Memphis audio theater makes old art new | Arts & Culture

A local group is keeping an old art form alive, and they’ve released a new work just in time for the holidays.

Chatterbox Audio Theater performs what once would have been called “radio plays.” Of course, their productions aren’t just heard on the radio anymore; they’re as likely to be played on an iPod or a computer.

“With rare exceptions, Chatterbox shows are recorded live, with manual sound effects and as little post-production editing as possible,” according to the group’s website.

Their newest production, "Partridge's Perfect Present," was recorded in front of about 150 people at the Brooks Museum of Art. The play tells the story of a bird that leaves his pear tree for the holidays, but struggles to find the perfect present.

 “What I did not want to do is to re-write, re-imagine, combine, or otherwise recycle ‘A Christmas Carol,’ the Grinch, Rudolph, or Frosty,” said the show’s writer and director Marques Brown. "The challenge in front of me was to try and create something that had its own value, and while it should be reminiscent of holiday tradition, it should be relevant to all people, regardless of which miracle they choose to remember in the heart of winter."

The 21 minute show is available for free on the group’s website and on iTunes.