Visionaries Audio Drama: A sci-fi tale of privilege, conspiracy, betrayal and rebellion

Visionaries Audio Drama is a fantasy podcast series created by Richard Seneque that tells the tale of privilege, conspiracy, betrayal and rebellion through the lens of its characters. In the year 2185, the world is distinguished by two races – the Visionaries and the Dead-eyes. The Visionary race is the next step in human evolution and have unique eyes, which endow them with special abilities. Humans who cannot evolve become slaves to the Visionaries… until the ‘Dead-eyes’ rebel, pitting two Visionary brothers against each other in a coming war… You can listen to season one wherever you listen to podcasts.

As season two dropped last week on December 6th, we caught up with Richard to find out more about the show…

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

I am a writer, director, and actor. At first, I solely wanted to be an actor because I loved going to school for acting and learning different techniques. Then, my attention shifted to writing. And who is better at reading scripts than actors? I always thought my acting background gave my writing an edge, specifically with dialogue. Shortly after, I moved into directing. During my short film, I realized directing was a lot like the days in my acting conservatory, with the professor being the director and the student the performer. Now, I do all three roles as the creator of the podcast fiction series Visionaries Audio Drama.

Visionaries revolves around the concept of human evolution, an evolution that awakens unique and colourful eyes. These eyes carry special abilities. Humans who evolved are called Visionaries. Humans who do not evolve, meaning they have human eyes as we know it, are all Dead-eyes. The disparity in power leads to the enslavement of all Dead-eyes. The story begins with the Dead-eye slaves plotting a rebellion against their Visionary masters.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

The first podcast I listened to was The Leviathan Chronicles. I initially wrote Visionaries as a TV series. However, it felt nearly impossible to produce independently, and I did not want Visionaries to be just words in a script – I wanted to find a way to produce it. A friend of mine recommended I turn Visionaries into an audio drama. I had never heard of audio drama before then, so he suggested I listen to The Leviathan Chronicles. After listening to a few episodes, I was inspired and motivated to turn Visionaries into an audio drama.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I decided to start podcasting once I realized what sound can accomplish – not only in terms of cost but also for world-building. It has been a treat as a writer to follow whatever pops into mind for the story. It is a luxury I’ve never experienced writing for film and TV.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Once I shifted from TV to audio, there were several podcasts that inspired me with regard to execution, specifically their approach to sound, pacing, and dialogue. For example, Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a terrific show with fantastic sound design. Another example is Vega: A Sci-fi Adventure Podcast which has captivating one-person storytelling. I appreciate each audio drama for its uniqueness.

Which dream actor would you cast in your show?

The dream actor I’d love to cast would be Viola Davis. Her presence and command of characters have always been captivating. In Visionaries Audio Drama, we will visit different cities to show other groups of Visionaries. For example, in season one, we hear the main character leave Burning Candle (home of the red-eye Visionaries) and run to Steady Mist (home of the blue-eye Visionaries). I want the listener to experience these cities through the characters. My dream would be to cast Viola as a general of one of these cities.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Visionaries is an episodic series. I highly recommend starting with episode one in season one. Many of the world’s rules are established in that first episode, as well as the main characters.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

You can listen to Visionaries Audio Drama wherever you get your podcasts, such as Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can follow us on Instagram @visionariesaudiodrama or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @VisionariesAD. Lastly, you can visit our website at visionariesaudiodrama.com.

Listen to Visionaries Audio Drama on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts >>

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