Native Radio Theater Special Call For Scripts

Call For Scripts

Life is a soap opera…or it could be. Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) is teaming up with Media for Health and the National Society for American Indian Elderly in a Call for Scripts to be considered for production through the Native Radio Theater Project. Our goal is to produce a series of short audio dramas that would be entertaining and educational. The deadline for submissions is February 13, 2009.

As a public health drama, this radio program will revolve around common health concerns such as diabetes, diet and nutrition, mental health, substance abuse and other issues that are currently impacting Native communities across the country.  In an entertainment-education radio drama serial, these health issues are interwoven with the personal stories of the characters who model for the audience new behaviors that can improve their lives and their communities.  However, while this is a drama, in drama there is always room for humor. 

This health promotion radio drama is a partnership between the Native American Public Telecommunications, the National Society for American Indian Elderly (NSAIE), Media for Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and the Corporation for National and Community Service.  The project’s current working title is Healing Circle. We aim to create pilot episodes for a serial (that is an ongoing story like TV “soap operas.”)  This call for scripts is announced with the intention of finding writers who have a serious interest in participating in an exciting and innovative radio drama while also positively impacting American Indian communities across the country. 

Media for Health, a Birmingham, Alabama based non-profit dedicated to improving the public’s health through entertainment-education principals, is contributing their extensive expertise in creating radio dramas “that are good for you” to this project.  Media for Health has had proven success with its radio drama serials BodyLove and Keeping Up With the Walkers.

NAPT shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media with offices in Lincoln, Neb., and Albuquerque, N.M.  NAPT is one of five members of the National Minority Consortia funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to provide diverse programming to PBS and other public broadcasting systems.

For more information on NAPT, go to www.nativetelecom.org.

For more information about Media for Health, go to www.mediaforhealth.org. You can hear past segments of BodyLove on their website.

To keep updated about the project, please visit: www.healingcirclemfh.wordpress.com

Call for Script Parameters:

- 3-4 five minute long scripts

-Three characters

-One character should be an elder

-Should include a character dealing with diabetes or mental health problems

-Based on the principles of Entertainment-Education

-Include a title of your radio drama