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.

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!