OWENSBORO, KY "A Murder Mystery Double Bill - Ray Bradbury and Mary Higgins Clark" that premiered during the 2008 International Mystery Writers' Festival - Discovering New Mysteries, is now available on CD from RiverPark Center as a first in a series of branded product. The Live Radio Theatre aspect of the IMWF was conceived by RiverPark's CEO Zev Buffman who describes it as "an innovative method to give a greater number of new works in the mystery genre a unique kind of staging, which engages the audience in its imagining. Now, we bring that staging to a national audience through release of this CD."
Originally a Special Event performance of the Festival, the CD features Ray Bradbury's "It Burns Me Up" from his 1940's collection of noir tales, A Memory of Murder, and Mary Higgins Clark's "Crime of Passion" from her popular husband-wife sleuth series My Gal Sunday.
The hour-long program features renowned actors and voice-over talents Gary Sandy (WKRP Cincinnati), Phil Proctor (Rug Rats and The Firesign Theatre), David Ossman (A Bug's Life and The Firesign Theatre), Melinda Peterson (The Anteus Company), Amy Walker ("21 Accents") as well as an accomplished repertory cast with members drawn regionally from Louisville and Western Kentucky and afar from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Bloomington, and Seattle.
The CD includes an afterword by Mary Higgins Clark, named First Lady of Mystery at the 2008 IMWF.
Performed and recorded in front of the live Festival audience in Owensboro, Kentucky's Jody Berry Cabaret Theatre, the works capture the feeling of radio with "movies for the mind" techniques—full dramatizations with live music, sound effects, and a chorus of crowds.
Both the live stage performances and the CD were produced in association with Otherworld Media, a multiple Grammy-nominated and international award-winning audio production team headed by Judith Walcutt and David Ossman whose other credits include "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Centennial Celebration", "The 50th Anniversary Production of The War of the Worlds", and Norman Corwin's "We Hold These Truths: The 200th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights."
Of his decision to make the CD release available at this time, Buffman said, "These shows were among our most popular events at the festivals. We are delighted that we can make this high quality recording available to patrons of RiverPark, supporters of the Festivals, and lovers of the mystery genre. We look at this as a first in a series that we will make available to the public on CD and via public radio stations nationwide. The beauty of the recorded live performance is that it brings listeners, through the magic of 'radio' production, into our theatre but allows them to enjoy it while at home or on the road. It's a great holiday gift which will support the continuation of our festivals at RiverPark Center."
The CDs are available for purchase ($15 each) on the web (www.newmysteries.org) or by calling the RiverPark Center at 877-639-6978. A special holiday promotion includes 5 CDs for the price of four ($60).