Voice actors from the Okanagan have joined forces to hook listeners into their mystery audio drama podcast Where the Leaves Fall Purple.
“It’s about a university student who runs a failing true-crime podcast, he just can’t get anyone to listen to,” said Kimberly Billinton, creator of Where the Leaves Fall Purple.
“He is about to graduate from university. He is getting pretty nervous that he is going to go out into the world with nothing to his name. So, he asks his best friend Janie if she will go missing – he is going to fake her disappearance and document it on the podcast and things are going great at the start until she really does go missing and this sets off a chain of events that are stranger than fiction.”
The audio drama was created by Billinton more than a year ago. The cast has had to navigate recording during a pandemic, recording from home and a homemade audio booth made from PVC pipes and moving blankets.
Now, all the audio drama needs before it is released to the public is a few finishing touches.
Taking on the lead role of Ben Miller is Corey Hendricks.
“Ben Miller has always been a weird kid,” said Hendricks.
“He’s very interested in true crime and serial killers and he has a good group of friends around him. But, sometimes he takes them for granted. Through the course of the show he gets a little lost I think in who he is and he is trying to find that.”
When casting, Billinton looked to include as much local talent as possible in turn, giving many of her actors their first voice-acting roles.
Ashleigh Burns voices the role of Veronica Barrow, Janie’s best friend.
“It’s very different because you have to show emotions through your voice,” said Burns. “It’s very fun and very challenging.”
The first episode of Where the Leaves Fall Purple will be released on July 14 and can be found on all streaming platforms. For more information visit http://www.wtlfp.com/