Three Ghost Stories [by Charles Dickens]

As a gifted writer with a strong interest in supernatural phenomena, Charles Dickens produced a string of ghost stories with enduring charm. Three of them are presented here, of which The Signal Man is one of the best known. Though quite different from his most celebrated realistic and humorous critical novels, these ghost stories, Gothic and grotesque as they are, are of good portrayal, and worth a read/listen.

Read by Marian Brown and Muhammad Mussnoon.

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Three Ghost Stories [by Charles Dickens]

The Royal Book of Oz [by Ruth Plumly Thompson]

The Royal Book of Oz (1921) is the fifteenth in the series of Oz books, and the first to be written by Ruth Plumly Thompson after L. Frank Baum's death. Although Baum was credited as the author, it was written entirely by Thompson. The Scarecrow is upset when Professor Wogglebug tells him that he has no family, so he goes to where Dorothy Gale found him to trace his "roots." Then he vanishes from the face of Oz.  Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion mount a search for their friend, but when that is successful, they will need to become a rescue party!

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The Royal Book of Oz [by Ruth Plumly Thompson]

Unknown London [by Walter George Bell]

Herein you will find much concerning those things which everybody knows about, but nobody knows — the things you have known about since childhood, and have been content to leave them at that, knowing little of what they are and still less where they are to be found. I have dealt mostly with the big things that London has in its keeping, such as the Domesday Book (can you tell me off-hand where it is to be seen ?); with the Confessor's Shrine (of the crowds who enter Westminster Abbey there is a big leaven who do not even know that it is there); with the massive fragments of London's Roman Wall that still survive; with that spot in Smithfield where martyrs burnt and English history was made; with the Duke of Suffolk's head and its dramatic story; with our Roman baths; with London Stone and odd others. … The City of London — the innermost "square mile" — is the richest ground for historical associations in all our world Empire, and the greater pity, therefore, that it should be unknown. (Summary from the author’s Preface, 1919.)

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Unknown London [by Walter George Bell]

The Thing in the Attic (version 2) [by James B. Blish]

"Honath and his fellow arch-doubters did not believe in the Giants, and for this they were cast into Hell. And when survival depended upon unwavering faith in their beliefs, they saw that there were Giants, after all...." The Thing in the Attic is a Science Fiction story by James Blish with a well developed story line and great characters that you find yourself pulling for as they struggle to understand and survive in 'hell'. Do they have tails? yes they do. Do they live in the treetops? you bet they do. Are they 'people'? Well, I will let you decide that. The strange beings and environment that you expect from Blish are all here and they challenge you to adapt your thinking to keep up with the action. And of course there is an ending that is definitely not expected. Listen and enjoy this story of a strange world far in the future of the human race.

Read by Phil Chenevert

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The Thing in the Attic (version 2) [by James B. Blish]

The Picture of Dorian Gray [by Oscar Wilde]

The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian’s beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry’s world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses his desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than himself. Dorian’s wish is fulfilled, plunging him into debauched acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging. 

Cast:
Narrator - Martin Geeson
Lord Henry Wotton - David Goldfarb
Dorian Gray - Algy Pug
Basil Hallward - Anthony
Sibyl Vane - Miss Avarice
James Vane - David Lawrence
Duchess of Monmouth - Availle
Victor - Martin Geeson
Francis - Simon Pride
Cab Driver - Simon Pride
Parker - Elizabeth Klett
Lord Fermor - Anthony
Lady Agatha - Sarah
Duchess ofHarley - Hannah Harris
Sir Thomas Burdon - Terence Taylor
Mr. Erskine Frank Booker
Mrs. Vandeleur - Mary-Beth Blackburn
Lady Henry - Susanna
Mrs. Vane - Arielle Lipshaw
Mrs. Leaf - Rebeka Harris
Mr. Hubbard - Frank Booker
Alan Campbell - Ernst Pattynama
Lady Narborough - Elizabeth Klett
Lady Ruxton - Mary-Beth Blackburn
Adrian Singleton - Joseph Lawler
Woman - Lucy Perry
Sir Geoffrey Clouston - Mark F. Smith
Gamekeeper - MartinGeeson
Gardener- Joseph Lawler
Young Man - Elizabeth Klett
Old Gentleman - Mark F. Smith
Constable - Joseph Lawler

Audio edited by Arielle Lipshaw

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The Picture of Dorian Gray [by Oscar Wilde]

The Big Time [by Fritz Leiber]

A classic locked room mystery, in a not-so-classic setting.

Read by Karen Savage.

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The Big Time [by Fritz Leiber]

A Dream Play [by August Strindberg]

A Dream Play was written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg's most admired and influential dramas, seen as an important precursor to both dramatic Expressionism and Surrealism. The primary character in the play is Agnes, a daughter of the Vedic god Indra. She descends to Earth to bear witness to problems of human beings. She meets about 40 characters, some of them having a clearly symbolical value (such as four deans representing theology, philosophy, medicine, and law). After experiencing all sorts of human suffering (for example poverty, cruelty, and the routine of family life), the daughter of gods realizes that human beings are to be pitied.

(Translated by Edwin Bjorkman.)

Cast:
The Daughter of Indra (Agnes); Voice of the Women (+ All); The Crew: Amanda Friday
The Officer (+All in III): Ron Altman
The Lawyer; All Right-Minded: Chuck Williamson
The Poet: Lucy Perry
The Voice of Indra: om123
The Glazier; Voice of the Men, Tenor and Bass (+All); The Crew: alanmapstone
The Father; He (+All); The Second Coalheaver; Dean of Philosophy: ToddHW
The Mother: Margaret Espaillat
Lena: Rebecca Braunert-Plunkett
The Portress; The Wife; The Gentleman: CaprishaPage
The Billposter: EccentricOwl
Victoria (also "A Woman's Voice from Above"); She (+All): Elizabeth Klett
The Ballet Girl; Voice of the Children (+All); The Crew: Frances Brown
The Male Chorus Singer; The Boy (+All the Boys): Libby Gohn
The Prompter; The Blind Man (+All): Mary J
The Policeman; The Husband; Dean of Jurisprudence: Arnaldo Machado
Christine; The First Coalheaver: KHand
The Master of Quarantine (+All in Act II): Zachary Brewster-Geisz
The Pensioner (+ All); The Naval Officer; Dean of Theology: Prachi Pendse
The Maids; The Lady; Don Juan: WoollyBee
Edith; Dean of Medicine: Anna Simon
The Teacher: Savannah
Lord Chancellor: Josh Kirsh
Narrator: Sarah Terry

Edited by Chuck Williamson

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A Dream Play [by August Strindberg]

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [by Lewis Carroll]

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Alice in Wonderland) is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures. The tale is filled with allusions to Dodgson's friends. The tale plays with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity with adults as well as children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the "literary nonsense" genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasy genre. 

Read by Eric Leach

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [by Lewis Carroll]

Earth Spirit [by Frank Wedekind]

Earth Spirit is a play by the German dramatist Frank Wedekind. It forms the first part of his pairing of 'Lulu' plays (the second is Pandora's Box [1904]), both of which depict a society "riven by the demands of lust and greed". Together with Pandora's Box, Wedekind's play formed the basis for the silent film Pandora's Box (1929) starring Louise Brooks and the opera Lulu by Alban Berg in 1935 (premiered posthumously in 1937). The eponymous "earth spirit" of this play is Lulu, who Wedekind described as a woman "created to stir up great disaster." Indeed, she is a purely sexual creature who scandalizes the community and drives men to ruin. The play has attracted a wide range of interpretations, from those who see it as misogynistic to those who claim Wedekind as a harbinger of women’s liberation.

Cast
Lulu: Amanda Friday
Dr. Schon: Algy Pug
Alva Schon: Chuck Williamson
Dr. Goll/Schigolch: Alan Mapstone
Schwartz: Aidan Brack
Prince Escerny/Ferdinand: bala
Escherich/Narrator/Prologue: Elizabeth Klett
Rodrigo: Wupperhippo
Hugenberg: Charlotte Duckett
Countess Geschwitz: Caprisha Page
Henriette: Naomi Park
Audio edited by Chuck Williamson and Elizabeth Klett

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Earth Spirit [by Frank Wedekind]

How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays [by Mark Twain]

In his inimitable way, Mark Twain gives sound advice about how to tell a story, then lets us in on some curious incidents he experienced, and finishes with a trip that proves life-changing

Read by Claudia Salto

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How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays [by Mark Twain]

The Flint Heart [by Eden Phillpotts]

The flint heart is a stone of heart shape, forged in prehistoric times, that changes whoever owns it into a wicked person. The story of the flint heart's ultimate defeat involves multiple trips into fairyland by Charles and Unity, children of one of the heart's victims. Along the way the reader meets lots of fun characters such as the king of fairyland, a talking (and wounded) hot water bottle, and the mysterious Zagabog. Occasional references to British words and concepts may require some explanation for American readers, but the story is perfectly understandable without such explications. The droll narration makes the story as much fun for adults as for children. 

Read by David Wales.

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The Flint Heart [by Eden Phillpotts]

The Importance Of Being Earnest [Version 2] [by Oscar Wilde]

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854 – 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. Known for his barbed wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. In Wilde’s classic play The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff discover the perils of love, assumed identities, and telling the truth.

Cast:
John Worthing, J.P.: Hans-Stefan Ducharme
Algernon Moncrieff: Simon Ferland
Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.: Toby Paradis
Merriman, Butler: Toby Paradis
Lane, Manservant: Toby Paradis
Lady Bracknell: Sarah A. Farnham
Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax: Nyssa Gatcombe
Cecily Cardew: Rebecca Bailey
Miss Prism, Governess: Eileen Nadeau
Sound Tech - Keagan Rae

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The Importance Of Being Earnest [Version 2] [by Oscar Wilde]

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson [Version 2] [by Mark Twain]

It was published in 1893–1894 by Century Magazine in seven installments, and is a detective story with some racial themes. The plot of this novel is a detective story, in which a series of identities — the judge’s murderer, Tom, Chambers — must be sorted out. This structure highlights the problem of identity and one’s ability to determine one’s own identity. Broader issues of identity are the central ideas of this novel.

One of Twain’s major goals in this book was to exploit the true nature of Racism at that period. Twain used comic relief as a way to divulge his theme. The purpose of a comic relief is to address his or her opinion in a less serious way, yet persuade the reader into thinking the writers thoughts. Twain’s use of satire is visible throughtout the book. Twain’s use of colloquialism(dialect) and local color as features of Naturalism to convey his theme, is impressive and ahead for his time.

Read by John Greenman.

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The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson [Version 2] [by Mark Twain]

The Phoenix and the Carpet [by Edith Nesbit]

The Phoenix and the Carpet is a fantasy novel for children, written in 1904 by E. Nesbit. It is the second in a trilogy of novels that began with Five Children and It (1902), and follows the adventures of the same five protagonists – Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and the Lamb. Their mother buys the children a new carpet to replace the one from the nursery that was destroyed in an unfortunate fire accident. Through a series of exciting events, the children find an egg in the carpet which cracks into a talking Phoenix. The Phoenix explains that the carpet is a magical one that will grant them three wishes per day. 

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The Phoenix and the Carpet [by Edith Nesbit]

Voodoo Planet [by Andre Norton]

The sequel to Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet finds the Solar Queen banned from trade and starting her supposed quiet two-year stint as an interstellar mail carrier. But instead her crew accepts a visit to the safari planet of Khatka, where they find themselves caught in a battle between the forces of reason and the powers of Khatka's mind-controlling wizard.

Read by Mark Nelson

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Voodoo Planet [by Andre Norton]

The Hill of Dreams [by Arthur Machen]

The novel recounts the life of a young man, Lucian Taylor, focusing on his dreamy childhood in rural Wales, in a town based on Caerleon. The Hill of Dreams of the title is an old Roman fort where Lucian has strange sensual visions, including ones of the town in the time of Roman Britain. Later it describes Lucian's attempts to make a living as an author in London, enduring poverty and suffering in the pursuit of art. Generally thought to be Machen's greatest work, it was little noticed on its publication in 1907 save in a glowing review by Alfred Douglas. It was actually written between 1895 and 1897 and has elements of the style of the decadent and aesthetic movement of the period, seen through Machen's own mystical preoccupations

Read by Mark Nelson

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The Hill of Dreams [by Arthur Machen]

The Burning Wheel [by Aldous Huxley]

Though Aldous Huxley is best known for his later novels and essays, he started his writing career as a poet. The Burning Wheel is his first work, a collection of thirty poems that pay homage in style to poets who wrote in the Romantic or the French symbolist styles. Many of the poems deal with themes of light, darkness, sight, music, art, war, and idealism vs. realism. Though the optimism in his early works waned as he became older, his characteristically optimistic and determined point of view shines through

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The Burning Wheel [by Aldous Huxley]

The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner [by Daniel Defoe]

Daniel Defoe's The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner (1719) is considered by many the first English novel. Based on the real-life experiences of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, the book has had a perennial appeal among readers of all ages - especially the young adult reading public - who continue to find inspiration in the inventive resourcefulness of its hero, sole survivor of a shipwreck who is marooned on an uninhabited island.

Especially poignant, after more than two decades of unbroken solitude, is the affection that Robinson develops for Friday, another survivor fleeing certain death at the hands of enemy tribesmen from the South American continent. 

Read by Denny Sayers.

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The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner [by Daniel Defoe]

The Rebel of the School [by Mrs. L. T. Meade]

Kathleen O'Hara is a young pretty girl sent to school in England from Ireland by her father to get a good education, but Kathleen has other ideas. She quickly become friends with the girls of the school who don't pay for their education and in turn these girls consider Kathleen to be their Queen. What trouble will Kathleen and her friends get into? And what will the school do with the naughty, "Rebel of the School?

Read by Elaine Webb.

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The Rebel of the School [by Mrs. L. T. Meade]

The Gambler [by Katherine Thurston]

Clodagh, 18 years old, is the eldest daughter of Dennis Asshlin, an Irish gentleman who lives in an area of Ireland called Orristown. Dennis is passionate, proud and indebted to no one. But, Dennis has an obsession with gambling that is leading the family to ruin. When tragedy strikes, Clodagh finds herself in a situation where she must defend the family honor because “no Asshlin is ever obliged to anyone”. She marries a man she does not love who is many times her age and is thrust from adolescence to adulthood literally overnight. Clodagh travels to Europe and mingles with people of society and fashion which through her immaturity, she believes is her right. She finds instead uncertainty, despondency, and deceit. Her emotions are constantly in battle with reality as she discovers her society acquaintances are not the “friends” she believes them to be. During her visit to Europe, Clodagh discovers that she too is burdened with the Asshlin curse for gambling which eventually leads to more heartbreak. A chance encounter seems to change her life and she returns to Ireland, only once again to be thwarted by the Asshlin curse. A surprise and tense ending is in store for the listener.

Read by Tom Weiss.

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The Gambler [by Katherine Thurston]

The Swiss Family Robinson [by Johann R. Wyss]

First published in 1812, The Swiss Family Robinson may sometimes seem old-fashioned to modern readers, especially the family’s attitude toward wildlife (if it moves, shoot it). However, it’s a truly exciting adventure and a timeless story of warm and loving family life.

As the narrator says: “It was written... for the instruction and amusement of my children... Children are, on the whole, very much alike everywhere, and you four lads fairly represent multitudes... It will make me happy to think that my simple narrative may lead some of these to observe how blessed are the results of patient continuance in well-doing, what benefits arise from the thoughtful application of knowledge and science, and how good and pleasant a thing it is when brethren dwell together in unity, under the eye of parental love.”

Written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss and edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss (this edition lists J.R. as the author), the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world, and self-reliance. It’s fun to think of the long-ago author reading his own books of natural history and creating this novel to share his interests with his boys.

Read by Kara Shallenberg.

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The Swiss Family Robinson [by Johann R. Wyss]

The Gilded Age A Tale of Today [[by Mark Twain & C.D. Warner]

Originally published in 1873, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is the only novel Twain co-wrote (C.D. Warner was a good friend and neighbor of the Clemens family in Hartford, and the collaboration sprang from their wive's challenge and encouragement). The title, "The Gilded Age" became synonymous with graft, materialism and corruption in public life, which are well represented in this work. Like others of his works, this one reflects truths about American Society that remain pertinent today. Many of the characters and incidents that occur in the Gilded Age had their real-life origins in Clemens relatives and history, a fact which he revealed in his newly published (2011) Autobiography.


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The Gilded Age A Tale of Today [[by Mark Twain & C.D. Warner]

Ulysses [by James Joyce]

Still considered one of the most radical works of fiction of the 20th Century, James Joyce's Ulysses ushered in the era of the modern novel. Loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, the narrative follows Leopold Bloom and a number of other characters through an ordinary day, twenty four hours, in Dublin, on June 16, 1904. The text is dense and difficult, but perfectly suited to an oral reading, filled with language tricks, puns and jokes, stream of consciousness, and bawdiness.

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Ulysses [by James Joyce

The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk [by John Howell]

This work was the true story of Alexander Selkirk (1676 to December 13, 1721), a Scottish sailor who was employed in a number of different trades during his early life. As a young man, Selkirk learned the skills of tanning and shoemaking, and later became a buccaneer (a government-sanctioned pirate) on the Cinque Ports, working his way up to the position of ship's sailing master or navigator. But in the case of Selkirk, his experiences would eventually help him to survive his isolation on a deserted island in the Juan Fernández archipelago, off the coast of Chile, where he spent 52 months before being rescued.

The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk is a real-life “survivor man” narrative: Alone, pitted against nature with only his wits and the barest of tools at his disposal, the protagonist eventually triumphs over his adversities. Certainly this theme is at the heart of what makes it so timeless, but it includes an exploration into the story of who Selkirk was before the adventure began. In his research, Howell diligently investigated Selkirk's life through parish records from the small town of Largo in Fife, Scotland, where Selkirk was born and spent his childhood. He also conducted interviews with surviving relatives, and gleamed information from the published accounts of others with whom Selkirk had sailed, such as privateer and explorer, Captain William Dampier, and the man who ultimately rescued him, Captain Woodes Rogers.

Read by James K. White.

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The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk [by John Howell]

The Power-House [by John Buchan]

The Power-House is a novel by John Buchan, a thriller set in London, England. It was written in 1913, when it was serialised in Blackwood's Magazine, and it was published in book form in 1916. The narrator is the barrister and Tory MP Edward Leithen, who features in a number of Buchan's novels. The urban setting contrasts with that of its sequel, John Macnab, which is set in the Scottish Highlands. The Power-House of the title is an international anarchist organization led by a rich Englishman named Andrew Lumley. Its plan to destroy Western civilisation is thwarted by Leithen with the assistance of a burly Labour MP. "The dominant theme of Buchan's fiction is the fragility of civilisation," it has been said in the context of a discussion of The Power-House. What the critic Christopher Harvie calls "perhaps the most famous line in all Buchan" occurs during the first meeting between Leithen and Lumley, when the latter tells the former, "You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilisation from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet of glass" (Chapter 3). Harvie cites a comparable passage from the second volume of The Golden Bough, where Frazer speaks of "a solid layer of savagery beneath the surface of society," which, "unaffected by the superficial changes of religion and culture," is "a standing menace to civilisation. We seem to move on a thin crust which may at any time be rent by the subterranean forces slumbering beneath

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The Power-House [by John Buchan]

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences by Mark Twain]

This is Mark Twain's vicious and amusing review of Fenimore Cooper's literary art. It is still read widely in academic circles. Twain's essay, Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses (often spelled "Offences") (1895), particularly criticized The Deerslayer and The Pathfinder. Twain wrote at the beginning of the essay: 'In one place in Deerslayer, and in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.' Twain listed 19 rules 'governing literary art in domain of romantic fiction', 18 of which Cooper violates in The Deerslayer. 

Read by John Greenman.

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Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences by Mark Twain]

Ruth [by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell]

The book is a social novel, dealing with Victorian views about sin and illegitimacy. It is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a ‘fallen woman’, a type of person normally outcast from respectable society. The title of the novel refers to the main character Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who is seduced and then abandoned by gentleman Henry Bellingham. Ruth, pregnant and alone, is taken in by a minister and his sister. They conceal her single status under the pretence of widowhood in order to protect her child from the social stigma of illegitimacy. Ruth goes on to gain a respectable position in society as a governess, which is threatened by the return of Bellingham and the revelation of her secret.

Read by Cynthia Lyons.

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Ruth [by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell]

The Room in the Dragon Volant [by J. Sheridan LeFanu]

J. Sheridan LeFanu's Gothic mystery novel is narrated by Richard Beckett, a young Englishman abroad in Napoleonic-era France. He falls instantly in love with a mysterious and imperiled Countess, whom he glimpses momentarily behind her black veil. In order to be near her, he takes a room in the Dragon Volant (the Flying Dragon), a haunted inn that has been the site of mysterious disappearances.

Read by Elizabeth Klett.

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The Room in the Dragon Volant [by J. Sheridan LeFanu]

The Ghost Ship [by John C. Hutcheson]

This book intentionally veers in and out of the supernatural, as the title implies. The officers get more and more bewildered as they work out their position, and yet again encounter the same vessel going in an impossible direction.

Having warned you of this, I must say that it is a well-written book about life aboard an ocean-going steamer at about the end of the nineteenth century. 

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The Ghost Ship [by John C. Hutcheson]

Mary Tudor [by Victor Hugo]

If Queen Mary I of England wants something, you'd better not try and stop her, or else you might soon find yourself without a head! When this hot-headed young Royal's new favourite courtier, an Italian gentleman named Fabiano Fabiani who has already made himself very unpopular with the court, is caught sneaking around with another girl - a commoner no less! - the Queen begins to plan her revenge in the only way suitable for a Queen.

Cast
Narrator: bala
Mary I of England: Kristin Gjerløw
Jane Talbot: Beth Thomas
Lord Clinton: alanmapstone
Joshua Farnaby: Peter Tucker
Gilbert: ToddHW
Fabiano Fabiani: Eden Rea-Hedrick
Simon Renard: Bob Neufeld
Lord Chandos: Elizabeth Klett
Lord Montague: Greg Przywara
Man/ The Jew: Rob Board
Lord Gardiner/Lord Chancellor: Joseph Tabler
Master Eneas: Rob Board
A jailer: Elizabeth Klett
The people/voices 1: Michele Fry
The People/Voices 2: Mary Kay
The People/Voices 3: Beth Thomas
Standard-bearer 1: Shakira Searle
Standard-bearer 2: Mary Kay

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Mary Tudor [by Victor Hugo]

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson [by Mark Twain]

In one of his later novels, the master storyteller spins a tale of two children switched at infancy. A slave takes on the identity of master and heir while the rightful heir is condemned to live the life of a slave. Twain uses this vehicle to explore themes of nature vs. nurture, racial bigotry and moral relativism. The case of mistaken identity is a theme that Twain explored also in The Prince And The Pauper; in The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson he turns the theme into a well-crafted detective story. It is unfortunate that this is one of Twain's lesser known works as it is one of his most enjoyable reads.

Read by Michael Yard.

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The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson [by Mark Twain]

Brewster's Millions [by George Barr McCutcheon]

The story revolves around Montgomery Brewster, a poor man who inherits a large sum of money. However, there is a catch — he has to spend every penny within 30 days, and end up with nothing at that time. Should he make the deadline, he stands to gain an even larger sum; should he fail, he remains penniless.

Brewster finds that spending so much money is more difficult than he first thinks, especially when the lawyers are trying to make him fail so that they can claim the money. What makes it worse is that he starts to be a little too successful with some ventures, actually making money from them. Can Brewster empty his pockets in time for the deadline, or will he end the book as he started it, with nothing?

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Brewster's Millions [by George Barr McCutcheon]

The Midnight Passenger [by Richard Henry Savage]

Randall Clayton was surrounded by enemies. His father’s business partner had looked after him in the years since his father’s death. But Hugh Worthington’s motives were not altruistic – he had a secret to hide and a scheme to bring to fruition that would make him millions at Clayton’s expense. Clayton’s roommate, Arthur Ferris, had his own schemes, including stealing the affections of Worthington’s daughter away from Clayton. Clayton worked for a pittance in New York, where he was watched day and night by Worthington’s spies, and by the ruthless Fritz Braun, who plotted to rob Clayton of the large deposit that he daily carried for his employer. It seemed that Jack Witherspoon was his only friend, the only one he could trust. But Jack was sailing for Europe and neither man fully comprehended the danger that was closing in on Randall. 

Read by MaryAnn Spiegel.

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The Midnight Passenger [by Richard Henry Savage]

She Stoops to Conquer [by Oliver Goldsmith]

In She Stoops to Conquer, or The Mistakes of a Night, a young lady pretends to be a servant in order to win the notice of a young man who is painfully shy around women of his own class. Hilarious misadventures and mayhem ensue before matters are neatly wrapped up at the end. This play, one of the great English comedies, was first performed in 1773 and continues to be very popular with audiences today. (Summary by LA Walden)

Cast:
Mr. Hardcastle - Bob Neufeld
Sir Charles Marlow - David Lawrence
Young Marlow - bala
Hastings - Brett W. Downey
Tony Lumpkin - ToddHW
Mrs. Hardcastle - Availle
Miss Hardcastle -Arielle Lipshaw
Miss Neville - Charlotte Duckett
First Fellow and First Servant - Drakaunus
Second Fellow, Second Servant, and Jeremy - rookieblue
Third Fellow, Third Servant, and Roger - Joseph Abell
Fourth Fellow and Diggory - Algy Pug
Landlord and Mr. Woodward - zaanta
Maid - Amanda Friday
Servant - Elizabeth Klett
Stage directions - Laurie Anne Walden
Audio edited by Laurie Anne Walden

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She Stoops to Conquer [by Oliver Goldsmith]