The Gray Area

During an unspecified “government transition” in the near future, the young scholar Alejandra Cortez (no relation to AOC) returns home from Rhinebeck on an extremely rainy night and stumbles into a West Village café where she was once a regular during the Second Trump Administration.  But aside from the rowdy RPG players, what happened to all the colorful eccentrics?  Why does nobody remember the history of Café Gluck aside from an overworked barista named Sporschill?  Who is the strange new owner claiming to be a “crypto king”?  And why doesn’t anybody remember the charming and eccentric old bookseller Jaime Abrego Mendel who set up shop in the adjacent card room every day?  This full-cast 332 track standalone epic examines the true human cost of removing vital figures from American life. (Running time: 54 minutes) Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion Adapted from the short story “Buchmendel” by Stefan Zweig Original music soundtrack by Edward Champion (You can listen to the soundtrack on YouTube.  Subscribe to @finnegansache.) CAST: Alejandra:  Belgys Felix Mendel: Wolf Reigns Florian: Zack Glassman Standhartner: Sally Maitland Sporschill:  Julie Chapin Ramirez:  Melissa Medina Dirks: Luvelle Pierre Tallis: Jack Ward Becky: Emily Carding ICE Officer: Will Billingsley ICE Officer #2:  Frank Romeo Felicia/The Radio: Samantha Jo Clueless Customer: Glenn Kenny The New Yorkers: Heath Martin and Pauly Sinatra Boris: Pete Lutz DM:  Dr. Implausible The Staffers: Ella Gans and Jay Silver Victim:  Zoraya Christian Exuberant Customer: Lokia Rockwell Café Patron: Laura Spear and Edward Champion as The Assassin. This is a co-production of The Sonic Society and The Gray Area. Café songs licensed through Epidemic Audio Editing, sound design, mixing, foley recording, engineering, and mastering courtesy of an eccentric bald man in Brooklyn who buys and reads far too many books Special thanks to Jack Ward, Russ Marshalek, Laura Spear, Spacebar Recording, and Penny House Café for their incredible generosity and support during the making of this production. This production is dedicated to the many innocent and hardworking immigrants in the United States who are presently facing some of the most disturbing authoritarianism in this nation’s history, as well as the late beloved bookseller Michael Siedenberg.  

We've just launched a bold new experiment in independent podcasting and micropayments. It's called onlychatter.com. Our creator Edward Champion outlines the details of this new venture and unveils the first episode of a new comedic investigation podcast he's producing called HOW THE WORLD MAKES US.  Please go to onlychatter.com and consider becoming a member today! For the price of a pint, you'll have instant access to 40 new episodes of lively podcasts!

We've intercepted an alarming transmission from Universe 224B. Something about attending the 302nd Bureaucosmological Conference on October 16, 2021 at 7:00 PM at the Gene Frankel Theatre.  We pass this information onto you so that you can make sense of this.

Our intrepid heroes visit the New York Public Library to meet up with visiting literary scholar Merrill Malone, an eccentric and the foremost expert on Virginia Gaskell’s life and work, to get, once and for all, all the answers about the portals. What they don’t realize is that shocking personal revelations and the very ground beneath their feet will alter forever within the library’s seemingly pristine walls. (Running time: 55 minutes, 43 seconds.) Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion. CAST: Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Emily McCorkle: Belgys Felix Professor Malone: Robert Garson Jenna: Devony DiMattia Miss Gaskell: Chris Smith Maya: Tanja Milojevic Ed Champion: Edward Champion The Executive: Rachel Matusewicz Audrey: Amanda Rios Romero: David Ault Joe: David Sinkus The Guard: Graham Rowat and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist   Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox. Additional music composed by Edward Champion   Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who clearly has some corporate identity issues to work out.   Thank you for listening!

Our showrunner Edward Champion discusses Part 3 of "Pattern Language." Subjects discussed include WandaVision, the careful balance between realism and pastiche, the Faulkner short story as a starting point, Love and Rockets, why the memory of an inspiration is often better than closely examining the source text, designing the 1970s announcer voice, using 1970s television effects to create a sound design, being careful with laugh tracks, why Carol Jacobanis is an extraordinary actor, the advantages of recording with Belgys and Carol together in the same room, an abandoned first season script set within a talk show, Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio, avoiding rehashes while writing, inverting the Neil LaBute/David Mamet formula for women, the strange Italian references throughout The Gray Area, Heath Martin, Louis CK's apology, creating walla sounds for the journalists, how Carol struck the perfect balance between realism and stylized voices, the need to know where a story is heading within five minutes, story beats, the candid dialogue, growing up in a prudish household, both-siderism vs. all sides in journalism, statements on the public record, bullies and therapy, young people who talk down at older people, the impossible behavioral ideal in the digital age, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, the fajita demon origin story, why Pompano made an appearance here is an NYC restaurant, fish metaphors, The Shawshank Redemption, meeting Frank Darabont as a young man, behavioral patterns and therapy, paying respectful homage to Richard Russo, the great versatility of Monica Ammerman, how a recording accident created an opportunity for greater authenticity, the Chico State backstory, how his California origins influenced the script, fluid sexuality, ghost writing, why alcoholics keep cropping up in The Gray Area, annoying the audience, animal sounds, Catholicism, why the ukulele was used in a music cue, Jeff Russo's Fargo cue, Tarantino and surf music, balancing demons and humans, Evita and fascism, Argentine history, the disadvantages of being a horror movie fan while doing sound design, beta listener feedback, arriving at natural storytelling beats, the importance of the cart sound effect, electromatter sound design, learning the keyboard and composing primitive music, the high price of music clearance, barking dogs and the "black dog" of depression, being careful with storytelling explanations, wordplay as a source of creative inspiration, double-tracking to get vocal effects, creating ethereal sounds from homegrown recording, how using a keyboard altered the sound design, the responsibility of following up on storytelling points, a minor story problem in "An Iris for Emily," Johnny as Ed's dark half, and overly dramatic performance vs. melodrama. (Running time: 30 minutes, 27 seconds.)

Emily McCorkle has landed the media appearance of a lifetime: a guest spot on the most respected talk show in America. But why is the host so concerned with her private details? And why are so many skeletons from her past making guest appearances? And who is the strange man with the hot dogs? (Running time: 38 minutes, 1 second.) Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion. CAST: Emily McCorkle: Belgys Felix Ophelia Kakanakis: Carol Jacobanis June: Monica Ammerman The Fajita Demon: Pete Lutz The Cunning Demon: Leanne Troutman Morris Pressman: David Tao Jimmy Markson: Heath Martin Johnson: Hilah Hallaway Emily's Mom: Melissa Medina Emily's Dad: David Sirkus Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Maya: Tanja Milojevic Ed Champion: Edward Champion Reporter #1: Glenn Bulthius Reporter #2: Alice Fox and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox. Additional music composed by Edward Champion. Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who has become a TikTok junkie seemingly against his will. Thank you for listening

Our showrunner Edward Champions dives into the second chapter of "Pattern Language."  Subjects discussed include creative dissatisfaction, basing the story arc on being personally libeled by a journalist, writing as an act of being peace, resisting the temptation to write from revenge, fantasy as a genre where real-life people incapable of empathy express it as new characters, designing the telephone muttering, invasion of privacy, when culture doesn't allow people to change, how Belgyis Felix landed the role by staying in character as a demon during a play, the Adelphi school of acting, the remarkable acting range of Belgys Felix, how McCorkle's recalcitrance reflected his own arrogant past, the immaturity and narcissism of star journalists, the public profile vs. the private character of a person, the "worst X" as a headline, wishful thinking about editorial standards, Kevin Fogelberg and Dan Fogelberg, allusions to the Hulk Hogan Gawker suit, the New York Times vs. Sullivan standard and libel, advertorial articles and puff pieces in the magazine industry, ideologues who claim to be journalists, basing Morris Pressman on Ben Hecht plays, larger-than-life characters, Slate reporters who manipulate content for white-collar workers, floral allegories, the influence of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, his tendency to write stylized men, recording subway and New York sounds, tying the many loose strands together, the Ed and Maya conversation as a callback to "Dearer than Earsight," why it's important to cast someone better than you if you appear in your own audio drama, addressing the events of "Fuel to the Fire," why he had to hire a German translator, why Tanja Milojevic is brilliant, scouring for German idioms, why there are so many Receptionists in the main universe, the influence of Stranger than Paradise on music licensing, casting a real estate broker as a corporate tycoon, the parallels between Chelsea and The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy, location audio in Midtown, the tendency to run into random people quite frequently in New York City, coincidental run-ins in stories, clarifying previous story details, chase scenes, the crazed amount of Tony Danza research done for The Gray Area, Christopher Alexander and "pattern language," and demon transformation.  (Running time: 26 minutes, 8 seconds)

Months after the events of “Paths Not Taken,” Chelsea is working hard to turn a corner and improve her life. But when Emily McCorkle, the smear merchant journalist who severely damaged her reputation, returns to write a followup piece, Chelsea is thrown into a jarring maelstrom that involves demons, people from her past, and the possibility of redemption. (Running time: 32 minutes, 22 seconds.) Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion. CAST: Chelsea: Katrina Clairvoyant Emily McCorkle: Belgys Felix Maya: Tanja Milojevic Morris Pressman: David Tao Ed Champion: Edward Champion Alicia: Elizabeth Rimar Johnson: Hilah Hillaway The Fajita Demon: Pete Lutz The Cunning Demon: Leanne Troutman Lucinda: Emily Carding Mrs. Gelding: Westlake Stark and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist   Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird   Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox. Additional music composed by Edward Champion.   Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who does his best to resist mayonnaise but can’t entirely fight the allure for a good tuna sandwich.   Thank you for listening!

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.)

Pat Goras and Lucy Didas are a happy couple living in a fantastical suburban realm preparing for a delightful dragon brisket barbeque with their neighbors. But when a strange portal opens in their backyard, their lives and roles become permanently altered within the very Gray Area itself! (Running time: 20 minutes, 54 seconds) Written, produced, and directed by Edward Champion. CAST: Pat Goras/The Fajita Demon: Pete Lutz Lucy Didas/The Cunning Demon: Leanne Troutman The Neurotic Demon: Melissa Medina The Counting Demon: Vlasto Pejic The Angsty Demon: Nick Boesel Miss Gaskell: Chris Smith and Zack Glassman as The Receptionist   Creature Voices by Samantha Cooper and Rachel Baird   Incidental music licensed through Neosounds and MusicFox. Additional music composed by Edward Champion   Sound design, editing, engineering, and mastering by a bald man in Brooklyn who once considered reciting Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham in Latin.   Thank you for listening!

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.)

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 ed@edrants.com 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!

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!