An Audio Self Portrait of J. Timothy Quirk

Inspired by a visit to the National Portrait Gallery in London, J. Timothy Quirk offers a very different method of conveying a portrait. Listen HERE

A Visit to the British Library

In September 2024 I traveled to England for five full days and nights and every moment afforded me the opportunity to learn something new that will provide guidance on future stories, especially Barnaby Druthers stories. Interestingly, the research I conducted here shed light on some prior Druthers stories and I’m excited to share just a little bit of that as I extol the virtues of some of my favorite places during my all too brief visit.

On Friday afternoon I took the tube from Tower Hill to Kings Cross station and walked to The British Library, the extraordinary institution featuring a team of librarians, researchers, administrative staff, security workers, custodial workers, and vendors all working in concert to provide an exceptional resource to the public. It is a veritable transportation hub of knowledge where everyone contributes flawlessly to the visitor experience.

On the ground floor there is a free exhibit whose contents could be the basis of an entire museum charging admission.  The exhibit displays handwritten works of merit throughout the ages from Leonardo DaVinci to the Beatles, with historic versions of sacred texts and important civic documents like the Magna Carta and the Emancipation Proclamation and it is all there in display cases for our viewing consideration.

Within these display cases I saw two items that related to Barnaby Druthers stories.  The Barnaby Druthers story “Year of the Spring Heeled Jack” described the tale wherein a particular fiend possessed the trappings of the spring heeled jack, particularly the boots and gloves.  I was thrilled to see an actual 19th century published Spring Heeled Jack book from 1890 on display. (see Year of Spring Heeled Jack in Season 3)

2022 Season 3 Episodes

A Modern Druthers story was called the Secret Serenade about a potentially undiscovered work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Barnaby conducts some research at the British Library by viewing an original Mozart piece (although in the story the Mozart piece he viewed was not encased in a display in a public exhibit but was shown separately to him in a study room). (see Season 4)

2023 Season 4

The library houses so many books of note, manuscripts, and documents that if I had just a full month to visit daily to research and write, I can only imagine how many Druthers stories I could create in that time. Alas, that is not a luxury I possess, so I am thankful for the time I had now to experience and learn as much as I could, an to make every moment on the visit meaningful and I can say without question that my most valued keepsake, besides the memories and the stories, from this entire journey is the British Library card I now hold in my wallet.

100th Barnaby Druthers story!

When we began to produce Barnaby Druthers as a separate series from our original anthology program Nutmeg Junction, we could never have known that the 100th unique Barnaby Druthers story would be released for air the week of 9/22/2024. It is a very special episode featuring two young voice actors who share their talents on a tale that delves into Barnaby’s past. You may wonder: is this the 100th episode? Let me explain. We began to create Barnaby Druthers stories in the anthology program “Nutmeg Junction”. We discovered there were many more stories to share about the character and also we found many radio stations liked the concept of a single concept series versus an anthology series (some stations do like anthologies, don’t worry, but there was a market for creating an audio theater series based around a single concept/idea/character). So we created Barnaby Druthers as a stand alone series, the idea took off like a rocket and we haven’t stopped since. The first “season” were initial episodes, we retooled the show and made some changes before series 3 and updated older shows over time which was relaunched with even more stations joining Druthers! We also created some short stories that were compiled into different episodes. So the 100th episode isn’t a relevant metric, after all, we’ve created over 160 mystery hour episodes, though these episodes included non-Druthers stories and encore episodes. But we do count the STORIES, the unique stories written associated with the character. For that reason, we can confidently say that the 100th unique episodewill be aired the week of 9/22 and is called “Secrets in the Coffin”!

A Comprehensive List of Barnaby Druthers Stories to Date

At this time, which is November 2023, it seems appropriate to catalog the number of Barnaby Druthers stories we have created as a way of taking stock of what has been accomplished. As a part of Nutmeg Junction, our group has created audio theater stories since 2018 but this focus is exclusively on Barnaby Druthers. We created Barnaby Druthers in 2019 and in short order, created the Barnaby Druthers program and related Barnaby Druthers Mystery Hour. Undoubtedly, in time we’ll create a searchable database that can include episodes, categories, credits, etc, but for now, this list compiles the individual Barnaby Druthers stories. And there are MORE stories to come as we end 2023 and enter 2024! Stay Tuned!

1 Barnaby Doesn't Know Jack 2 Never the Twain Shall Meet 3 The Duchess' Judas Window 4 The Chuzzleby Carbuncle 5 The Mousetrap 6 Contralto 7 The Priceless Manuscript 8 The Ghost of William Terriss 9 The Aristocratic Tosher 10 Year of the Springheeled Jack 11 All We Bring to Bear Part 1 12 All We Bring to Bear Part 2 13 All We Bring to Bear Part 3 14 All We Bring to Bear Part 4 15 The Curious Case of Garvin Kendrick 16 The Secret Serenade Part 1 17 The Secret Serenade Part 2 18 The Summer Game 19 The Wolf at the Vicar's Door 20 Nothing Happens on a Tuesday 21 The Emerald Lady 22 Lorelei 23 The Ghost Bride of Grenton Hall 24 The Ten Pounds: Lunch the Duck 25 Hollywood by the Sea Part 1 26 Hollywood by the Sea Part 2 27 Hollywood by the Sea Part 3 28 The Midnight Phantom of the Boardwalk p1 29 The Midnight Phantom of the Boardwalk P2 30 Talbot Carbuncle 31 Enoch's Return 32 The Invitation 33 Of Rhyme and Reason 34 Uncle Rupert's Final Deal 35 Aionios 36 The Golden Feather League 37 The Missing Lodgers 38 Murder Can Be Deadly 39 Monster in the Moonlight 40 Christmas in Kansas City 41 The Case of Doctor Hyluss 42 The Second Legend of Sleepy Hollow 43 The Vicar's Widow 44 A Ham in Rye 45 Robin Hood of the Gala 46 Pettibone's Ghost 47 Sir Bedivere's Gift 48 The Veiled Lady 49 Finding Xander Draven 50 Messages in a Bottle 51 Sin's Reward 52 Star of Othrys 53 The Little Things 54 Diogenes 55 What if This Cursed Hand part 1 56 What if This Cursed Hand Part 2 57 What if This Cursed Hand Part 3 58 Scarecrows in the Meadow 59 One Fearful Night in Ataraxia 60 Emmeline: A Christmas Story 61 Case of the Five Buttons: Time's Arrow 62 Case of the Five Buttons: Violet and Blue Fire 63 Curse of Sallowe Manor 64 Goodnight Selene, My Love 65 When the Fog Lifts 66 Dear Mister Druthers 67 The Clockmaker's Apprentice 68 The Patient 69 The One Holding the Match 70 Le Diable Roulette 71 The Final Carbuncle 72 The Crossroads of Clues Part 1 73 The Crossroads of Clues Part 2 74 The Scarecrow's Confession 75 But Not Yet

Photo of J. Timothy Quirk speaking before a LIVE Nutmeg Junction/Barnaby Druthers performance in Litchfield, CT.

Spotlight on J. Timothy Quirk

Spotlight on J. Timothy Quirk

By Ray Boucher

HAMDEN – Since his childhood, Connecticut writer and broadcaster J. Timothy Quirk has wanted to tell stories through an old, unique form of public media. Quirk grew up in Massachusetts, with two older brothers and two younger sisters. He graduated from a university in Illinois with a degree in Communications and a minor in theology.

In December of 2017, he created Nutmeg Junction, a radio program inspired by old-time radio programs, at Torrington. According to the Nutmeg Junction website, the program “first broadcast on the radio 3/31/2018”, with the earliest shows including “The Grey Whisper,” “Professor A,” and “Space Sentries”.

When he was young, Quirk listened to his father’s audio tapes of old radio podcasts, such as The Jack Benny Program, and he considered it an engaging way of telling stories. “I liked the ability to tell a story without pictures...Some people call it, ‘the theater of the mind,’” says Quirk.

Recurring actors who appear on Nutmeg Junction include Jeff Savage, Lana Peck, Rich Cyr, Jack Sheedy, and Melissa Gabehart. Gabehart has worked with Quirk since her debut as the character Sneetchey in “Snarflepoofs.” Gabehart says, “The comedy [of ‘Snarflepoofs’] is not slapstick...It’s not bad, because it’s not meant to be a ridiculous comedy... [Quirk] kind of writes for certain people, he has a certain voice in mind when’s he writing them...He doesn’t micro-manage everything, he lets people make up the voices that we do.”

Another recurring actor, Amanda “AJ” Lin, met and worked with Quirk on a 48-hour film project. Since then, she has directed the mystery detective show “Barnaby Druthers.” She describes Quirk’s writing style and flexibility in how his fellow actors interpret their characters. “[Quirk’s writing is] very clear writing.” Lin said, “He’s got a lot of creativity and also lets his Nutmeg Junction team really have some independence in their performing or otherwise creating their story.”

Quirk also produces “Nutmeg Chatter”, an award winning weekly radio arts program hosted by actor and journalist Phil Hall. The website says the program “features interviews with extraordinary observers of the human experience.” Quirk also produces the radio version of “The Claws Corner” with Rich Cyr.

In addition to broadcasting radio shows, Quirk is a cartoonist who has produced many works of art. Quirk’s various art cartoons were presented at the Newsroom Café, Torrington, Connecticut, in 2013. On July 2, 2015, his art project “The Crayon Dairy: Our Stories” was displayed during the Torrington Arts Walk in Torrington, Connecticut.

“I was fortunate enough to participate in the festivities,” said Quirk, “because my The Crayon Dairy: Our Stories is an art project that has taken on a life of its own.”

Quirk hopes that the Nutmeg Junction program will continue to grow and inspire people in the audio drama field. “We’re across the nation and on stations in Canada and New Zealand” Quirk says, “but we continuing to build...we hope the listeners who hear our stories will enjoy our program.”

Nutmeg Junction is broadcast from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, on every Sunday evening, on the denverundergroundradio.com website.

Photo of J. Timothy Quirk speaking before a LIVE Nutmeg Junction/Barnaby Druthers performance in Litchfield, CT.

New Orleans

It is my intention to visit all the stations that air Barnaby Druthers, and two stations in Lousiana fit that description: WXDR in New Orleans and WHYR in Baton Rouge. Right on the heels of my Indiana adventure, I had the opportunity to fly into New Orleans and the visit was so exceptional that the inspiration is still with me as I write these words now! But it should be noted that the additional traveling time is why the “station showcases” will be posted at a later date as I not only want to memorialize the trip, but also write the scripts for Druthers AND write some short stories inspired by this traveling.

“One can not help but be inspired by New Oreleans, The Big Easy, Crescent City, The Paris of the South: You can call it what you like; New Orleans welcomes interpretations, but it defies one singular definition.”

-J. Timothy Quirk

J. Timothy Quirk at Cafe Du Monde after eating two beignets.

A few years ago, I had written a story based in New Orleans called “Lorelei” and after visiting the city, I was happily assured that the story still held up.which is why we repeated it this week. But I’ve found inspiration to write more short stories and Druthers stories and listeners will hear them when they are ready.

One can not help but be inspired by New Oreleans, The Big Easy, Crescent City, The Paris of the South: You can call it what you like; New Orleans welcomes interpretations, but it defies one singular definition. Each visitor has a unique New Orleans story, although some experiences may rhyme with others in the poetry of life along the Mississippi.  Put another way, I could write you a narrative description of “jazz”, but if you never heard jazz, the words would be truthful but the definition itself would not be “true”. And so if I had to choose to define New Orleans in just a word, I would say “jazz”, because jazz must be experienced for any real understanding.

We had two nights before returning home so we wanted to make the most of the experience. We made the French Quarter our focus for the first afternoon into evening. We enjoyed beignets at Cafe Du Monde and I purchased a straw hat, which was not an uncommon fashion choice given the weather. My daughter and I ate dinner at a restaurant whose ambience was the main attraction rather than their culinary offerings. That evening we walked with my sister and her coworker to a hotel where their bar had an unsual attribute which inspired a short story I wrote which we will record this upcoming Monday. The evening ended without incident and plans were made for the following day. In the morning I was to take a long bus trip to visit a radio station in Baton Rouge. That will be the subject of my second post.

Fort Wayne

The bus ride from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne took approximately 2 hours at the cost $20.00 each way on that Thursday in June. Overall, the travel time was pleasant on the ride up as the bus driver took pains to explain in advance the rules of travel, including the rule prohibiting talking loudly on one’s cell phone via speaker. The ride back was not as pleasant as the bus driver did not take similar pains to explain, let alone enforce, the speakerphone rule and one passenger held a two hour conversation on her cellphone so loudly that when she mispronounced “Marion, Indiana”, a cacophony of other passengers felt the need to correct the pronunciation.

The purpose of the trip was to visit WELT which is housed at the extraordinary Allen County Public Library. A “station spotlight” post that spotlights the station will accompany this entry that is focusing on my experience of Fort Wayne as a whole. I took the 10:45am bus and arrived at the bus terminal on Baker Street at about 1pm. The return bus had a planned departure time of 9pm which meant I had 8 hours to explore Fort Wayne. It is clear that 8 hours is not enough time to experience all that Fort Wayne has to offer.

Parkview Field Fort Wayne, IN

On the way to the library from the bus stop, one walks past the extraordinary Parkview Field where the Tincaps play. There was a game scheduled for that night and I learned the gift shop closes before the game time.

In short order I was standing in the library with legendary radioman, John O’Rourke, the station manager of WELT. The station provides many essential communication services for the benefit of the Fort Wayne community. In fact, John was preparing to visit city hall where he would record the monthly program “Investing in the City of Fort Wayne, where a city employee interviews a representative of a local business. I was invited to attend the taping and after saying, “Hello” to Mayor Tom Henry, we sat in the conference room as John Felts, Head of Digital Engagement, interviewed Jeffrey Roberts of Amp Lab. The program can be heard here: https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/investing-in-the-city-of-fort-wayne-radio-show.html

After recording the podcast, we returned to the library. John generously gave me a tour of WELT and the Access Fort Wayne media center. The media center provides free access for members of the community to film, edit, produce and showcase content. If I lived anywhere near Fort Wayne, I guarantee this would be my base of creative operations. It should be noted that the library also offers Maker Labs, a seed library, and a museum exhibit on Abraham Lincoln as the Lincoln Foundation houses a vast collection of photos, books, documents, and ephemera related to the 16th President of the United States.

With time for myself in the afternoon, I walked north in the direction of the arts district where the Fort Wayne Museum of Art was located and as luck would have it, admission was free that Thursday night. The museum featured an exquisite exhibit on Art Deco Glass and an exhibit featuring the work of Miro in New York (the exhibit ran through June 25th so I caught it just in time). Across East Main Street, the ArtLink Gallery was hosting a members’ showcase, an event that was also free to the public. The space was filled with quality works by local artists. It reminded me of the former Artwell Gallery in Torrington where, as a member, I was able to exhibit my works of art in member’s only showcases. I was impressed by the work the Artlink artists created, each unique and wonderful, and by their welcoming spirit. Even if at some point in the future I was only back in Fort Wayne for just a few hours on only one more day, if I had the opportunity to see another member showcase, I would take the opportunity to visit again.

I am certain there are many wonderful restaurants, bars, cafe’s etc in Fort Wayne, but with my limited time, I needed to stay within a certain area and eat and depart quickly. On my walk from the library to the arts district, I stopped by Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island hot dog restaurant. I ordered two hot dogs with the works and a bottle of coke. It was so good, on my return walk from the art district, I stopped by again and had two more hot dogs and a bottle of coke.

The baseball park was a hub of activity. I had been told at the time city planners announced the plan to move the baseball field to the downtown area, there was a whirlwind of controversy and some vehement negative sentiment on the concept. But how right those city planners were, for on this random Thursday evening, the field was packed with fans supporting their local team! Whenever I’m able, I like to pick up a gift for my son, whether it’s a baseball cap or jersey or some sports related item from a local sports team that’s in the area I’m visiting. Because their store was closed due to the game, my only option that night was to purchase a ticket and buy a hat from the store inside the field. I’m so glad I did that. As the sun set, I enjoyed a few innings before I made my way back to the library to thank John O’Rourke and WELT/Access Fort Wayne for their hospitality. The bus arrived right on time and by 11:00pm I was back in Indianapolis.

Closing Thoughts: (As mentioned earlier, more about WELT will be shared on a “Station Spotlight” post.)

Now while I was at city hall, after the podcast/program was recorded, John Felts asked me of my thoughts on Fort Wayne from a visitor perspective. I think that’s entirely appropriate to solicit feedback but I had only been in the city for less than an hour. Now, in hindsight, weeks later, after spending only 8 hours exclusively downtown, I can begin to answer.

Fort Wayne is a city that creates its own opportunities. I believe if visitors were inclined to enjoy the arts, opportunities await them to view art and to create art. If the dining experience was the “main course” of the visitors’ interest, opportunities certainly await them. If visitors were interested in historical areas of interest, like the history museum or the Old Fort and especially if they were interested in Abraham Lincoln, opportunities abound. There are family friendly attractions like the zoo and science center and sports aficionados have three minor league teams (baseball, basketball and hockey) to support. In all things, it seems the citizenry of Fort Wayne create their own opportunities and visitors who are lucky enough to discover this community benefit from experiencing those opportunities.

It is no surprise that Philo T. Farnsworth lived for a time Fort Wayne. Farnsworth invented the first fully electronic television and in his “cave” (a basement laboratory on Pontiac Ave in Fort Wayne) he developed numerous other inventions. Farnsworth created his own opportunities and opportunities for all of us. Perhaps not as well known as other American inventors, his is a unique story and if one is not familiar with it, when the story is told, there is surprise that it had not been on the radar before. I think Fort Wayne resonates on that frequency.
I look forward to visiting again and experiencing the opportunities that present themselves in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

INDIANA (Part Two:) And So It Goes…A Trip to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

Weeks before flying to Indianapolis, there was only one location on my list of attractions I was absolutely confident I would visit during my one full day in the Crossroads of America city: the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.  Kurt Vonnegut is an important American writer whose work I consider to be essential reading. As a fellow creator of stories, I hoped to soak in the ambience and learn something in the process.

And so it goes that on that Wednesday afternoon, I followed West Street north to the intersection of Indiana Ave where the impressive Walker Theater building stood proudly at the northwest corner while across the street, a very different iconic structure housed the museum and library celebrating the renowned author. But the museum provided much more than a historical celebration of the author, the museum promotes a forward looking mission to inspire future generations of writers, and readers and indeed, of all Americans. The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library’s focus is on First Amendment advocacy.

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library from the corner of Indiana Ave and West Street, Indianapolis, IN

It seems a primary focus of the Vonnegut Museum and Library is to combat the scourge of book banning, the absurd and destructive action that is antithetical to the First Amendment of the Constitution. On the first floor, there is a framed letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote in response to a ban of his book. It is not only eloquent, it highlighted the fact that, as is so often the case, the “book banner” had not actually read his work. The act of book bannings is born from ignorance. The museum carries on the legacy of fierce First Amendment advocacy and the Vonnegut’s message rings as true today as it did back when his response letter was penned.

“Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own.”

— from Kurt Vonnegut's letter to Charles McCarthy

The museum features reading areas, multiple locations for seating and a museum store and it appears to be a wonderful location for events, depending on the projected attendance size. Of course, the museum hosts exhibits on every floor. For aspiring writers everywhere, the selection of Vonnegut’s many rejection letters are hung proudly in the second floor. The third floor has what I believe to be the hallmark exhibit that emphasizes his seminal work, Slaughterhouse Five or The Children’’s Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death.

If one is a writer, if one is an avid reader, or indeed if one is inspired by the First Amendment and the rights protected therein, then The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is an essential visit in any journey to Indianapolis. I was well justified in my initial hope that I would be inspired by a visit to the Museum. As I left and began my walk past the Canal, I resolved to have some portion of the upcoming Barnaby Druthers mystery story based in Indianapolis have some nod toward the Museum and its worthy message and mission.

Next week’s post: FORT WAYNE, INDIANA!

INDIANA (Part One: Indianapolis and The Morning Explorations)

When embarking on the journey of creating a syndicated audio theater program for radio, I long held the intention of visiting every radio station that airs the Barnaby Druthers program. It is a lofty aspiration and one that would provide great insight into the world of non-commercial community radio where Barnaby Druthers finds a home. By visiting each station, I can learn more about how each station operates and witness how each one reflects their community. But in the past three days, a greater concept that sat dormant in the recesses of my imagination found new life. Learning about each station is a good idea. Learning about each community where each station resides is better. Telling a unique story inspired by these communities is the mission of a lifetime. I intend to embrace that mission. The final chapter in this series of posts on Indiana will be the first of many Modern Druthers Indiana scripts. (continued below)

Indianapolis skyline

Indianapolis is ideally suited for conventions. Centrally located in the country as well as being a central hub to major metropolitan areas in the Midwest, the city is aptly described as “The Crossroads of America”. The streets are built on a foundation of grids making the city particularly pedestrian, bicycle and electric scooter friendly. Featuring a plethora of museums and cultural sites, my 15,000 steps on Wednesday took me to as many city attractions as my feet could take me, maximizing the opportunity of my visit.

My preference is to always visit the local historical societies, libraries and the art museums, especially if they showcase local artists, however with only one Wednesday to explore, and with the Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, Indiana Historical Society and Newfields, all being important options whose time to properly take in would exclude time for others, they will have to be stops on my next visit to the Hoosier State. I charted a walking course from the hotel past the beautiful canal and in no time at all, visited the Indiana State Library.

The Indiana State Library is a cathedral to learning. The stained glass windows, the exquisite paintings adorning the walls and the exhibits in the display cases in various rooms all tell stories worth being told. In one entrance was a bookcase filled with free books on Indiana history, so I now have a 625 page “Readings in Indiana History” by Gayle Thornbrough and Dorothy Riker courtesy of the Indiana Historical Bureau to enjoy at my leisure. There was an “Indiana Authors” room featuring the works of celebrated local writers of note and although I am not an Indiana author, it was right here that I felt the itch to tell an Indiana story. Had I my ““druthers”, I would spend a day with my laptop or bristol board, pen and ink in the library in the ambience and simply create. In earlier days, when time seemed to be in vast supply, I would sit in at a desk amidst stacks of books and allow the imagination to find a voice on the page. I can not wait for that luxury of time to return before creating these stories because even back then, time was never truly in vast supply anyway.

Across from the Indiana State Library is the Indiana Statehouse. Under the extraordinary blue stained glass dome, the statehouse is replete with history, art and civic pride. Obviously the General Assembly, the Governor and  Lieutenant Governor’s offices, the state Supreme Court and other administrative offices are located here, but so are busts, plaques, and displays worthy of attention. The Supreme Court room is said to be “largely unchanged from the way it looked in 1888” (*self-guided tour brochure). The tour guides, security personnel, even those conducting business inside these walls were all knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. The tour professionals were extremely kind and generous with their time and if one’s own time allowed, a guided tour would provide greater depth and understanding to the experience.

My exploration of the Canal, Library and Statehouse took place before lunchtime. Walking past the iconic Monument Circle, I took note of the Hilbert Circle Theater before making my way to the famous City Market. There are catacombs underneath City Market that are accessed only through scheduled tour times and though the catacombs took hold of my imagination, at tour was not in the cards for me on this day. I followed a path that took me by the renowned Repertory Theater before returning to the hotel for lunch and to work on the radio program.

The great walk of the afternoon commenced up West Street to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, which deserves its own post next week. Inspired, I took the long trek from the museum northeast to the Benjamin Harrison House and Presidential Site. The welcome center in the barn behind the main house had an exhibit in one room and a small gift shop on the other while the desk for sales, information and tour tickets was centrally located. The house is an important setting as Harrison was in his parlor when he heard the news he was nominated for President by his party. According to Jared Hay’s article in Indianapolis Monthly “Benjamin Harrison addressed more than 300,000 people in 80-plus speeches from his compact front porch” (1)

(1) Hay, Jared “Political Campaigning from 1888, Benjamin Harrison’s Front Porch Campaign" Indianapolis Monthly 2016, 11/6

The evening closed with a visit to the bottle district which was an enjoyable experience as I was able to visit with my sister , Dr. Maureen Manning, who was in Indiana for a conference she was attending in town.
As mentioned previously, my afternoon was planned to include The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. That will be the story for the next post, which will feel slightly different than this one because I’d like to address what I believe to be the compelling mission of the Vonnegut Museum and Library: free speech and combatting the appalling past, present and future danger of book banning.

Until the next post, please continue to enjoy Barnaby Druthers and look forward to the Indiana stories coming soon!

The author, J. Timothy Quirk, in the bottle district of Indianapolis June 14th, 2023

Dr. Maureen Manning with J. Timothy Quirk in Indianapolis

Spotlight on Kurt Boucher: Producer and Actor in Barnaby Druthers

What prepared you most for the role of producing and acting in Barnaby Druthers?

I think that lots of things have prepared me for my roles with Barnaby
Druthers and Nutmeg Junction, including improv, and role-playing games
like Dungeons and Dragons, where it is like make-believe but on a
different level. I had my first acting role in a school play when I was
in second grade.

As for producing, I've always been interested in audio and video
production, even as a child. Friends and I would make up little skits
that we'd record on tape recorders, and then try to add in other things
later on. Super simple techniques compared to what is possible on even
the most rudimentary computer or even phone nowadays. But back in the
late 70s and early 80s, we were using audio cassettes with monaural tape
recorders.

I love audio production, because one can create the most beautiful
visuals ever, inside the mind of the listener. It's a different kind of
magic.

What was it like to have your son act with you in Druthers?

It is great to have Ray be a part of Nutmeg Junction. He's super
talented as a composer, and to see him get his feet wet with voice
acting has been amazing, watching him try new things and grow as a
person and as an artist. I'm super proud of all of his hard work!

What is the most challenging part of being/acting as Barnaby Druthers?

Probably the hardest part of acting and being is Barnaby Druthers is
trying to live up to the high standard that our other actors have
brought to the table. Seriously, Devon and Humphry are hard acts to
follow!

You take on a wide variety of roles on Druthers/Junction. Do you find that challenging? what is your process?

I can often hear the voice in my head that has been written for me.
Sometimes I will run a couple different voice past our director, AJ Lin,
who is simply amazing and provides insightful feedback, as well as just
letting me run with a role. Really, the whole team is amazing and
supportive of one another, and that's a fantastic place to be in.

What were your expectations/thoughts when you first joined Nutmeg Junction and how have those expectations changed, met or been not met?

I don't know if I had expectations; I like to just say Yes to things. It
sounded like a great idea, and a lot of fun, so I just dove right in. I
don't think that I've ever turned down a role that was offered to me for
Junction or Druthers.

Where do you see Barnaby Druthers/Nutmeg Junction going in the new season?

Wow, well, I'm really looking forward to seeing more how the characters
grow. Looking back on earlier episodes, Humphry and Devon have always
been such an balanced team, and really beautiful, charming people, and
watching their characters develop has been a real treat, so I'm looking
forward to seeing what happens next.

I'm also looking forward to recording season two of Level One Human, and
to get some more episodes of Cosmic Ventures in production, as well. I
really love where Level One Human is headed this season, and both Devon
and Humphry are a big part of that, as well.

Photos of Kurt Boucher performing during the LIVE performance in Litchfield, CT.

Barnaby Druthers Team supports the WGA

The Barnaby Druthers team morally supports the WGA.

Who we are: None of the creators of Barnaby Druthers are members of the WGA but we whole heartedly believe in and support the WGA position in the ongoing strike. The Barnaby Druthers audio theater program is created on an all-volunteer basis and is a non-monetary endeavor in every respect.  We do not solicit funds for our program, we do not sell advertising, and, when performing live, we do so only in support of non-profit organizations. Our show airs on non-commercial outlets only, specifically community radio stations As of this writing in May of 2023, we are not a non-profit ourselves because no money of any kind finds our way to us in any regard. There is a lane for us in the world of entertainment; it is a non-monetary, non-commercial lane of entertainment. Our work is heard on non-commercial community radio stations, an outlet that provides a voice for those who have something to contribute that can’t be found on commercial stations. Radio play/audio theater entertainment is generally not found over the airwaves on commercial radio in 2023.

Our lane of non-monetary, non-commercial content creation should not be confused with the landscape of commercial entertainment. Commercial entertainment involves, but is not limited to, production companies, commercial platforms and distribution channels and most notably, it involves the hardworking individuals, from writers, directors, actors and those behind the scenes, who create the content, the artistic product that generates revenue. There is an enormous need for that method of content creation and in that respect, every individual should be paid fairly.  

What we believe when it comes to writers: The writers who craft the stories are the essential foundation of the creative content.  They utilize their skills to deliver a quality product upon which the rest of the entertainment endeavor is built. There is no television series, no movie, not even a reality show, without stories.  Writing a program/movie/etc is not a “gig”, it is an indispensable professional job for commercial entertainment and writers should be paid like the essential professionals they are. (Ed: We also add actors to this position. Actors utlize their skills to create the product and they are professionals and should be compensated fairly including residuals -JTQ 7/2023).

There was a time when players of professional sports teams made very little money relative to the revenue generated by the enterprise, but it was their work, what they produced, that was the actual product upon which revenue was generated. Eventually strikes in professional sports led to fair compensation for the players’ work.  The same should occur here and ultimately, that’s going to be the only solution.

The symbiotic relationship: The producers and the writers (and for that matter all content creators and their unions) actually have a symbiotic relationship and success does not mean one side must crush the opposing side.  All parties seem to recognize that the media industry changed with the advent of streaming, which has become a dominant form of entertainment distribution. New guardrails need to be in place to ensure those creating the content, in this case specifically the writers * and actors, are fairly compensated for their efforts.***ed: We now wish to add the actors into this equation, emphatically adding that they need to be fairly compensated for their efforts (JTQ 2023)

Because of the extremely high dollars at stake, there is a projection that the strike will last a while.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  As creators of content, we find the WGA’s position in this dispute to be the most reasonable, and we support them. As consumers of content, we recognize that all strikes end, so the question is how much money will be lost until the end is negotiated?  

Thoughts on the future:

The future is not AI generated content and if producers believe that it is the case, we wonder how soon would it be before an AI’s algorithm to be utilized to streamline the producer function?

The future is not entirely having only one lane of non-commercial content. The lane of commercial entertainment content is vital. Professionals deserve to be paid. We are very happy producers have jobs, writers have jobs, actors have jobs, directors have jobs, lighting/sound/special effects/production teams have jobs, and that lane of entertainment content should thrive in the new realities of content creation.

There was a time when streaming wasn’t a model of entertainment distribution. Now that it is a reality, adjustments need to be made. In the future there’s going to be some other distribution model and adjustments will have to be made at that point.

I can see a point where a commercial entertainment entity works on an entirely profit-sharing model and where the risk and reward is shared between all parties in an entertainment endeavor. In such a model, there would not be a need for an adversarial relationship, it would accentuate the very real symbiotic one.

As creators of content, we support and value writers and actors * who create and perform* the stories we enjoy. To every writer, especially professional writers in the WGA, and to every actor in SAG we say, “May your stories provide both a window and a mirror on our shared humanity and may the universal truths you share reach the generations beyond you.”

-J. Timothy Quirk

J. Timothy Quirk

Spotlight on Humphry Rolleston: THE Barnaby Druthers

Humphry Rolleston performs in the role of Barnaby Druthers for the Barnaby Druthers audio theater program.

We asked Humphry about the experience

What prepared you most for the role of Barnaby Druthers?

Being an Englishman from an upper middle class background born in London!

What is the most challenging part of being/acting as Barnaby Druthers?

Doing justice to the wonderful scripts and being consistently on character. 

What were your expectations/thoughts when you first joined Nutmeg Junction and how have those expectations changed, met or been not met?

I thought it might last a few weeks at most and now we are in so many states, different eras, formats etc. I had no idea it would grow so much and last this long. I love playing him!!!! 

Where do you see Barnaby Druthers/Nutmeg Junction going in the new season?  

I think we will continue to innovate with new formats, potential live performances and Barnaby Druthers will become more self aware, more sensitive and perhaps find love! 

Humphry Rolleston as Barnaby Druthers

Spotlight on AJ LIN: Director of the Barnaby Druthers Program

The director of the Barnaby Druthers audio theater program is AJ Lin.

We asked AJ Lin about the experience

What prepared you most for the role of directing Barnaby Druthers?

The best preparation I had was being a voice actor, and maybe some of my college theater experience.  Honestly though, being a teacher during Covid helped me to be better at moderating large groups online, which has been invaluable in terms of getting recordings completed well.

What is the most challenging part of being the director of Barnaby Druthers?

The most challenging part would probably be casting.  We have an incredibly talented group of adults and a few youth actors that have come to be a part of the Nutmeg Junction team, but I keep getting it in my head that I use the same people too often.  At the same time, I don't want to ignore anyone whom I know could do a role with ease.  I do a lot of re-listening to older NJ episodes when I'm not sure of what I'm looking for, and that's very time consuming.  Overall though, I'm just enjoying getting to hear the many different things our cast has pulled off together!

What were your expectations/thoughts when you first joined Nutmeg Junction and how have those expectations changed, met or been not met? 

I had no idea what I was walking into, and my first script terrified me.  It was a Professor A story and I was playing a snake-like alien who had this ridiculous "ssssssssss" sound at the end of lots of my lines.  Meeting everyone for the first time that night, learning how to use the mic in the studio, and wondering how I was doing made me super nervous.  However, I had a blast (obviously, I kept coming back)!  So, there's no expectations to have been met, but I've had a great time and am looking forward to seeing how far this goes and what new challenges lie ahead.

Where do you see Barnaby Druthers/Nutmeg Junction going in the new season? 

I love the direction Barnaby is going with the prequel stories so we really get to the heart of what makes Barnaby and Harper tick.  I think the new season will present depth, and our listeners are in for some twists and turns along the way.  However, we still have our beloved Barnaby and Harper at the end of the day, so it won't depart TOO much from the show you love.  As for Junction, I think we're going to be seeing more of each other as a group virtually or in person soon, and I think more of our one-off style scripts are headed to the airwaves as well.  I also can't wait for continuing the series of Cosmic Ventures and of Level 1 Human.  Sarvol may be my favorite character out of any I've played before, and I think you'll enjoy her story soon on Cosmic Ventures.

Photos of AJ Lin performing during the LIVE performance in Litchfield, CT.

On Writing Audio Theater Part 1: Deadlines and Creativity

Having written scripts for the past four seasons of Nutmeg Junction and two in Barnaby Druthers, I have learned a thing or two about writing audio theater scripts which might be of assistance to those seeking to do the same. Many pointers/tips/ideas are quite common and can be applied to any form of writing, but they are still worth mentioning. I’ll start with one idea and continue to build as this blog moves forward.

Concept 1: Deadlines inspire creativity

It is entirely possible to think that if one had all the time in the world, one would still create art/stories/scripts, etc at the same pace or possibly even increase one’s output because the availability of time presents opportunities that are unavailable when one’s personal schedule is limited. It is a nice thought but I have not found it to be the case.

In the past decade at least I have not had a large amount of time that was unaccounted for anyway, so it is difficult to extrapolate what would occur if there was an infinite amount of time available. I also assume if one did have every nonsleeping hour available in a 24 hour period for a year or two, that eventually the water of time would find it’s level and one would find ways to produce. But in the reality of my day to day, week to week, year to year, in the very rare times when I have not have an extraordinary burden of responsibilities already placed on my allotted 24 hours, I have found myself consuming other media. Just thinking about this now, I am considering the fact that I’ve watched almost every episode of Star Trek from all series, every Sopranos/The Wire/GOT/and more HBO offerings, every Marvel and DC film, most current era series, etc, of course I’ve watched every Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episode and movie, I could go on but in listing all of this, which doesn’t scratch the surface, let alone even touch the “one-and-done” shows/movies I’ve spent my time consuming, it does beg the question how I found the time to do that. The answer is that when I had time, I chose to consume and not create. It’s not all bad, there’s something to be said for allowing the brain to have a vacation.

However…

When one has limited time, and one wishes to create, then the time has to be found, savored and used wisely. Given the rigors of my current schedule, I find every two week period has a few hours that are nuggets of opportunity that can not be squandered and so I must write then. And as the writing and creating is my creative passion, I am thinking about ideas, stories, scenes, etc when I’m not writing, and if I have time to have something playing in the background, besides music, I have found documentaries on various subjects of interest foster great ideas for my stories. Learning of the Greek or Nordic myths, of physics, of space exploration, of philosophies, of histories, can inform my ideas and stories more than listening to story based media. So when I sit down to write, there is a good chance that the story has already been written in my head before I begin to put it on the page. The story has never remained the same, however, once I start writing, the stories may evolve into something else entirely but in having a limited time for output, and a deadline for story creation, I find I am never at a loss, in fact the opposite is true. I have four stories right now in the process and I’ve been thinking of a fifth since this morning.

I have a deadline because a new show must be created for the program. To put it in perspective, some television shows, like the old BBC model, produce 6 episodes a season, some modern streaming shows produce 10. At the height of syndicated media, shows would have to produce 26 episodes a season. For Barnaby Druthers in season 2 moving forward and Nutmeg Junction since season 2, I try to exceed 26 episodes each year. ** We have stories to tell and the audience wants to something new every week, so it is a perfect example of creative symbiosis. (** the “season one” of Barnaby was when Barnaby wasn’t fully its own show until August and season one of nutmeg junction began in April so the first seasons weren’t full years.)

Some might think of deadlines as if they were unwanted external expectations, like when a student has homework, or an employee has a report due to their superiors, things that are required but not particularly fun. Because writing is fun and it is what I want to do (and I would actually describe it is as a “need”, really) the external expectation is very much wanted and it helps me.

Perhaps I should have started with this thought, but I hope it’s clear that I find creating the show immensely fun. I might even describe it as a need and a driving force and if I had one hour in the 168 I’m given every week, this is what I’d do, and I would create stories.

I know listeners want new stories. I know the actors who create the show with me are looking forward to being a part of the experience and showcasing their talent, I know the stations are waiting for the new episodes to become available. So I have a natural deadline every week. A deadline by its very nature constricts time. You no longer have an unlimited amount of time to create, you now have whatever time you are allotted up to the deadline. So the equation is: Need to Write + Deadlines (Limited time)=Creativity. I’ve never had writers block because I’ve never had unlimited time to spend on it.

I honestly don’t know if self-imposed deadlines work for folks. If it does, great! It’s also not good to give yourself a medical condition because of stress of deadlines, so don’t do that either. But having a deadline and limited time is one reason why we’re on episode 23 of season 2 of Druthers and in the 3o’s already for Junction.

If you find this helpful, let me know. More on writing next time!

A Brief History of Barnaby Druthers Part V

As the idea of Barnaby evolved, one story concept stuck with me: if Sherlock Holmes as a character was relevant in any time period, why not Druthers and Adler? With that in mind, I thought of where Barnaby might be a true “fish out of water” and determined the nature-loving world of Oregon in Modern day would certainly give the amateur detective pause. So I penned “All We Bring To Bear” a four part mystery who-dunnit involving an assortment of ludicrous characters. This would be the first Barnaby we would attempt to record online.

One would not consider the concept seamless as the audio quality of participants varied depending on whether they had an individual microphone or used the one on their device but on the whole this story allowed us to learn how to record during the Pandemic and move our show forward.

With an Oregonian story, it made sense to reach out to stations in Oregon to see if there was interest in our audio theater program and we found a home with KCIW in Brookings. The wonderful tight knit group of dedicated volunteers were actively engaged in making the community radio thrive in their hometown and it was and is an honor to be associated with them!

The idea of community radio is worthy of a specific topic/post and I’ll do that separately.

In August 2020 we found great interest in Barnaby Druthers as a show, separate from Nutmeg Junction.

Nutmeg Junction is the anthology series that enjoyed the ability of doing different stories, genres, characters from week to week. We’re still going strong since 2018. (see https://nutmegjunction.com/) But what we found was that Barnaby Druthers was a specific series with an understandable concept and individuals at the stations could easily decide whether the show was for them or not.

The program grew as interest grew.

We built the Barnaby Druthers program, which is 28 minutes.

And we built the Barnaby Druthers Mystery Hour which is 56 minutes including Barnaby for 28 minutes and Nutmeg Junction audio theater in the second half.

Things were on a roll. I’ll stop the history for now and in the next post, discuss something about the creation of an episode.

A Brief History of Barnaby Druthers Part IV

In order to appreciate the ability of remote recording due to COVID-19, one must understand the amazing opportunity we enjoyed of rehearsing and recording at the community radio station studio.

Imagine if you will, you’re an actor who has received a script and a role. You arrive at the station and are let in where your fellow actors are waiting for you at the long meeting table. After warm meet and greet conversation, the table read of the script begins. At this stage, the director may make a suggestion on delivery or change a line, but there is a familiarity with the story and the rapport among the team is evident. Often a line is understood more fully within the context of the delivery at the table read as opposed to the page.

Then, when all is ready, you enter studio B with the rest of the cast where there are three microphones set up. Depending on the script, two actors are at each microphone.

The microphones are checked, the levels are checked and then we record the program. On more than one occasion, the recording ends with applause for a job well done amongst the team. The audio is saved and stored immediately and we return to the large table for wrap up and for further discussion about future events. The camaraderie and fun of this method of recording is extraordinary.

I miss it greatly.

But as you can see and well imagine, the small area of studio b is not suitable for teams of individuals to remote at shared microphones. Even before the studio was officially closed to visitors, the decision was clear that we could not record in this method until it was safe to do so.

I know we recorded the Priceless Manuscript in February 2020 but it aired later than other classic Barnaby stories. We recorded the Chuzzleby Carbuncle as the last show in the studio and had a fun photo shoot.

We recorded many Nutmeg Junction episodes remotely that were not Barnaby Druthers related. We found the program ZOOM helpful and participants began to order and then use stand-alone microphones instead of the ones embedded into their laptop, phone or tablet.

Our first Barnaby story done remotely was also another change. We brought the characters into the modern day, and had our first modern Druthers adventure called “All We Bring To Bear” which we brought to KCIW in Brookings, Oregon. But that is for the next part of the story.