Freeland resident Judith Walcutt was recently named the winner of the 2016 Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in audio theatre. Walcutt is a producer, director, writer, actress and CEO of Otherworld Media, a production company.
The award, given annually by the National Audio Theatre Festivals (NATF), is the premier American recognition of lifetime achievement in the field of audio theater, according to a press release.
The Corwin Award is announced each year on May 3 by the National Audio Theatre Festivals.
Walcutt has produced “world-class” audio theatre for almost 40 years. She founded Otherworld Media in 1981, creating “Radio Movies” for WGBH in Boston and many other productions for national networks, recordings and internet distribution. Her work includes adaptations of Tom Lewis’ “Empire Of The Air”, Ursula K. LeGuin’s “The Phoenix,” Gish Jen’s “The Water Faucet Vision,” Raymond Chandler’s “Goldfish,” the 50th Anniversary broadcast of “The War Of The Worlds,” and Stephen Crane’s “The Red Badge of Courage.”
Norman Corwin, who is considered the grand master of American radio theater, appeared as an actor in two Walcutt’s productions, “Empire of the Air,” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
Walcutt also produced the new version of Corwin’s classic radio salute to the American bill of rights,” “We Hold These Truths.” It was directed by Walcutt’s husband, David Ossman, and broadcast over every radio network in the United States, both public and commercial, as well as the BBC and the CBC.
