World Audio Drama Day Date in the current year: October 30, 2024

Audio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance that relies on dialogue, music and sound effects to convey a story. The earliest form of audio drama was radio drama; its roots can be traced back to the 1880s, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that full-length plays were first broadcast on radio. Unfortunately, information about the early years of radio drama is limited.

Orson Welles’ radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells is credited with bringing radio drama to mainstream popularity. It was broadcast live on October 30, 1938, and inadvertently caused panic because some listeners believed that a Martian invasion described in the drama was real.

Radio drama enjoyed widespread popularity between the 1930s and the 1960s. The era of the Old Time Radio is considered the Golden Age of radio drama. There were dozens of programs in different genres, ranging from dramatizations of stage plays, novels and short stories to mysteries, thrillers, comedies and soap operas. The advent of television, however, resulted in the decline of radio drama.

The revival of the genre occurred in the early 2010s thanks to the arrival of the digital age. Modern radio drama is generally referred to audio drama or audio theater because it isn’t necessarily broadcast on radio. The Internet and technologies behind podcasting and streaming media have made it possible for independent producers to create content relatively inexpensively, share it on the web, and build an audience without the involvement of major studios. Audio drama podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, and audiobooks also are considered a form of audio drama by many.

World Audio Drama Day was launched by Sibby Wieland, an audio drama enthusiast from Needville, Texas. He came up with the idea in late 2012 and chose the date of October 30 to commemorate the anniversary of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds, which paved the way for the widespread popularity of radio drama in the United States. The first celebration took place on October 30, 2013 – the 75th anniversary of the broadcast.

According to Wieland, World Audio Drama Day celebrates all forms of audio drama, whether it is broadcast on radio, streamed online, or performed live. You can join the celebration regardless of whether you’re a fan of “old school” radio dramas, podcasts, audiobooks, or all at once.

On the occasion of World Audio Drama Day, audiobook publishers often provide special offers and discounts, and some audio drama podcasters choose the date to introduce new series and make other announcements. You can celebrate the holiday by listening to your favorite audio drama or discovering a new one. If you’ve never listened to audio drama before, this is the perfect day to give it a try! And don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtag #WorldAudioDramaDay.