In celebration of Adventures in Odyssey's 20th anniversary a number of years ago, a live show was recorded at Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs in August 2008. The episode featured a number of B-TV skits, as well as the return of characters such as Lucy Cunningham-Schultz, Jimmy Barclay, Jack Davis, Robyn Jacobs and more. This live show was subsequently released as a special CD set for fans to enjoy. But the set was only available for a limited time and new copies are longer being produced. What is a fan to do now? The Odyssey Adventure Club has come to the rescue. Starting today, AIO's 2008 live show has become a permanent part of the OAC's online library. This set not only includes a 45-minute show, but it also features 13 minutes of questions and answers with the actors, a bonus video, and bloopers. You can also look forward to hearing the next Spanish-language Aventuras en Odisea album when it comes to the OAC next month. Have you heard the 2008 live show before? To sign up for a club membership, go to OAClub.org.
On today's edition of the Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast, hosts Bob and Jesse talk to Dave Arnold, the writer and director of the two-part Odyssey Adventure Club episode called Pinocchio: The Tale of a Foolish Puppet. They discuss the origins of the Pinocchio story in the 1800s, how they went about adapting it into an audio drama first for Radio Theatre, the various AIO characters that show up in the story, and some of the changes that occurred during the casting process. Dave also talks about this OAC episode's tribute to Odyssey window washer Bernard Walton, the lessons he hopes listeners will take away from the story, and much more. Listen to the full podcast interview. The Odyssey Adventure Club, the one place on the internet where you can listen to every single Adventures in Odyssey album on demand, including brand-new monthly episodes which are exclusive to the club, has today just expanded its archive a little more. Last April the first volume of AIO's Spanish language episodes was released on the OAC, and today Volume 2 has been added. It includes another 13 episodes, bringing the total of Aventuras en Odisea episodes on the club to 26. This latest batch of shows has been adapted from English shows such as Stormy Weather, Kids' Radio, Camp What-A-Nut, The Case of the Secret Room, Karen, Connie, and more. Volume 3 is set for release on the OAC this November. Have you heard any of these episodes? What do you think of the Spanish version of the Odyssey universe? Write a comment down below. If you're not in the OAC, you can sign up at oaclub.org. Today the Adventures in Odyssey team was again in the studio in California recording shows for the next season of the Odyssey Adventure Club. This time they worked on a two-part episode called "The Boat People," written and directed by Phil Lollar. OAC adventures often team up with Christian organizations and charities, and this show features World Vision. The episode is based on the true story of a Vietnamese family in the 1970s as they tried to escape the country to make a new home in the United States. Longtime AIO fans will know that Whit's son Jerry died in Vietnam during the war. This new episode promises to provide us some scenes with "a deeply emotional John Avery Whittaker," as well as a mysterious "startling revelation." Also in this show is a new character to Odyssey named Renee Carter. Renee is a non-Christian college student from Scotland who arrives to intern at Whit's End and first appears in the upcoming episode "Things Not Seen," which also airs on the OAC next year. Could she become a regular character on the show? Time will tell. You can find more information and tons of photos and videos of the cast and crew from these latest recording sessions on the official AIO Facebook page. And to find out how to listen to OAC-exclusive monthly episodes, get access to the entire archive of past Adventures in Odyssey shows, daily devotions, and much more, visit odysseyadventureclub.org. The Parker family is back for Season 3 of the Odyssey Adventure Club. Today the actors recorded an upcoming episode entitled "Un-Tech the Halls," which will air on the OAC in 2016. This show takes place at Christmas time and follows the Parkers as they go on an outing to cut down a live Christmas tree. It includes the return of the Parker kids' grandma, Lucia Ortaga, who we last heard from in 2013 on Album 57: A Call to Something More. This recording session also marks a milestone for the character of Matthew Parker, who is now being voiced by actor Justin Felbinger. He was previously played by Gunnar Sizemore from Album 58 to Album 59, and the character was originally voiced by Zach Callison. You can check out plenty of photos of the cast and crew on the official Adventures in Odyssey Facebook page. The Odyssey team also recorded another OAC adventure today, this one called "Things Not Seen." This episode "will introduce a brand-new character to the world of Odyssey." The character is named Renee D. Carter and is a non-Christian "computer-savvy college student from Scotland beginning an internship at Whit's End." All these exciting episodes and more will be available to hear exclusively on the Odyssey Adventure Club next year. For the next few days the Adventures in Odyssey team is back together in the studio in California recording some new shows. During this latest session they're working on episodes for Season 3 of the Odyssey Adventure Club, which will air in 2016. One upcoming episode written by Dave Arnold and directed by Phil Lollar will be called "The Journal of John Avery Whittaker," which will take a look at Whit's past. You can check out the Official AIO Facebook page for photos of the session, including a snapshot of the script, and pictures of the actors playing the young Jack Allen and the young Whit, as well as those voicing Whit's grandfather Jackson, his father Harold, his stepmother Fiona, and his stepsister Charlotte. You'll be able to hear this show and more next year on the club if you sign up at oaclub.org. Also recorded today was an episode titled "The Good Soil," which tells the true story of real-life missionary Dr. William Leslie. This adventure was written and directed by Phil Lollar and is set in the Congo. Besides Adventures in Odyssey episodes and devotions, a membership in the Odyssey Adventure Club gives you access to lots of different Focus on the Family content, including the three audio dramas in The Last Chance Detectives series, as well as the three films produced. And now for a limited time OAC members will be able to read the novel Canyon Quest, which serves as a prequel to the show. The first six chapters are up on the club as of July 16th and more will be uploaded every Thursday until the book is completed and the mystery is solved. But make sure you don't delay your summer reading too long. Canyon Quest will only be available to read on the OAC through October 1st. After that it'll be more difficult to get your hands on this out-of-print book. If you're thinking about checking it out, you can read the novel's summary here: Fans will learn how the Last Chance Detectives club was formed in Canyon Quest, the prequel to the Last Chance Detectives series. When Mike Fowler and his mom move to the dilapidated small town of Ambrosia in the Arizona desert, he is still agonizing over the loss/disappearance of his dad in the Gulf War. Determined to ferret out the truth about his dad's fate, Mike begins studying books on detective work. As a mystery crops up in Ambrosia, Mike is drawn into the case and, in the process of solving it, comes to know Ben Jones, Wynona Whitefeather, and Spence Martin. Their success together in this adventure leads them to form—at the book's conclusion—the Last Chance Detectives. Composer John Campbell's instrumental scores from all twelve of the exclusive Odyssey Adventure Club episodes of Season 1 have been posted online today. This music album has twelve tracks, one for each adventure in Season 1. The episodes' scores have varying lengths, from two minutes to four and a half minutes long. From the pulsing African rhythms of The Launch and the iconic western swells of The Lone Lawman, to the gentle Asian strings of The Drop Box and the warm yuletide tunes of The Perfect Gift and All by Myself, this instrumental album will have you reliving all your favorite moments from the club. The OAC has also announced that soon there will be a new feature which will allow members to listen to a whole album continuously without having to individually select each episode. To listen to this music album and also gain access to an archive of almost 800 Adventures in Odyssey episodes, sign up at oaclub.org. Mr. Whittaker's invention the Inspiration Station debuted with Album 51: Take It From the Top in 2010. And now this year Adventures in Odyssey fans will be treated to the machine's second adventure. The episode will be titled Walter's Flying Bus, based off a children's book of the same name, and will be released on the Odyssey Adventure Club in October. It's already been confirmed that it will include the characters Camilla Parker and John Avery Whittaker. And now artist Gary Locke has posted a preview of the artwork for the upcoming show. It's quite a colorful piece with plenty of signs of life. If you look closely at the bottom right of the first image, you'll see Whit and Camilla standing there, although they have been blurred out in this version. The storybook the episode is based on is summarized here: "Walter finds an abandoned bus and together with the hopes and dreams of his friends, and a little work, the engine soon roars to life! The children realize their dreams are not only inspirational but they have the power to carry them to what they desire most, families that will love them forever." Are you excited about the return of the Inspiration Station? What do you think of this new artwork? You can write out your thoughts in a comment down below. And to listen to Walter's Flying Bus when it comes out in October, don't forget to sign up for your own Odyssey Adventure Club membership at oaclub.org. The Odyssey Adventure Club keeps expanding with more content. Last April it added a new collection of shows from the Spanish language version of AIO, called Aventuras en Odisea, and most recently the club aired all six episodes from Album 59: Taking the Plunge early, plus a bonus video from the recording studio. Now the AIO Update has news that on July 8th the first musical album from composer John Campbell will be available online for streaming to all OAC members. This album of musical scores will feature the soundtracks you've heard before in the adventures from Season 1 of the OAC's exclusive episodes, from The Launch to All By Myself. At this time the club will not include the music from other Adventures in Odyssey episodes. Are you excited to hear the Season 1 soundtrack on the Odyssey Adventure Club? You can write your comments down below. |