Beyond the Dark Production - ‘The Strata’ - Episodes 7-10 | Original audio drama
Project Overview
The Strata is a gritty sci-fi / horror series and requires serious, grounded performances.
Format: The podcast consists of a series of interwoven stories in a persistent universe and there is an opportunity for voice actors to take on recurring roles if interested. There are over 50 episodes currently planned, broken up into chapters of around 5 episodes each. The overall tone will be similar to previous seasons of Beyond the Dark, which can be found here.
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***Payment Structure for Returning Characters - Per Chapter (4-6 Episodes) - in USD***
Narrator (over 5000 words) : $250
Major Character (over 1000 words) : $50
Minor Character (less than 1000 words) : $25
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About Episodes 7-10
Synopsis: After a career marked by failure, a cop is reunited with an old partner as they employ some radical techniques in the hunt for a killer
Setting: In a sprawling future metropolis called The Strata, society has continued to segregate between the classes. The wealthy live in Highgate City, a place full of dazzling skyscrapers and creature comforts. Organic body augmentations that allow citizens to extend their life for hundreds of years have become commonplace. At the other end of the spectrum lies Dockerton, a slum area filled with crime, drugs and poverty. Disease is rampant and basic facilities are almost non-existent. There are many checkpoints maintained by police that help to keep the city segregated, and most citizens don’t bother straying from their own neighbourhood. Police wage a difficult war in this environment on multiple fronts - firstly against violent criminals on the streets, and secondly against corrupt forces within their own department.
Disclaimer / Content Warning: This project contains mild profanity and some portrayals of violence (gunplay, drug use). Characters also discuss crimes such as rape and murder.
Rules for auditioning
1. A quality recording. I can't use poor audio no matter how great your performance might be.
2. Commitment to deadlines.
3. Willingness to take direction and provide pickups if necessary.
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Georgia Somers is the protagonist and narrator of the story. She is headstrong and independent and likes to do things her own way. A detective in the Midtown Police Department, Somers has found it difficult over the years to carry out justice, due largely to corruption within her own division. Many of those who work in the Midtown PD are on the payroll of ganglords, and this has meant that Somers has often been forced to go outside the rules and regulations in order to get results. Even so, her victories are few and far between, and this is a constant source of frustration for her. In turn, her demeanour is often prickly and she is quick to temper, and she often uses sarcasm and irony in her interactions with people. Somers also has a strong physical presence and she doesn’t mind going toe to toe with anyone who gets in her way, no matter their size.
She cares deeply about the community around her and the people who inhabit her neighbourhood. This has meant that - although she is cynical about the department - she has stuck at it for the best part of ten years, trying to make a difference. However, in recent times, her frustration has reached the point that she can no longer put up with it, and she has decided to tender her resignation.
Voice is mid to low pitch with a hard edge to it.
(Narrated, filled with regret and she recognises a murder victim) I crouch beside the girl and stare down at her face. The guilt hits me right in the gut. Her blood is on my hands, I can’t deny that. She came to me looking for help and instead.... instead, she ended up here, discarded behind a dumpster like a piece of trash.
(Exasperated as she talks about corruption in the department) “Do you really think we’re gonna get a conviction out of this? Do you think there’s even a hope in hell that could happen? Even if we’d been there, right there in the alley and caught that scumbag with his hands around Rose’s throat, he’d get off. The Fortunato crew has influence inside the department.”
(Pensive - in response to a comment from a friend that she can’t blame herself for every crime that happens in the city) “But I do. And that’s why I’m out there every day, trying to outrun the past.” (laughs, self deprecating) “I’m afraid that if I stand still for too long, that guilt might catch up. And if it does, it’s gonna eat me alive.”
Dalton is a detective in the Highgate City Police Department. Having attained the position of ‘Specialist’, Dalton is considered a part of the elite. Specialists utilise cutting edge physical enhancements in order to solve crimes more efficiently and effectively than was previously possible. During his ten years on the force, Dalton has been successful at what he does and has climbed the ranks quickly, a fact that causes him to be overconfident at times. He is ambitious, arrogant and self-absorbed, and he makes no attempt to hide this when dealing with those lower in rank. However, he still has the best interests of the city at heart. He is conscientious and works hard to solve assignments that are handed to him. He is a stickler for the rules and follows procedure to the letter, and is a firm believer in the system.
Voice is medium to low pitch.
(Somewhat in awe as he describes what he feels when using an experimental drug that allows him to interface directly with technology - a direct mind to machine interface) “If you could see what I see... to be surrounded by the past, to open up any moment you want, have it blossom right in front of you... it’s like being a god.”
(Exasperated by what he perceives as indifference in another cop) “When was it that you stopped giving a damn about this job, Somers?”
(In a mocking tone, after seeing a fellow cop roughing up a witness who is withholding information) “You gonna beat this guy to death, Georgy? Vent some of that frustration you always seem to carry around?”
Azzopardi is a detective in the Midtown Police Department. He is the partner of the protagonist Georgia Somers. Azzopardi is a dedicated cop who has the best interests of the city at heart. He is level-headed and pragmatic, and although he recognises there is corruption in the department, he knows that there is ultimately not much he can do about it. Azzopardi often finds himself playing peacemaker between Somers and those who cross her path - be it higher ranking members of the PD or uncooperative criminals. He is often influenced by Somers’ assertive personality and allows her to take the dominant role in the partnership. However, he knows where to draw the line and speaks his mind any time he thinks she has gone too far. He also understands exactly how to ‘push her buttons’ and will sometimes taunt her in a good-natured way for his own amusement.
Voice is medium to low pitch.
(Defensive after his partner snaps at him when he delivers some bad news) “Don’t shoot the messenger, all right, Somers? I’m just telling you what Mulligan told me.”
(Hesitant, somewhat incredulous after his partner reveals she obtained useful information from interviews that Azzopardi considered a waste of time) “Were we... talking to the same people in there? Because I didn’t hear shit. Just stuff like...’I didn’t see anything.’ And... ‘There was no one with her.’ “
(Placating, trying to de-escalate an incident as his partner starts to get aggressive toward a high ranking officer) “Hey, Somers... you’ve had a long night. Why don’t you come with me, huh?”
Rose Fergus is a 20-year-old woman who lives in the slum area of Dockerton. She is a good, honest person who had a good upbringing in the more affluent part of Midtown. However, after a recent and vicious assault, Rose’s life has fallen apart. The case was bungled by the police and the perpetrator escaped conviction. Rose lost her job as a bartender during the case, and she has become somewhat of an outcast. Feeling lost and alone, she turned to drugs and is now using sex work as a way to make a living. Once innocent and somewhat naive, she now regards the world in a more cynical light, and her voice reflects the burden that she now carries.
Voice is medium to high pitch.
(Dismayed, appalled when told by the police that her attackers may escape conviction) “I thought you said this was a sure thing. I mean, it happened in broad daylight. There were witnesses.”
(Angry, overwrought as she reveals how she’s being taunted by the people who hurt her) “Do you have any idea what these scumbags are doing to me? I see them outside my window at night. They follow me on the street. The Fortunatos. They’re taunting me, terrifying me. Making a game out of it for their own amusement.”
(Awkward, embarrassed by the state of her apartment when a visitor arrives) “Sorry, the place is a bit of a mess. I’ve been busy lately, haven’t had a chance to clean up.”
Mulligan is a captain in the Midtown Police Department. For the most part he is calm and controlled but can be given to outbursts of anger. He is a veteran member of the force and has seen just about everything the job has to offer over his years of service. However, later in his career, he has become somewhat lazy and weary of his duties. He has succumbed to the forces of corruption in the city and no longer sees justice as his primary goal. Rather, he goes to great lengths to appease the criminal gangs who have influence inside his department, and this in turn helps him to line his pockets as he approaches retirement. Mulligan has even begun to stoop so low as to intentionally thwart ongoing investigations at the behest of the gangs. He has become a shell of the honest man who entered the police department all those years ago.
Voice is medium to low pitch.
(Voice filled with irony and a touch of annoyance as a subordinate enters his office without knocking) “Well, by all means... just burst into my office unannounced, Somers.”
(Addressing officers close to him as they prepare to go after a subordinate who has just threatened him) “No, no. Let her go. I’ll deal with this through the proper channels.” (Then raises his voice to the subordinate as she leaves) “You hear that, Somers? Pack your bags. You’re out of here. Finished.”
(Voice slightly raised as he admonishes a subordinate) “You need to take a good hard look at your methods, Georgia. You’ve left a lot to be desired here.”
Duggan is the owner of a bar in Midtown called ‘Revolution’. He is somewhat surly and uncooperative, especially when dealing with the police, whom he distrusts. He is also fearful of gangs in the neighbourhood who exert control over the streets through violence and intimidation. He knows that any information given to the cops will be looked upon unfavourably by the gangs and likely result in retribution. Although he presents a tough, prickly exterior, he is somewhat of a coward at heart and would back down in the face of a physical confrontation.
Voice is medium to low pitch.
(Speaking defensively about what goes on inside his bar) “I don’t know what kind of business you think I’m runnin’ here, but we don’t allow that sort of thing at Revolution.”
(Indignant as someone bursts into his bar after it has closed) “What the... I’m trying to clean up in here. Get out of my bar, will ya?”
(Feigning innocence about why his surveillance equipment suspiciously did not contain any footage of the crime) “Can’t do anything about equipment failure. I put in a maintenance call the second I realised something was wrong.”
Jarvis is a thug who is part of the powerful Fortunato gang. He is cruel, violent and overconfident and believes that he is untouchable due to his rank. He loves watching cyber-wrestling and considers himself an expert on the sport. Jarvis views people around him cynically. They are simply tools to get what he wants. In particular, he regards women as objects to be manipulated for his own pleasure - through violence or any other means at his disposal.
Voice is mid to low pitch.
(Enthusiastically talking about a wrestling match) “See this move here? Now this is a good one. You can always tell a good fighter by the way he stands.”
(Propositioning a girl to take home) “How about you and me get out of here, then? Have some fun?”
(Bragging about his wrestling knowledge) “You kidding? I had a hundred creds on Knight. Easy money if you ask me.”
Williams is a cop in the Midtown Police Department who has been assigned to hold back a curious crowd at a murder scene.
(Voice raised as a detective comes through) “Stand aside, people! Go on, move it!”
(Greeting a detective to the murder scene) “Come on through, detective.”
(Apologising as the crowd gets a bit noisy) “Sorry, Detective.”
Tanner is a cop in the Midtown Police Department. He/she is helpful and amiable in this interaction with Detective Somers, who is considered a friend.
(An amiable greeting) “Somers. How’s things?”
(Helpful, conversational) “Is there something we can do for you?”
(Helpful, conversational) “Sure. Go right ahead. Let us know if there’s anything you need.”
A reporter for a Midtown news outlet. Keen to get to the bottom of the story and somewhat pushy as he/she tries to get a statement from the police.
(raised voice over the crowd) “Detective? Detective! Any comment? Who is she? Was this another gang-related slaying?”
A nightclub attendee who is being questioned about a murder that took place in the alley outside. Fearful of the murderer, slightly nervous, not interested in answering questions.
(nervous) “Like I said, I didn’t see anything else. Nothing I can remember, anyway. Can I go now?”
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