore? And why? Isn't that an older thing, a before-the-television thing?"
Yes. Audio theater, like all theater, was born out of necessity -- be it entertainment, educational, political or social. It comes to us for a reason. True, we have the television now to cure us of the ever-watchful eyes of time; it takes us away from reality for 30 minutes and tells us stories. So why compete against the already-successful and ever-growing beast that is television, when radio is trivial in comparison?
Well, there is one more monster that our evolving society cannot live without: the internet. We have wifi and iPods and iTunes and YouTube and worlds of infinite information for almost anything you're seeking. Unlike television, the internet connects us all. We are all a push of a button away from each other, no matter where you live or work or play. The world is logged on. How exciting it is, for me personally and for us theatrically, to share our work with the world. The entire world is our audience. And we're completely accessible because we're downloadable, podcastable, point-and-clickable and free. We are a web-based community theater company existing only to create and to share.
One of the exciting and unique things about Chatterbox is that our shows are not built like pop songs -- perfectly captured sections glued together to create a Frankenstein product -- but rehearsed and recorded live. As much as possible, all our sound effects, music, and performances are rehearsed, blocked, and then performed, capturing the fury, raw energy, collaboration, and ensemble effort of live theater. Hiccups and mistakes are, of course, edited in post, but aside from that, with Chatterbox shows, the spirit of theater is rarely interrupted by technology.
We are always looking for new folks to collaborate with, share with, and create with, and our shows have an array of responsibilities. Take a look around this section for more information on how you can help. Enjoy the site, the stories, the characters, and the artwork. We'd love to get you involved, and we look forward to collaborating with you.
Only Connect,
Kyle Hatley
Artistic Director
