Sunday, 19 July 2015

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


link to the free audiobook

The Big Time [by Fritz Leiber]



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

Read by Karen Savage.

link to the free audiobook
The Big Time [by Fritz Leiber]

Thursday, 16 July 2015

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


link to the free audiobook

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

link to the free audiobook
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [by Lewis Carroll]

Sunday, 12 July 2015

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




link to the free audiobook

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

link to the free audiobook
How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays [by Mark Twain]

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

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.

link to the free audiobook
The Flint Heart [by Eden Phillpotts]