writermag.com • The Writer | 277 SFX: BOTH ENGINES TURNED OFF8 SFX: FIRST ONE CAR DOOR, THEN THE
OTHER, OPENS AND SHUTS9 SFX: HIGH HEELS CRUNCHING ON GRAVEL10 SFX: BOOTS ON GRAVEL11 SFX: IRON GATE SCREECHES OPEN12 SFX: IRON GATE SLAMS SHUT13 L A Z ARUS: Hey!14 SFX: HIGH HEELS CRUNCHING ON GRAVEL15 SFX: IRON GATE SCREECHES OPEN16 SFX: IRON GATE CLOSED GENTLY17 SFX: BOOTS ON GRAVEL18 SFX: BOTH SETS OF SHOES ON GRAVEL19 SFX: SPOOKY ORGAN MUSIC PLAYING, GET-
TING LOUDER AS THEY APPROACH20 SFX: HIGH HEELS AND BOOTS MOUNTING
WOODEN STEPS1 FRIEDA: Don’t you dare!2 LAZARUS: I was only going to lift the door-
knocker.3 FRIEDA: You already cut me off once today.4 LAZARUS: I did no such thing. I had the right
of way.5 FRIEDA: Stop signs aren’t suggestions, you
know.This script is another example of formatting inconsisten-
cies among companies: Though written in U.S. numbered
format, this script was produced by a company that wanted
the first line of each page to start with 1. Line 21 is the final
line on the first page, and Frieda’s first line is the top of the
second page, and it goes from there. Furthermore,
for this particular company, all cues, including
music cues, are sound effects and therefore go by
SFX. It’s a good reminder that almost all compa-
nies have different script preferences, so a script
written for one company may need to be reformat-
ted significantly for another. (Generally, it’s good to
wait until a script is fully revised and ready to sub-
mit before numbering because renumbering is a
time-consuming process).
As far as the content of this particular scene,
the sequence of car sounds and the two sets of
footsteps set up the characters’ antagonism. The
sound of the creaky iron gate plants the haunted
house idea, but the way Frieda slams the gate and
Lazarus closes it gently gives us information
about their characters, which is then supported in
their actions and dialogue as the story unfolds.
The haunted house atmosphere is amplified with
the spooky organ music as they approach the
house. By the time they start bickering on the
second page, á la Tracy and Hepburn, the sounds
have already given the listener (and the produc-
tion company) information about these two peo-
ple and where they are.A final round of applause
Radio writing is precise and technical, yet the form
itself stimulates creativity and imagination. So
much entertainment is presentational; radio should
actively engage the audience for every moment of
the play. Those old “Applause” signs that Holly-
wood often uses when portraying radio produc-
tions aren’t needed in actual live dramas, because
the audience is there for the ride and applauding
from the first beat of the theme music – no canned
applause in the script required.
Skills built in radio writing can enhance
precision and clarity in other genres. So listen
to some radio drama and get swept away in the
magic. You might be inspired to write one of
your own.Devon Ellington publishes under half a dozen names in
fiction and nonfiction and is an internationally produced
playwright and radio writer. She spent decades working in
theatre and film production. Her blog “Ink In My Coffee”
(devonellington.wordpress.com) leads to her plethora of
websites.