Within the Wires
Within the Wires is a dramatic anthology podcast in the style of epistolary fiction. In the first season, the listener, a medical inmate at a place called the institute, receives guidance from the mysterious narrator of instructional relaxation cassettes.[1][2][3][4][5] In the second season, an artist named Roimata Mangakāhia communicates with the listener through a series of museum audio guides.[6] The third season, "a political thriller set in 1950s Chicago", is narrated by the bureaucrat Michael Witten; listeners access letters and notes dictated to his secretary.[7]
| Within the Wires | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Starring | Janina Matthewson (S1) Rima Te Wiata (S2) Lee LeBreton (S3) Mona Grenne (S4) Amiera Darwish (S5) Leah Minto (S6) Jeffrey Cranor (BB) |
| Format | surrealism, science fiction, anthology, epistolary fiction |
| Language | English |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | June 21, 2016 – present |
| Website | www |
The series was created in 2016 by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson (who also narrated the first season), and it has been published by Night Vale Presents since June 21, 2016.[4][8] During its run, the podcast typically airs on every other Wednesday. The first season ended on October 25, 2016; the second season premiered on September 5, 2017, the third on September 4, 2018, the fourth on September 9, 2019, the fifth on August 25, 2020, and the sixth on October 12, 2021.
Production
In an interview with CBC Radio's Podcast Playlist, Jeffrey Cranor explained that the initial idea behind the podcast was to use pre-existing audio guides as a template for storytelling, with the first season taking the form of a relaxation cassette program. Cranor had read and enjoyed Janina Matthewson's book "Of Things Gone Astray", and they first met when he messaged her on Twitter in Autumn 2015 inviting her to the live show for Welcome to Night Vale when it was touring through London. Cranor later pitched the initial idea to Matthewson and they began brainstorming story ideas together.[9] Episodes are outlined by both Cranor and Matthewson, before being written by one of them and then edited by the other.[10] All ten episodes of the first season were written by Cranor and Matthewson, with music by Mary Epworth. The first season was partially funded through sponsored advertising—a practice shared with other series under the Night Vale Presents banner such as Alice Isn't Dead and The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air).
With the release of the final episode of the first season, it was announced that those who donate $50 or more to the podcast would receive an exclusive prologue episode for the second season,[11][12] which was released on August 22, 2017.[13]
Episodes
Every episode was written by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson.
Season 1: "Relaxation Cassettes"
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cassette #1: Stress, Shoulders" | June 21, 2016 | 24:11 |
| 2 | "Cassette #2: Anxiety, Stomach" | July 5, 2016 | 22:28 |
| 3 | "Cassette #3: Insomnia, Feet" | July 19, 2016 | 28:18 |
| 4 | "Cassette #4: Sadness, Lungs" | August 2, 2016 | 26:06 |
| 5 | "Cassette #5: Focus, Nose" | August 16, 2016 | 29:30 |
| 6 | "Cassette #6: for Oleta" | August 30, 2016 | 25:04 |
| 7 | "Cassette 7: Doubt, Head" | September 13, 2016 | 28:03 |
| 8 | "Cassette 8: Awareness, Eyes" | September 27, 2016 | 26:14 |
| 9 | "Cassette 9: Loss, Hands" | October 11, 2016 | 26:19 |
| 10 | "Cassette 10: Horopito" | October 25, 2016 | 26:16 |
Season 2: "Museum Audio Tours"
Prior to the season premiere, three trailers composed of preview segments from the season itself were released, on August 15, August 22, and August 29, 2017. Donors of $50 or more to the production of the second season received a special prologue episode, "Cassette 0: Karikari Contemporary (1969)", on August 22, 2017, with the release of the second trailer.[13] Every episode in this season features a guest star voicing the curator of the museum.
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Cassette 1: Tate Modern (1971)" | September 5, 2017 | 29:40 | |
| Featuring Mary Epworth as Fiona Williamson. | ||||
| 12 | "Cassette 2: Ulster Museum (1973)" | September 19, 2017 | 26:17 | |
| Featuring Sarah Maria Griffin as Mary Breathnach. | ||||
| 13 | "Cassette 3: El Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (1974)" | October 3, 2017 | 55:00[lower-alpha 1] | |
| Featuring Anairis Quinones as Caty Velasquez. | ||||
| 14 | "Cassette 4: Bardo Museum (1975)" | October 17, 2017 | 25:14 | |
| Featuring Felicity Crentsil as Ama Cudjoe. | ||||
| 15 | "Cassette 5: Van Gogh Museum (1977)" | October 31, 2017 | 26:34 | |
| Featuring Lia Albers as Lia Bakker. | ||||
| 16 | "Cassette 6: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1978)" | November 14, 2017 | 30:40 | |
| Featuring Kate Leth as Zoe Tremblay. | ||||
| 17 | "Cassette 7: Sree Chitra Art Gallery (1979)" | November 28, 2017 | 21:05 | |
| Featuring Lily Potkin as Clarissa Nair. | ||||
| 18 | "Cassette 8: Ohara Museum of Art (1980)" | December 12, 2017 | 28:39 | |
| Featuring Julia Morizawa as Leah Akane. | ||||
| 19 | "Cassette 9: Metropolitan Museum of Art (1981)" | December 26, 2017 | 19:58 | |
| Featuring Leah Nanako Winkler as Elaine Hara. | ||||
| 20 | "Cassette 10: Karikari Contemporary Gallery (1986)" | January 9, 2018 | 26:39 | |
| Featuring Janina Matthwson as Hester Wells. | ||||
- Packaged together with an episode of It Makes a Sound.
Season 3: "Dictation"
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | "Reel 1: July 3, 1953. Letters to Sima Choudary, Helena Wood, and Bernice Jones." | September 4, 2018 | 18:45 |
| 22 | "Reel 2: August 23, 1953. Letters to Ursula Lindholm, Bernice Jones, and Vishwathy Ramadoss." | September 17, 2018 | 19:40 |
| 23 | "Reel 3: November 26, 1953. Letters to Sarah Chisholm and Reina Bachelor." | October 1, 2018 | 16:59 |
| 24 | "Reel 4: February 15, 1954. Letters to Vishwathi Ramadoss, Leena Mäkinen, and Bernice Jones." | October 16, 2018 | 19:01 |
| 25 | "Reel 5: March 2, 1954. Letter to Sarah Chisholm." | October 30, 2018 | 18:45 |
| 26 | "Reel 6: March 24, 1954. For Amy." | November 13, 2018 | 18:10 |
| 27 | "Reel 7: March 29, 1954. Letters to Vishwathi Ramadoss and Karen Roberts." | November 27, 2018 | 19:36 |
| 28 | "Reel 8: April 20, 1954. Letters to Bernice Jones and Sima Choudary." | December 11, 2018 | 17:55 |
| 29 | "Reel 9: September 13, 1954. Letters to Alejandra Reagan, Ursula Lindholm, Bernice Jones, and Sarah Chisholm." | January 1, 2019 | 24:02 |
| 30 | "Reel 10: June 21, 1961. Letter to Amy Castillo." | January 15, 2019 | 24:01 |
Season 4: "The Cradle"
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | "Cassette 1: Spring 1993." | September 9, 2019 | 22:03 |
| 32 | "Cassette 2: Autumn 1993." | September 9, 2019 | 22:29 |
| 33 | "Cassette 3: Summer 1994." | September 23, 2019 | 21:01 |
| 34 | "Cassette 4: Winter 1994–95." | October 7, 2019 | 21:47 |
| 35 | "Cassette 5: Spring 1995." | October 21, 2019 | 24:01 |
| 36 | "Cassette 6: Summer 1996." | November 4, 2019 | 24:19 |
| 37 | "Cassette 7: Spring 1997." | November 18, 2019 | 20:15 |
| 38 | "Cassette 8: Winter 1997–98." | December 2, 2019 | 24:22 |
| 39 | "Cassette 9: Autumn 1998." | December 16, 2019 | 19:55 |
| 40 | "Cassette 10: Autumn 1999." | December 30, 2019 | 26:10 |
Season 5: "Voicemail"
As well as the main narrator voiced by Amiera Darwish, this season featured a secondary narrator voiced by Norma Butikofer at the end of every episode.
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | "Episode 2: September 2003." | September 8, 2020 | 18:38 |
| 43 | "Episode 3: March 2002." | September 22, 2020 | 21:37 |
| 44 | "Episode 4: January 2002." | October 6, 2020 | 20:46 |
| 45 | "Episode 5: September 2001." | October 20, 2020 | 17:46 |
| 46 | "Episode 6: July 1999." | November 3, 2020 | 16:01 |
| 47 | "Episode 7: October 1997." | November 17, 2020 | 19:33 |
| 48 | "Episode 8: July 1997." | December 1, 2020 | 19:14 |
| 49 | "Episode 9: May 1997." | December 15, 2020 | 20:40 |
| 50 | "Episode 10: March 1997." | December 29, 2020 | 31:48 |
Season 6: "Caregiver"
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | "Episode 1: Monday 22 October 1973" | October 12, 2021 | 19:57 |
| 52 | "Episode 2: Tuesday 23 October 1973" | October 19, 2021 | 21:09 |
| 53 | "Episode 3: Wednesday 24 October 1973" | October 26, 2021 | 21:38 |
| 54 | "Episode 4: Thursday 25 October 1973" | November 2, 2021 | 21:58 |
| 55 | "Episode 5: Friday 26 October 1973" | November 9, 2021 | 21:39 |
| 56 | "Episode 6: Saturday 27 October 1973" | November 16, 2021 | 23:29 |
| 57 | "Episode 7: Sunday 28 October 1973" | November 23, 2021 | 19:32 |
| 58 | "Episode 8: Monday 29 October 1973" | November 30, 2021 | 22:30 |
| 59 | "Episode 9: Tuesday 30 October" | December 7, 2021 | 18:02 |
| 60 | "Episode 10: Samhain" | December 14, 2021 | 26:51 |
Bonus
Within the Wires' Patreon features an exclusive season called "Black Box," released four times a year, on solstices and equinoxes. The season tells the story of an unnamed pilot (narrated by Cranor), and his black box recordings.[14]
| Episode | Title | Date | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | "Black Box Cassette 1: PHL to PWM" | March 20, 2018 | 12:31 |
| B2 | "Black Box Cassette 2: PWM to MDW" | June 21, 2018 | 11:16 |
| B3 | "Black Box Cassette 3: MDW to YYZ" | September 23, 2018 | 14:30 |
| B4 | "Black Box Cassette 4: YYZ to ATL" | December 21, 2018 | 13:43 |
| B5 | "Black Box Cassette 5: HOU to LAX" | March 20, 2019 | 11:23 |
| B6 | "Black Box Cassette 6: LAX to SEA, SEA to YUL, YUL to MSY" | June 21, 2019 | 8:50 |
| B7 | "Black Box Cassette 7: MSY to HOU" | September 23, 2019 | 10:30 |
| B8 | "Black Box Cassette 8: LAX to SEA" | December 25, 2019 | 8:40 |
| B9 | "Black Box Cassette 9: SEA to TIL, TIL to ABQ" | May 30, 2020 | 12:54 |
| B10 | "Black Box Cassette 10: ABQ to SCL, LIT to ???" | January 25, 2021 | 11:48 |
Live
Within the Wires' first live show was performed by Janina Matthewson at London Podcast Festival on September 13, 2018.[15] They did two live shows starring Lee LeBreton, one at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles, California on April 27, 2019[16] and one at PodX in Nashville on June 2, 2019.[17]
Reception
Marc Hershon of the Huffington Post positively reviewed the second episode, stating that it "has a distinctive flavor all its own" and that the show is "every bit as warped as [Welcome to Night Vale]."[2] Nathan Dorer of The Rensselaer Polytechnic positively reviewed the first season, finding that "the evolution of the podcast throughout the first season was borderline artful" and praising Matthewson's narration and the "effective" atmosphere of the podcast.[18] Steve Greene of IndieWire similarly praised the podcast as "an off-kilter delight" and observed that it was "something that can only exist in this medium."[19] Devon Taylor of The Sarahs observed that because the story is "parceled out slowly" it could "frustrate listeners accustomed to a more linear plot", while also drawing positive comparisons to Lost and the works of David Lynch.[10]
References
- Hess, Amanda (November 11, 2016). "The Story So Far: Fiction Podcasts Take Their Next Steps". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Hershon, Marc (July 15, 2016). "Podcast Reviews: Fake The Nation and Within The Wires". HuffPost. BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Locke, Charley (August 24, 2016). "Fiction Podcasts Are Finally a Thing! Thank You, Sci-Fi and Horror: How the Creepiness of Found-Footage Narratives is Finding Its Way Into Your Earbuds". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Biese, Alex (June 14, 2016). "'Welcome to Night Vale' Celebrates Fourth Anniversary". Asbury Park Press. Gannett. OCLC 16894042. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Locker, Melissa (June 13, 2016). "The Week's Best Podcasts: From Star Trek to a Serial-Style Whodunnit". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Greene, Steve (September 6, 2017). "'Within the Wires' Season 2: This Haunting Audio Mystery Shows the Best of What Podcasts Can Be: A Simple, Confounding Tour Through an Alternate-History Art Museum Shows How the "Welcome to Night Vale" Crew Are Continuing to Shape Audio Entertainment". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Zutter, Natalie (May 8, 2020). "10 Long-Running SFF and Horror Fiction Podcasts". Tor.com. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Locke, Charley (July 25, 2016). "Five Podcasts to Help You Sound Smart Following the RNC: Conservatism, an Aspiring "Asian Oprah," and Eerie Relaxation Tapes". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Michael, Lindsay (June 17, 2016). "Within the Wires, an Interview With Podcast Makers Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson". Podcast Playlist. CBC Radio. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Taylor, Devon (October 10, 2016). "Within the Wires: Five Questions With Jeffrey Cranor". The Sarah Lawrence College International Audio Fiction Award. Sarah Lawrence College. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- "Within the Wires". Night Vale Presents. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- "Within the Wires". withinthewires.libsyn.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- "Within the Wires". withinthewires.libsyn.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- "Within the Wires is creating Immersive Audio Fiction | Patreon". Patreon. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "Night Vale Presents: Within the Wires". Kings Place. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Night Vale Presents: Within the Wires". Night Vale Presents. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- "@withinthewires: Don't miss @happierman and @unusualgemstone at @thepodx in Nashville this weekend!". Twitter. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Dorer, Nathan (October 26, 2016). "Podcast Review: Within the Wires Aims for Cult Fame". The Rensselaer Polytechnic. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- Greene, Steve (September 7, 2016). "10 Great Podcast Episodes From Summer 2016: Subliminal Cassette Tapes, Kansas Sweet Crude and More". IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.