“What is this? A parasitic-twin situation?”
“Hell beasts.”
“Look at the size of that clown!”
“Demons.”
“I don’t think cancer makes you eat dogs.”
“Aliens from another dimension.”
These are just a tiny taste of the sci-fi nonsequiturs from the trailer for Uncanny County, a new podcast billed as “a paranormal anthology series of standalone radio plays.”
In addition to bringing radio’s Golden Age into the 21st century, Uncanny County features three Oklahomans as co-creators. Executive producer Jessica Walker grew up in Oklahoma City, while show runners and primary writers Todd Faulkner and Alison Crane are originally from Edmond and OKC, respectively. (Faulkner also happens to play Agent Loeb on FX’s The Americans.)
Along with producer, writer and actor William Franke, the podcast team resides in New York City and creates each episode from there.
While the show’s concept blends the old with the new, Faulkner said acting for an aural medium splits the difference between acting for stage versus screen.
“Playing a role in audio is more intuitive than acting in a TV role, since you don’t have to deal with the technical aspect of recreating the scene exactly the same way every time they shoot from a new angle (so the TV scenes will cut together in post-production),” Faulkner said via email. “There’s more freedom in audio to explore and go with your instincts. It’s kind of the middle ground between acting in a play and acting on film: limited rehearsal and a compressed schedule, but you get to explore and build the world with your fellow actors, with more freedom to play.
“Being in the studio is ALWAYS a good time. Plus, you don’t have to deal with costumes and makeup. You can come to work in your pajamas.”
Paranormal detours gaining steam
Uncanny County episodes run about 20 to 30 minutes and seek to add a Southwestern (if not distinctly Oklahoman, as discussed in this interview) flair to science fiction. Relevant tags include #spooky, #quirky, #weird and #horror.
It’s an amalgamation of genres and technology that’s beginning to catch on: As of mid-May, Uncanny Podcast was ranked eighth out of all podcasts within the performing arts category on iTunes, and Crane said the show has remained on iTunes’ New and Noteworthy list since its release. Crane said each episode has received about 5,000 downloads in the seven weeks since launching, and total downloads are around 22,000. This month, the show is up for Podcast of the Month in the drama podcasts subreddit, and listeners can vote here.
In light of the show’s upcoming episode, NonDoc is proud to present the fifth installment of Uncanny County: Irreconcilable Differences (use embedded player below image).
Click here for more Uncanny County or to subscribe to the podcast.
