The Gray Area

In this "screwball cyberpunk" episode, it's 2023. Labor camps, a sinister government, and significant civil unrest rollick the world outside. But within the secret chambers of the multibillion tech company Apotheosis, an optimistic entrepreneur named Jill Swanson, who names her engineers after 1930s comedy film directors, sits on a secret that may just save the world. (Running time: 72 minutes)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Jan Swillson: Ingeborg Reidmeier Lane Veldt: Adriano La Rocca Brianna: Samantha Cooper Jenna: Devony DiMattia Rochford: Rachel Baird The Executive: Rachel Matusewicz Mutt: David McCall Jeff: Matthew Rini Preston: Richard Rose Sturges: Len Nash La Cava: Luvelle Pierre Hawks: David Perez-Ribada News Anchor: Carol Jacobanis: Amelia: Monica Ammerman Protester #1: Nicholas Boesel Protester #2: Khaz Benyahmeen The Preacher: Peter Andrews and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Creature Voices: Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who has a ridiculously enormous crush on D'Arcy Carden for her magnificent smarts and great talent.

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

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

Confronted with surprise revelations and the need to reconcile two parallel universes, Chelsea faces the hard truths about what sustaining a relationship really means while cleaning up a cosmic disturbance that no human being could have ever predicted. Meanwhile, a Melissa Etheridge T-shirt proves to be an invaluable remedy as our heroes contend with a giant heart that beats to the rhythm of time. (Running time: 31 minutes)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Maya: Tanja Milojevic Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Scarlett: Jessica Cuesta and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who once sang "Piano Man" in a karaoke bar with a harmonica and got the entire crowd to sing along.

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

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Thank you for listening!

While on the run from a wild interdimensional beast named Chester, Chelsea learns of electromatter, the surprising ubiquity of Tony Danza, and the multiverse. But the alarming differences she discovers about the universe she's become part of threaten to topple her efforts to reconnect with Maya and Alicia. (Running time: 26 minutes, 25 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Maya: Tanja Milojevic Jill Swanson: Ingeborg Reidmeier and Zack Glassman appeared as The Receptionist

Background Voices by Alexander Bill, Brandon P. Jenkins, and Tal Minear Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who once grew a mustache and shaved it off two weeks later because he looked preposterous.

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

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed by Getty.

Thank you for listening!

It's January 11, 2011. The world is similar, but it is also quite different. Chelsea reconnects with her best friend Alicia and takes the opportunity to correct her past mistakes, including rebuilding her relationship with Maya. But the shadow of her abusive mother and the presence of an eccentric man who is quite keen on hot dogs and the benefits of being obsequious may uproot this hard-won battle to claim a better life. (Running time: 52 minutes, 6 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Maya: Tanja Milojevic Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Young Chelsea: Nathalie Kane Carolyn: Emma Smuyla The Waiter: Jack Ward Jill Swanson: Ingeborg Reidmeier Thomas: Philip O'Gorman Chelsea's Mother: M.J. Cogburn Hysterical Diners: Alexander Bill, Brandon P. Jenkins, and Tal Minear and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who lost every apple bobbing contest he ever participated in during the last five summers.

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

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

Chelsea Needham was once among the foremost leaders in tech. But something happened involving a fire and a death. And it got in the papers. Rumor reared its ugly head and Chelsea lost everything she had, with only a few friends left. While recovering from alcoholism, self-destruction, and losing the love of her life, Chelsea meets an enigmatic gentleman from England and a strange fortune teller who may have the answers to how she can reclaim her identity. (Running time: 53 minutes, 42 seconds)

Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Thomas: Philip O'Gorman Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Scarlett: Jessica Cuesta Maya: Tanja Miljoevic Bobby: John Anantua Dave: Marc Eliot Stein and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who tends to show up to the next bar mitzvah looking reasonably dapper.

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

Incidental music licensed through Neosounds.

The following songs were licensed through Radio Free Archive:

Mid-Air Machine, "Don't Feel So Low" Mela, "Horrible" Mela, "Waltz for a Memory" Prince Murphy, "Hey Mecy" Zoambo Zoet Workestrao – "Heminguleja" Truth Serum, "Gas Leak" Cullah, "Italian Singing Hip-Hop"

Image licensed through Getty.

Thank you for listening!

In this sequel to "Compassion Fatigue," Emma has returned to practicing psychiatry again. But a highly unusual (and strangely familiar) patient arrives in her office with an odd proposition. (Running time: 17 minutes, 43 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Emma: Colette Thomas Police: Mike Lynch and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn with an alleged 32 inch waistline that is probably two or four or **ahem** inches more than what has been reported.

Music licensed through Audio Jungle.

"Fly a Kite" by Spectacular Sound Productions licensed through an Attribution ShareAlike Creative Commons license.

Image licensed through Getty.

Thanks for listening!

It's the future. The cities are flooded. Certain words are forbidden. The doomed Earth has become united under a global totalitarian regime. But two eccentric outliers who refuse to follow the rules may be the Tellestian Empire's only chance for a hopeful future. (Running time: 37 minutes, 21 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Ramirez: Charly Saccocio Harris: Michael Saldate The Instructor: Rachel Matusewicz The Voice: Carol Jacobanis The Guard: Graham Rowat Classmate #1: David Perez-Ribada Classmate #2: Sam Mercer Classmate #3: Emmanuel Webb Scientist #1: Glenn Bulthius Scientist #2: Liz Fodor Scientist #3: Alistair Mackey The Demon: Pete Lutz The Rebels: Glenn Bulthius, Liz Fodor, Alistair Mackey, Melissa Medina, Dylan Reed, and David Sinkus

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn with a bowling average that is too embarrassingly low to report to the general public.

Music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox.

Image licensed through Getty.

This story was inspired by Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Please be sure to listen to the excellent podcast, Rereading Wolfe, an excellent show devoted to analyzing this amazing work of literature.

Thanks for listening!

Months after the events of "Brand Awareness," Greg reckons with the hurt he caused Joanna. But his role in the universe and the true nature of his past is much larger than he could have possibly imagined. (Running time: 17 minutes, 26 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Greg: Charlie Harrington Ramirez: Charly Saccocio Harris: Michael Saldate And Zack Glassman as The Receptionist

Associate Producer: John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who sometimes answers to the name of Alfredo Garcia.

Music licensed through Neosounds

Image licensed by Nicu Buclei through an Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license.

Thanks for listening!

While investigating the Virginia Gaskell matter, journalist Ed Champion meets an enigmatic woman on a spiritual journey who may contain the answers for his own shaky relationship to love, dreams, and New York City. The two dodge belligerent subway preachers and unanticipated demons while ruminating upon daily wonders that are taken for granted. (Running time: 40 minutes, 51 seconds.)

Written and directed by Edward Champion

CAST:

Ed Champion: Edward Champion Lucinda: Emily Carding Maya: Tanja Milojevic Sujata: Illumanisum River Jenna: Devony DiMattia Street Vendor: Patryk Sokol Demon #1: Pete Lutz Demon #2: Leanne Troutman Date #1: Nicholas Boesel Date #2: Michael Saldate Date #3: Mark Stano The Guard: Graham Rowat Subway Preacher: Albert Hastler

Associate Producers: Morgan Corcoran and John Osborne

Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who makes a mean frittata on Sunday morning.

Music licensed through Neosounds

Photo licensed through Getty

Thanks for listening!

The Inside the Gray Area podcast is part of our premium channel, which you can find at http://grayareapod.podbean.com. You can purchase a Season 2 pass and get instant access to all available episodes, all of the scripts, and all installments of Inside the Gray Area.

We're releasing one free episode of Inside the Gray Area to give you a taste of what you can get behind the paywall.

In our inaugural behind-the-scenes episode, our showrunner Edward Champion discusses the origins of "Living Creatures," how a tweet from David Ault being in a chicken diner inspired the character of General Romero, film noir, animal rights, Patty Heast, being on the lam, cult leaders, David Lynch, sound design, working with actors from completely disparate approaches, Big Trouble in Little China, researching and falling in love with the people of Wyoming, writing in a part of the world you haven't actually been to, the importance of geographical details, James Joyce, moral questions emerging from guns, why philosophical contradictions make good story, being more mindful of action and atmosphere in audio drama, Pulp Fiction, creating distinct characters by closely researching subcultures, male swagger, being inspired by Brooklyn street talk, his tendency to write mostly women characters, why "Living Creatures" became the Season 2 premiere, casting actors because they represent the perfect voice, the advantages of being very decisive in casting roles, and operating by creative instinct.

This episode also features an interview with Nicole Papadopoulos!