Radio Drama

In the olden days, before TV a lot of shows were done on the radio. You will get to create your very own. It’s like a story that’s read on the radio by actors.

In a group of 3 or 4 write a radio play. Make it about some Ukrainians in Saskatoon or a story of Ukrainians coming to Canada 100 years ago. Is your story going to have a problem and a solution or be an experience?

A Foley artist adds sound effects in the background using instruments and noise-making objects. They have to make sure that they don’t drown out the dialogue or distract the audience too much. They have to rehearse with the actors to get their timing right.

Every time a new person talks start a new paragraph and skip spaces like this:

Teros: Dobrogo dnja (dobra dang) Petros. How are the perogies coming along?

Petros: Good, good. But I’d like to make them different this time. What are some new, interesting things that I can ad?

Teros: How about chocolate? Or gravy? Or popcorn?

Petros: Yikes......you’re brilliant!

Narrator: So the two chefs set out on their quest for a new and interesting perogy.

Go to these sites for some ideas:

A radio drama website
Sound effects hints

Write a rough copy of your drama and get an editor to check it for mistakes. Your parents or a teacher can help revise your drama to make it clearer or more interesting. After it has been checked by your teacher or parents it is ready to be read. You will either read it to the class as a play or read it into a microphone to be put on the internet.

Here's a true story of some early Ukrainian immigrants.