If I Hold Up The Sky - An Original Audio Drama

If I Hold Up The Sky - An Original Audio Drama

Project Overview

If I Hold Up The Sky is an original audio drama based around a group of five main characters uncovering the secrets of their own leader and the world around them, as well as learning more about themselves in the process. Set in the fantasy world of Merta, the story is a character study involving subjects like suicide, mental illness and depression. There will also be some occasional cursing and coarse language. I am prepared to label this as a 15+ rating, and I recommend caution if you are triggered by such subjects. 

I plan to make this project into a one time only film length audio drama. This could change depending on fan reception and any access to artists. Currently, I am the only person working on the project. I have finished around 20% of the script, which is currently at 60 lines. I will have finished the script by the audition deadline, and I estimate the script to be of around 300-400 lines long. To put this into perspective, a 20 minute episode of a general audio drama will tend to consist of around 200 lines. If I am for some reason not finished with the script, or the script becomes longer then estimated, I will lengthen the deadline and update this project accordingly.

Personally, I am by trade an aspiring voice actor such as yourselves. As a voice actor, I believe I have written a cast of characters who'll be exceedingly fun to act out and who'll really help show off your talents.

Many story beats and character quirks will be detailed within their respective description boxes, so please read those before auditioning for your desired character.

This will be entirely non-pay, be it earnings or budget. Also, I cannot promise any visual portions due to a lack of artist. If any artist is interested in helping out with backgrounds/character sprites, this would be greatly appreciated and improve the quality of this project greatly. The project will initially be uploaded onto soundcloud, then a video version will be produced for youtube. It will also be put onto tumblr.

If you have any questions, please do not fret to ask down below.

I hope to make something to be proud of here, so please try your best! I can't wait to here all of you guys' auditions!

Here is a link to a much easier to read list of character bios: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PV2VoXlxRzNGKcBNTeIV7Mqz_NENxZFEWlRm3Jk7M-g/edit

PRONUNCIATIONS:

Alecto - Ah-Leck-Toe

Kain - Kay-n (like pain)

Iris - Eye-Ris

Undine - Une-Dean (une as in dune and dean as in a college dean)

Liana - Lee-Ah-Nah

Menae - Me-Nay

Kaiten - Kai-Ten (kinda self explanatory)

Merta - Mer-Tah

Blague - (um. Plague but with a B? I can't lay that out into sounds)

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Latest Updates

  • Update #2

    I've extended the deadline to the 22nd as I need a bit more time to finish everything up on my end. I promise production won't start any later then April 1st - not a good date to assure anyone on, but still. Sorry about this, GCSE Drama has been sneaking up on me bit by bit, but now that's finished.

    I'll listen to the most recent auditions soon. Again, I've barely had anytime to myself the past week! I'm really sorry about this delay. Once I finish everything on my end, I'll begin casting, which could still be before the deadline, as I'm sure I've already heard the perfect voices for some of these characters.

  • Update #1

    First of all, thank you to everyone who has auditioned so far or are planning on auditioning. It's been an absolute pleasure to listen to all of your auditions and I've heard some really amazing takes. I'll try and give feedback to everyone soon.


    The main subject of this update is the script. Currently, I've planned out the entire plot with key events and the like and the script is around 40% done at 200 lines. I'm fairly sure that the end script will be close to 700 lines. Because of this, I expect the final product to be around an hour in length. I will be making one big feature length version and also a three part version to make sure I can upload this project in a reasonable time frame.


    Please continue to audition for these characters!

Project Roles: Undine Kain Alecto Menae Liana Iris
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Undine
open
Unpaid

Name: Undine

Age: 43

Blood Type: B

Gender: Male

Description:

Physically strong and mostly level-headed, Undine acts as the member of the group who gets shit done when no else can. The man does a fairly good job of hiding his own emotions for the sake of the well being of those around him and his own devotion to the mission, and this makes his own turbulent emotions unbeknownst to those around him. He can be described as a more matured Alecto in this sense; someone who has learnt how to deal with his emotions and carry on regardless, but this also acts as a major flaw in his character. Due to his external emotional emptiness, he is often perceived as heartless and cruel.

Undine comes from the slums of the capital of Burden, and because of this had to deal with many trials ill befitting of someone as young as he was at the time. This built him up as someone strong and dependable, but also intensely independent. In fact, the only reason he works with the group to this day is due to the mass of funds paid to him by Iris to keep him on their side. Because of this, he shares no comradery with the group and seems to act entirely on the orders of Iris. However, due to his age, he is also not easily manipulated, which makes him one of the only people who catch on to Iris’ plans. Although, due to his lack of investment into the groups causes, he also does not care as long as he gets his pay.

Despite what I have listed, he is not morally tactless. He does understand what is right and what is wrong, and he won’t stand for the worst of injustices. The problem is that his moral compass is very selective, and his view on morality is jaded due to his experiences in the slums.

Undine’s voice should not be emotionless or monotone, but rather worn and beaten. He should sound like someone who has been through hell and back and has lived to tell the tale, but he should also sound somewhat uncaring to the situations he finds himself him. He also needs to sound externally strong, but at times his repressed emotions will shine through. I would like to hear a British interpretation, but this is not a requirement. Low pitched.

TL;DR:

Strong, but holds back his emotions. He’s been through a lot of rough times.

In it for the money; completely apathetic to the emotions and causes of the group.

Independent and mature.

  • (staring Menae down) Get out of the way.

  • (gasps in shock) W-why are you...here?

  • (scolding) Don't get impatient Liana. They'll be finished soon enough.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 5 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Kain
open
Unpaid

Name: Kain

Age: 19

Blood Type: AB

Gender: Male

Description:

Hot headed and somewhat unpredictable. He acts with a vague sense of justice, and despite his more indecent mannerisms, he looks up to his superiors and follows orders when he knows it’s necessary. While he dislikes royalty and nobles, the one thing he truly cannot tolerate is lack of effort and lack of loyalty. These characteristics cause him to clash with Alecto, forming an almost bully/victim relationship between the two due to his abject dislike towards Alecto’s weakness.

His place within the group is that of the fighter, and while he is not dimwitted nor intellectually challenged, he lacks eloquence in the way he shares his ideas and motivations. This causes him to be somewhat undervalued by his peers, but Iris tends to understand him best. Perhaps this is why he acts within her orders and shows such respect to her?

On top of all of this, Kain holds a fair amount of baggage to him. Whilst being scouted by Iris for his abilities, Kain had to leave his hometown of Blague, leaving his sister and mother. Kain was promised that in return for his help, his remaining family would be funded to live a happy life. Unbeknownst to Kain, this was not the case, and his remaining family died soon after he left due to lacking Kain’s strength to help with farming, leaving them unable to meet quotas from their boss and evicted from their home. They soon died from fatigue and hunger. He holds himself to a high standard so that he can make his family proud, and put the fighting techniques his father, before his untimely demise, taught him to good use.

His voice should be fairly low, with a slight raspy growl to it. Animalistic and raw are the words I would use to describe it. Keep in mind that he is a main character, and while not the central focus, will have many lines. Accents are up for interpretation, as with a majority of the cast. I also want to make sure that Kain keeps his youth, so the person I cast will most likely be someone who can still sound 19 whilst keeping the low nature of Kain’s voice.

TL;DR:

Views those with questionable convictions in a lesser light.

Instead values hard work and effort highly.

Understands the need for obeying orders, but dislikes nobility and being born into wealth.

Has difficulty with expressing himself through speech; acts before he thinks.

Easy to anger.

Wants to make his family proud.

  • (yelling) Everyone calm down! I’m Kain, I’m part of the group of mercenaries and researchers sent here to study the strange things present in your village’s atmosphere. I can assure you, no one was hurt in the explosion and that this was a planned event.

  • (furious, blind to reason) How can I calm down!? Everything we’ve worked for has just turned to rubble and you want me to...How do you expect me to calm down!

  • (decides against arguing further, genuinely sorry) I...I’m sorry for acting out of line. I just… No, nevermind, it’s fine. You’re right, we should clean this idiot’s mess up.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 7 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Alecto
open
Unpaid

Name: Alecto

Age: 17

Blood Type: B

Gender: Male

Description:

Fair and morally sound, Alecto can be seen as a bit of a wimp by those around him. He is easily manipulated into situations which cause him and those around him suffering. Due to the calamity during the first scene of the piece, he also starts to share an emotionally disturbed and mentally unhealthy side to him. Alecto begins to doubt his actions and convictions; doubt whether or not he’s done more bad than good in the world and if this is an okay thing to live with. This causes him to gradually change from a smart and level-headed member of the group into someone who has severe trust issues and a bout of self-loathing.

His demeanor before the calamity is that of someone very sheltered and shy. Coming from a very rich and noble family, Alecto has rarely had to fend for himself and doesn’t know much about the world. This lack of knowledge also lends it’s hand to his easily manipulated nature, and plays a part in why he does what he does in the first portion of the piece. After the calamity, his newfound mental health issues cause him to become a burden on those around him, and this takes even more blows at his mental health and self esteem. The only time we see Alecto’s former self is in flashbacks, and throughout the normal timeline of the piece, he is a shell of that former self.

Alecto used to be a proven tactician, but since the calamity he has shown that he tends to be too unstable to be on the battlefield. His previous job as the tactician of the group has been revoked as being responsible for the well being of his group scared him greatly, and Alecto runs away from this responsibility to protect his own mental well being and not risk ruining even more of his already damaged self image. Alecto was scouted by Iris for his tactical abilities and taken away.

I want Alecto to sound somewhat inexperienced and young; lacking in confidence in his own abilities even before the calamity. Throughout the vast majority of the piece he should sound sullen, consistently beating himself up in his brain and never fully interpreting what goes on around him. The voice actor cast should be able to provide a very youthful voice, but also someone incredibly fractured and hurt. Again, accents should be up for interpretation and his voice should be somewhat high pitched.

TL;DR:

Somewhat weak-willed and physically underwhelming; smart and a fine tactician

Mentally unstable and unreliable; quickly loses his ability to think rationally.

Impaired due to his struggles with self loathing and constant introspection.

  • (staring at his hands, shaking from guilt after remembering the calamity) A… an explosion… Oh! Oh… Oh god…!

  • (a broken record; mentally fractured from his memories) I...I know… But it wasn’t my fault! It wasn’t me! I couldn’t have been me, I’m just a kid. I don’t have the power to do that! Don’t blame me!

  • (Various groans of pain and waking; confused) W-Where am...I?

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 7 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Menae
open
Unpaid

Name: Menae

Age: 34

Blood Type: A

Gender: Male

Description:

Clouded in mystery. Seemingly knows something about Iris; much more than any other character in the piece. Iris, in kind, seems to recognise and grimace at the sight of the person. In reality, they have an interesting past as childhood friends. However, their separate paths have caused them to be pitted against each other.

Menae is a hired special soldier under orders from the king to halt the operations of the group under Iris’ control. Surely, he knows something we don’t about her motives and actions, but he has no intention of sharing this knowledge to anyone. Throughout most of the piece, Menae believes that everyone in Iris’ group understands what she has been doing, and once he finds out differently, he approaches Liana to supply her with information. He cannot approach anyone else due to their loyalty to Iris and/or hatred towards him.

He is the acting antagonist, and seems to be against a majority of the group’s actions and helps unravel the mysteries behind Iris. In reality, he is the person doing the most morally just things in the piece. He is skilled in recon and scouting, but he can also hold his own in a fight. He tends to use dirty and unfair tactics to win his fights and get his way.

Menae should sound somewhat underhanded and sly, but I don’t want him to sound purely evil. I believe he should also sound somewhat full of himself, with an air of arrogance about him. There are times, however, when he should sound more emotional and caring, specifically when telling Liana about Iris. I believe an American accent would fit him best, with a middle to low pitch.

TL;DR:

The singular antagonist of the piece.

Fairly mysterious.

Childhood friends of Iris.

Hired to stop her and her group.

Helps Liana understand the group’s situation.

Sly and underhanded.

Sneaky ways of fighting.

Somewhat arrogant.

  • (trying to stir trouble) Oh please, you people aren’t really going to believe this nonsense?

  • (great public speaker) Don’t act blindly people, this man is a liar! That explosion was an act against your town, and a clear violation to your rights!

  • (playing around) Feel free to ignore humble old me, but I say we drive him and his group out of here.

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 7 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Liana
open
Unpaid

Name: Liana

Age: 18

Blood Type: A

Gender: Female

Description:

Prophetic and soft-spoken, Liana was born with the gift, or curse, of uncontrollable and random prophetic fits. During these fits, Liana shares riddles unknowingly which foreshadow events in the future. This power is what put her onto Iris’ radar, but due to its random nature and hard to decipher language, the power does little to help the group past idle speculation. This power also takes a lot out of Liana, causing her to feel light headed afterwards. Liana cannot remember what she says during these fits, and by her perception, this is just her blacking out.

Liana was born in a small village of nomadic tribesmen, many of which mistreated her and abused her powers for their own rituals. Iris finds her and frees her, indebting Liana to her cause. However, Liana is not weak, nor is she entirely controlled by Iris. In fact, Liana is both mentally strong and physically adept, and seems to have a majority of her emotions in check. Because of this, she can make quick decisions in the heat of battle and support her friends in the group.

She also makes friends easily, making her one of the most well liked members of the group, with almost no one disliking her. Liana stands up for the people she cares for and does what she does to protect those in the group she likes, like Alecto, and not because of Iris. Accounting for all of this, Liana adds up to the most morally sound member of the group.

Liana has no qualms fighting who she needs to, and her position in the group is that of a supportive fighter, usually taking the rear when travelling and performing the more subtle actions like scouting out areas. While this makes her prone to danger, she is able to handle herself and can take out all who oppose her.

I want Liana to sound unique in her dialect, the kindness in her voice showing but also leading into independent strength. Her voice should be malleable, and change depending on who she talks to greatly. I believe an interpretation with a slight lisp would be interesting, and I’m very interested to hear some more unique accents for her. Medium to low pitches.

TL;DR:

Prone to prophetic musings.

Mentally and physically strong.

Caring and supportive of friends; borderline protective.

Morally sound, unique and perceptive.

  • (apologetic) Ah...The stone? Menae seemed to get away with it...

  • (caring) Be careful Alecto! You only just recovered from the incident in Kaiten, you shouldn't be moving in your state.

  • (staring Menae down) What do you want? What are you planning? What reason do you have to stop our mission?!

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 9 Submissions Apply / Audition
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Iris
open
Unpaid

Name: Iris

Age: 24

Blood Type: O

Gender: Female

Description:

Professional and calm. Iris acts as the leader of the group, keeping everyone in line whilst also bringing them all together. Whilst she seems to be caring and kind, most of her actions are steeped in ulterior motives. She doesn’t have time for failure, but understands who she needs to keep on her good side and who to keep happy to assure their support. This forms a somewhat manipulative streak to her actions. 

She dislikes working with teenagers due to their happenstance for insolence and badly planned actions. She admits she must work with them to secure the success of her goals, and is considerably grateful for the ease of controlling them. Disliking those above her is also a bad habit of hers, but the more poignant fault would be her impatience with those who don’t respect her power or position. Iris makes a habit of understanding those she controls, so that she can better control what their actions will be.

Iris is not a fighter, nor does she actively perform missions with the group’s frontline. She tends to stay behind and give orders from afar, and this makes her actions a mystery. She is fairly untrustworthy, but this is all mostly due to her mysterious actions. No one seems to suspect her, although Alecto quickly comes to doubt her convictions. Nobody knows of Iris’ background, but it is known that she is from a rich family and has some power over nobility. 

She should have a caring and professional sounding voice, but a subtle hint of control over and manipulation over who she talks to should be present. I want to make clear that she is mostly only acting as a kindhearted person to make sure those around her do as she says, so this should be present in her voice. I also want to say that she is not necessarily a villain, and her ulterior motives are not black and white. She will have her reasons for acting the way she does. Accents are completely up to interpretation, and her voice should be in within a middling range.

TL;DR: 

Professional airs to her.

Acts kind and caring to manipulate those around her.

Has her own ulterior motives.

Dislikes those more powerful than her and those she deems immature 

The leader of operations.

  • (trying to get through to Kain, optimistic) We have to come back from it! At least no civilians got hurt…(sighs) Look Kain, if you don’t calm down then we won’t be able to do anything. We have to get Alecto to a medic; yelling at a near dead body won’t fix our problems.

  • (stern) I’m not blaming you, but I need to know what happened! It’s your responsibility now to fix this… No, it’s everyone’s responsibility, but me, Kain, Liana and Undine can’t help you without knowing what happened.

  • (mumbles) Of course… It had to be him. Things just got a lot harder…

Favorite role Save Role for Later Total Submissions Toggle 16 Submissions Apply / Audition
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