Waiting: Miracles are real
All right, luvvies? Matt here with the Waiting edition of Ready & Waiting, a fortnightly newsletter from Foggy Outline.
3 of our environmental literacy courses (including popular flagship Environmental literacy – an introduction) are still free for you, the Ready & Waiting readers, until 19 April – just use these links and voucher codes:
Environmental literacy – an introduction, free with voucher code LITERACY24-01
Climate change – the impact on business, free with voucher code IMPACT24-01
Making the business case for sustainability, free with voucher code SUSTAINABILITY24-01
New subscribers also get these vouchers in their inbox as soon as they sign up, so if you know anyone who's in the market for some knowledge to combat the climate emergency, point them to our newsletter sign-up page (or forward them this email).
I Need A Miracle
Every episode is a prayer, some prayers are granted, and a prayer granted can turn the world upside down.
Big news: this is really happening! Our first professionally produced scripted audio drama is officially in production with the fantastic team at Wireless Theatre.
You can tell it's really real because we're starting to fill in the credits:
Director: Robert Valentine
Producer and dialogue editor: Sarah Golding
Casting director: Fiona Thraille
Composer: Katharine Seaton
Casting is under way right now. I have meetings with Fiona and Katharine in the next few weeks to get into fun and gritty details. Recording is slated for May. It's all happening.
It's never too early to start the hype train for something like this. I really, really hope I Need A Miracle finds its audience. They're out there (maybe they're you??), but it'll take more than just me shouting about it to get the show in their ears (and thence into their hearts).
So if the pitch for the show has you intrigued or excited ... tell someone so. Tell them this weird, cool new podcast is coming out some time later this year, and if they don't want to miss it, they should sign up for this newsletter! (Or follow Foggy Outline on Linkedin and Tumblr, or follow me on Tumblr, Instagram and Bluesky.)
Environmental literacy courses
Introduction to renewable energy
We've got a full first draft of the script for this new course now. While we edit and refine that draft (and note what new images we'll need to bring it to life on screen), we're also drafting scripts for the follow-up courses. This intro course gives the big picture overview; the follow-ups will each go into detail on a specific renewable energy technology, including solar, wind and hydro.
When it's finished, this whole suite of renewable energy courses will go up on Udemy and our courses page.
Merely Roleplayers
Coming up in the Studio
This weekend just gone, Ellie, Strat, Helen and I recorded a playthrough of Labyrinth: The Adventure Game, with Natalie Winter as our wicked Goblin Queen.
The game roughly follows the structure of the film – you have 13 hours to reach the centre of a tricksy and frustrating labyrinth and get back what the Goblin Queen stole from you – but our version is all muppets, not a human character in sight. Look forward to a horned beast, a worm, a knight, and some kind of messed up looking bird taking on the Labyrinth's many trials. (Can you guess which player is which thing?)
But first, in the Main House
I'm just finalising post-production on Vigil: Dream Big, the Main House production that'll start airing after our current run of microgames in the Studio.
This one stars Dave as Mick the bricklayer who caught the attention of a giant, Helen as Melody the patchwork person who just wants to be a nice human, and Strat as Brier the fey goblin who causes problems on purpose.
The sound design on Act 1 alone ranges from some classic disco on cassette, through the rumble and tinkle of an earthquake in a cafe, to something a bit like bowling if the ball was a man and the pins were bits of a rock troll.
Interactive Soup – pitch submissions are now open! Something like £250 of community funding available for interactive performance projects. Submit pitches by 26 April and pitch for the money in person on 4 June (I'll be there volunteering)
Nevermorphed – Wil, a 31-year-old nonbinary war-hating weirdo who loves unsettling media, reads all 54 Animorphs books for the first time along with a cadre of Animorph-loving podcaster guests
CRIT Awards – the first round of nominations is open now until 31 May. Nominate your faves from the tabletop roleplaying community, including games, actual plays and dice makers
See you in two weeks for the Ready edition: a round-up of Foggy Outline things you can enjoy straight away, no waiting.