Cleveland, Ohio Jun 5, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - The Mystery of Easter Island is a new audio drama podcast based on the true story of early 20th-century explorer and ethnographer Katherine Routledge, who sailed from England to Easter Island in 1914 to find out why the famous moai (giant head) statues were constructed — and why they were later purposely toppled. Famous in her time but largely forgotten today, Routledge is the source of the myth and understanding of Easter Island.
The series is written by Justin Glanville and directed by Mindy Childress Herman, produced by Footsteps Media in partnership with Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). Recorded in-studio, live in front of an audience at CPT and via smartphones using Zoom (after the Coronavirus shut down), the first four episodes are available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. It was one of four Fiction Podcast finalists at The Austin Film Festival.
Routledge’s story is one of adventure and romance, an epic yarn that provides insight into gender roles and the value of the cross-cultural exchange. In the first season, Routledge commissions a ship and sets off for Easter Island with her husband and a small crew just as World War I is engulfing Europe. The historical fiction podcast tells the story of Routledge as she attempts to decipher the native language and excavate statues, becomes involved in an island revolt for independence, grows estranged from her husband, fends off German warships, and falls in love with her interpreter.
“I was drawn to Routledge’s story after a visit to see the moai for myself a few years ago,” said Glanville. “Here's this upper-crust English woman who sailed around the world to study the most isolated place on the planet – in 1914, before women even had the right to vote. All while battling significant demons of her own.” “Routledge was a fearless woman and telling her story using an emerging medium has been a fascinating experiment,” said Herman. The podcast features over a dozen professional actors with original music composition and sound design by Obediya Jones-Darrell, the 2019-2020 CPT Kulas Theatre Composer Fellow.
Media Contact
Footsteps Media LLC herman.mindy@gmail.com 2169902665 http://www.mysteryofeasterisland.com
