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A two-day workshop for people who want to make magical audio.
Cathy FitzGerald’s school for audio storytellers, Strange & Charmed, usually takes place in her workshop in the English countryside. Now, for the first-time, her weekend workshop for beginners is coming to Boston at the PRX Podcast Garage.
Join us to learn how to develop ideas for audio documentaries and podcasts. You’ll cover interviewing, field recording techniques, basic audio editing with Reaper software, music and sound effects, and script writing. This will be a small group of eight students to make sure everyone gets plenty of help and encouragement.
Spend the weekend immersed in the basics of making audio with fun and practical exercises, all while listening to inspiring audio from the best makers in the world and having plenty of tea and cake.
Is this weekend right for you? We recommend listening to examples of Cathy’s playful and creative style of audio documentary: Mirrored and Snow White and Seven Signs of Aging.
The workshop will take place at the PRX Podcast Garage over two full days - Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13 - starting by 9:30 a.m. and wrapping up by 5 p.m. There will be an optional group dinner nearby on Saturday night for those who can attend. Participants will need to bring a laptop with Reaper software (free trial.)
PAST PARTICIPANTS SAID
“A rich experience. Ticked all the boxes practically speaking, but with real depth, texture and charm.”
“The course has put me in a position to break ground on a project right away with confidence and a sense of direction. Everything about the course felt like it had been put together with care, compassion and attention to detail, with plenty of room for the group to blossom and engage with each other.”
“Really, really brilliant weekend that helped inspire me in all sorts of unexpected ways.”
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Cathy FitzGerald is a multi-award-winning radio producer and presenter. She made her first documentary – The Magic Carpet Flight Manual – in 2010 and has since won Third Coast Festival, Whicker’s World Foundation, Audio Production, and Prix Marulic awards for documentaries on topics including angry Vietnamese ghosts, reindeer-racing in Finland, and a museum of broken hearts.
She’s the founder and caretaker of Strange & Charmed, a school for audio storytellers and has a DPhil in the work of Charles Dickens.
The Radio Times calls her ”one of radio’s most original voices.”
PRICING
The cost of this two-day workshop is $500 for non-members and $450 for members of the Podcast Garage. We will offer one discounted seat for someone with financial need. Apply here.
Tuition includes a group dinner on Saturday night. We will also provide coffee, tea, and snacks (cake!) throughout the weekend. Each student will have access to an audio field kit. Tuition does not include lodging or transportation.
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Our programming is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.