The Gray Area

n this behind-the-scenes commentary, showrunner Edward Champion discusses "Marching Orders." Subjects discussed: foolish optimism, Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, the vast historical plan for Season 3, the thrill and challenge of writing historical dialogue, how George Dangerfield's The Strange Death of Liberal England served as an influence, Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier, PTSD and World War I, the literary style that might have been if modernism had never happened, approaching reputation as a theme, working against the "fast dialogue" style, dance and animals, inventing a character's political perspective from reading, writing too many British characters, Anglophilia, Leonard Rossiter, the amazing talents of Rob Garson, listening to hundreds of pop songs in 1911 to find the right one, frustrations about copyright, the difficulty of finding a horse carriage sound divorced from 2021 sounds, Captain Finney in Barry Lyndon, thieves and gentlemanly language, the failure of time travel stories to address cultural differences, the Terminator movies, writing letters to critics as a teenager, Joe Baltake, getting in trouble in high school because of a Terminator 2 script, the naivety of life before World War I, why memory injections are plausible, balancing gravitas and quirkiness, Gene Wolfe's influence, the references to Prince Keval, how an accident with a light fixture determined the sound design, Fugazi, deliberate references to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and efforts to mimic the Blakes 7 teleporter effect. (Running time: 19 minutes, 29 seconds.)

In 1911, a young British gentleman dukes it out against the austere whims of his Edwardian-minded father. But two travelers reveal that his role in the universe is much bigger than he could have ever imagined. (Running time: 15 minutes, 16 seconds.)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion.

CAST:

Thomas: Philip O'Gorman

Ramirez: Charly Saccocio

Harris: Michael Saldate

Malone: Robert Garson

The Guard: Graham Rowat

and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who lost a drinking bet and spent an entire day singing "Where Are the Lads of the Village Tonight?"

Thank you for listening!

n the middle of a snowstorm, our showrunner Edward Champion discusses making "West with the Light" (a sequel to Season 1's "Waiting Room"). Topics include why Chris Smith is the cat's pajamas, how Octavia Butler and Champion's grandmother served as the inspiration for Virginia Gaskell, the overarcing storytelling strategy, why you can't put characters in limbo too long, keeping your actors interested in roles, breaking the show's monologue rule, honoring the smarts and the dignity of older characters, stylizing audio callbacks and scene motifs, the influence of The Prisoner, visiting Portmeirion, animals and morality, planting storytelling clues and Easter Eggs, how Zack Glassman modulated his performance for each iteration of the Receptionist, Champion's love of birds, how people travel through the dimensions, having actors recite poetry, the importance of World War I, Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory, Small Wonder, attempts to find music rights, plausible character behavior in relation to spectacular occurrences, why muttering is essential, Dickens and self-education, explaining the electromatter scanner, Milton, fajitas, why people who work in bars and restaurants are smart, pushing back against stereotypes, cheesy puns, high school English teachers, "demon" as a term of art, Target's use of "guest" instead of "shopper," the commonalities among extreme political ideologies, Beryl Markham and aviators, West with the Night, Hemingway, Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life, and why you often find the best dramatic moments in comedic actors. (Running time: 26 minutes, 55 seconds.)

Our showrunner Edward Champion discusses the first chapter of "Pattern Language." Subjects discussed include his hesitations about creating, the dangers of revealing too much, Chris Ware, being dubious about your own work, why the first part of "Pattern Language" was split into two parts, why Pete Lutz is a marvelous man, how an old UCB trick resulted in the strange mix of Shakespeare and I Love Lucy, designing custom vernacular, the absence of slang in fantasy stories, Total Meats as a metaphor for Whole Foods, scouring through mythology to come up with obscure beast and creature names, the influence of Hitchhiker's, Douglas Adams, the number of alternative Eds buried within The Gray Area, why Leanne Troutman is a magnificent actor, Peter Falk impressions, the importance of being present as a director, the number of takes you should do with an actor, using every spatula in the house for the BBQ sound design, how being a prolific cook inspires fictitious food dishes, convincing eating moments on film, Moonstruck, how his opposition to self-checkout in stores inspired worldbuilding, London store technology, people and robots, creating fictitious geography, why the Johnsons matter in The Gray Area, the fajita demon origin story, the influence of Fritz Leiber, Terry Pratchett and the Rincewind novels, recording electrical sounds for the Gray Area, having doubts as an artist, stylizing the demons as wiseacres, showing the humanity of outliers, why the demons are obsessed with exercise, using music to cloak deficiencies, Terminator 2, and telling a story from the demon's perspective.  (Running time: 19 minutes, 8 seconds.)

Genius writer Virginia Gaskell fends off boredom (and the Receptionist's peppy interventions) while trapped in the waiting room, but a number of unexpected new visitors provide vital new clues to her purpose and journey. (Running time: 21 minutes, 43 seconds.)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion.

CAST:

Miss Gaskell: Chris Smith

Audrey: Amanda Rios

Romero: David Ault

The Fajita Demon: Pete Lutz

The Cunning Demon: Leanne Troutman

The Traveler: Jared Raman

and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Incidental music licensed through NeoSounds

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who sometimes chats with the soft-spoken frozen peas that are parked in his freezer.

Thank you for listening!

Two important items: (1) New episodes of The Gray Area will be airing biweekly starting on June 22, 2021. (2) We have learned that Podbean is asking for additional money (in the form of "beans") from our premium subscribers -- a move that we stand adamantly against and that we never authorized. As such, we will be releasing the Inside the Gray Area episodes on the free feed. If you are a subscriber, please email us at [email protected] and we will send you advance copies of the new episodes, per our pledge. Thank you for listening.

We will be releasing the final six episodes of Season 2 in early 2021. Here's a trailer to whet your appetite. These episodes will be available a month early to Season 2 Pass subscribers. So consider supporting our show at grayareapod.podbean.com.

During the Season 2 sessions, we recorded this bold adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's famous short story with many of our Gray Area regulars. This radio play honors the text, but is set in the present day, addressing #metoo and the oppressive demands upon women.. (Running time: 32 minutes)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion Adapted from the Charlotte Perkins Gilman short story

CAST:

The Woman: Katrina Clairvoyant and Nicole Papadopoulos John: Zack Glassman Jenie: Devony DiMattia The Child: Devony DiMattia The Wallpaper: Pete Lutz The Guests: Michael Saldate, Charly Saccocio, and Edward Champion The Voice: Carol Jacobanis Mary: Belgys Felix The Nurse: Argyria Kehagias

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who reads too many books.

Music licensed through Musicfox.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

In the final part of the "Paths" saga, Chelsea and Maya struggle in their forties to keep their relationship alive as they initiate a fateful but necessary Thanksgiving meeting with Maya's grandfather — a stubborn and "old-fashioned" World War I historian. Meanwhile, the disastrous political trajectory of the parallel universe encroaches upon deeply personal and deeply fatal territory. (Running time: 85 minutes.)

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Maya: Tanja Milojevic Grandpa: J.K. McCauley Grandma: Julie Chapin The DJ: Peter Coleman Emma: Colette Thomas Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Scarlett: Jessica Cuesta GPS: Carol Jacobanis Thomas: Phillip O'Gorman The Guard: Graham Rowat Rick: Michael Hisry The Detective: Phillip Merritt News Leeches: Pete Lutz, David Nagel, Morgan Corcoran, and Edward Champion and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Additional Voices: Dylan Reed and Christian Caminiti

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who will instantly sing numerous Paul Williams songs if you mention The Phantom of the Paradise to him in person.

The "Paths Not Taken" songs were written and performed by Edward Chmpion

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Thank you for listening!

Back in the original universe, Scarlett and Alicia contend with another version of Chelsea and conjure up a plan to get the two Chelseas back in their respective universes as they face the danger of a seemingly innocent benefactor gone rogue. (Running time: 24 minutes.)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Scarlett: Jessica Cuesta Jan Swillson: Ingeborg Reidmeier The Receptionist: Zack Glassman

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who holds open doors for people just before he enters a happening establishment.

The "Paths Not Taken" songs were written and performed by Edward Chmpion

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!