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About The Penny Bloods
Tales from the Penny Bloods presents a series of audio shows done in the tradition of "old time radio plays." These include adaptions of stories from prestigious Victorian gift annuals like the Keepsake and Forget-Me-Not, and from popular magazines like Charles Dickens's All the Year Round and Household Words.
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Along the way, of course, our programs will also feature stories from the so-called "Penny Bloods" or "Penny Dreadfuls," (think G. W. M. Reynolds's Mysteries of London), bringing you thrilling tales in which London's high society meets the city's underworld.
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Our episodes will entertain you with adventures and romances, ghosts and criminals, with a dash of comedy thrown in.
Varney's Verticals
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These nine short videos introduce our adaptation of James Malcolm Rymer's epic "Penny Blood" novel Varney the Vampyre. They dramatize an episode from the massive novel, introducing prominent themes and motifs that appear and reappear chapter after chapter. Life after death. Danger to innocent women. Unwholesome sacraments. The dead who prey upon the living.
Set in the Italian mountains outside Florence, our tale follows noble characters and an evil villain. Murder, revenge, jealousy, romance all play their parts. An ambitious father, a dutiful daughter, and a loyal stranger also have their roles to play.
Adapted by Arnold Anthony Schmidt and directed by Julia Warren, these episodes feature Michael Cogan, Kait Feeney, Jason Greenwood, Clive Marlowe, John Martin, Carter McQueen, and Colleen Michaels.
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The Wraith of Barnjum
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'I frankly admit, whatever may be the consequences of doing so, that I was not fond of Barnjum; in fact, I detested him.'
A mountain walking tour, with unforeseen consequences....
F. Anstey's satire on the ghost genre, adapted for radio by Julia Warren, with Lucy Archer-Woodcock, Kait Feeney, Jason Greenwood, Clive Marlowe, John Martin, Carter McQueen, & Mark Tunstall (with added coconuts and other weird sounds...)
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Head of Foley: Kait Feeney
Executive producer Arnold Anthony Schmidt
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Wayfarers All
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A tale within a tale, from snowy Northumbrian moors to sunny Alpine skies, as we follow the haunting experiences of those travellers who have wandered off the beaten path...into the unknown. Adapted by Julia Warren from short stories by Amelia Edwards; writer, mountain walker and Egyptologist.
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A lost wanderer in the snow mistakes his coach, and a hiker's walk in the Swiss Alps takes an unexpected turn - with life-threatening consequences in these unsettling tales from masterful storyteller Amelia Edwards ...
The Ghost of Vauxhall Walk
Fathers and sons, devilish deals and miserly phantoms - join us for this action-packed fun ghost-fest with the Squire of Ennismore and the Tynans of Vauxhall Walk...
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Based on two short stories by Charlotte Riddell, adapted for audio by Arnold Anthony Schmidt, this promises to be a rollercoaster of a tale: shipwrecks, lost treasure, a sinister stranger and a haunted house - what more could you want for the spooky season?
So get wrapped up warm and grab the popcorn...
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Tales from the Penny Bloods is a series of
radio plays based on stories from popular
19th-century magazines. We hope you'll enjoy these tales of crime & the supernatural, romance
& adventure, with a few laughs along the way.
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Teachers: you'll also find original texts,
notes, vocabulary, & lesson plans.
Upcoming episodes
Varney the Vampyre
Join the Penny Blood Players as we embark on our most ambitious project yet, dramatizing the most famous vampire story you've never heard of!
Based on James Malcolm Rymer's almost 2000-page-long "Penny Blood" novel, you'll follow stories of crime and revenge, love and jealousy, greed and, of course, vampires!
You can hear the first episode on KCBP-FM radio (kcbpradio.org), and it'll soon be available on Spotify, YouTube, and all the usual venues.
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Earlier
Episodes
Catch up on all the earlier episodes here...
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Click me
About the Victorians
British Library:
Posters, newspapers, illustrations and much more, along with expert articles. (www.bl.uk/victorian-britain)
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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century:
A respected, open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal covering areas like Romantic and Victorian History, Literature, Musicology, Social History, Visual Culture, etc. (https://19.bbk.ac.uk/)
Victorian History Resources:
Elon University's fine site. (elon.libguides.com/Victorian_History/Internet_Resources)
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Victorian Web:
Great all-round information about lit, history, social history, plus other links. (victorianweb.org)
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About the Penny Bloods​
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Dittmer, Nicole C. Monstrous Women and Ecofeminism in the Victorian Gothic, 1837–1871. (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666900804/Monstrous-Women-and-Ecofeminism-in-the-Victorian-Gothic)
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This books examines the popular Gothic female “monster” figure in early-to-mid-Victorian literature in the context of medical science, ecofeminism, and social history.
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Dittmer, Nicole C., ed. Penny Bloods: Gothic Tales of Dangerous Women. (https://www.waterstones.com/book/penny-bloods/nicole-c-dittmer/9780712354189)
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Includes a selection of famous and obscure tales from nineteenth-century periodicals which feature "dangerous" female characters, among them witches, femme fatales, vampire mistresses and deadly criminals.
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