George Zarr
Award-winning producer, writer, director, and composer
George Zarr
Award-winning producer, writer, director, and composer
About
Background
George Zarr’s most recent audio projects as a producer, writer, director and composer for Blackstone Publishing and Audible include:
- A four-part comedy series Hurry! Hurry! It’s Almost Christmas!
- Musical adaptations of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Bell and the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty
- The audio drama Western-musical trilogy Hoofbeats in My Heart, Hoofbeats in My Heart Yet Again and Hoofbeats in My Heart for a Third Time
- A five-part, mystery-horror anthology series The Dark of the Moon Inn
- Adaptations of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost
Also for Blackstone/Audible, George has directed the audio drama The Secret Garden and audiobooks Bambi, The Little Mermaid and Winnie-the-Pooh. He is the writer, director and producer of the commissioned audio documentary Lincoln in Music and Letters for WFMT Syndication.
George served as Manager of Spoken Word Programming at Sirius Satellite Radio. He worked at the SYFY Channel as Senior Producer for Seeing Ear Theatre, where he created The First (and Last) Musical on Mars, later staged at Chicago’s New Rock Theatre. He also directed and wrote for SYFY’s Barbarian Moron flash animation cartoon series and produced, wrote and directed audio episodes of Tales from the Crypt. In addition, he was producer, co-director and co-writer of the National Public Radio audio comedy series Visit New Grimston, Anyway as well as the award-winning anthology series Little Chills.
George composed Walking Up Broadway, a commissioned solo harp composition, which premiered at New York’s Carnegie Hall. He directed, wrote and composed the Off-Off-Broadway sketch comedy Mind Floss and was the composer, librettist and director of the one-act opera Who’s on Faust? for the American Chamber Opera Company in Manhattan. He received the New York City Mayoral Citation for his concerto Reception for Steel Drum and Orchestra.
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My style
My work benefits from decades of exploring traditional genres in the popular and performing arts, then metaphorically filling those classic wine bottles of yesterday with original wine from today and serving the results to a modern audience. While other New York City kids went out to play stick ball, I was inside with my tape recorder, movie projector, guitar and drawing pad trying to bring life to the stories I created. The basic shape of my early pursuits remain as I attempt to expand my interdisciplinary approach to audio production through video and advanced digital production. I work as a writer, producer, director, composer and post-producer to support my projects with the aim to elicit the emotional delight of my listeners through well-crafted audio. By creating entire worlds in my dramatized audio work, i.e. towns, characters, desires, atmosphere, humorous and historical references, exploration of terminology and colloquialisms, genre related music and more, I seek to convey an acoustic sensory and highly imaginative experience to the listener.
Audio Drama
Dark of the Moon Inn
Hoofbeats in My Heart
Hoofbeats in My Heart
Well hidden among the trees along the tranquil waters of Lake Waseosa sits the Dark of the Moon Inn, an unsettling 19th century bed and breakfast where unsuspecting guests attempt to unwind from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Instead, they find themselves veering towards that place where wandering minds cross into the darker and stormier depths of the all-encompassing nighttime. An audio drama available as an audio book from Blackstone Publishing.
FINDING HIS VOICE – The voice-over business intensifies into a deadly game of cat and mouse between three people. The hunter and the hunted crisscross through the worlds of film, radio and television – until everything ultimately depends on the sound of a single voice.
THE DOCTOR IS IN – A physician from Minneapolis, well-versed in metaphysics, mysteriously barges into the lives of an unsuspecting couple. Leaving them in doubt as to whether their weird guest is really a physician. Or is really well-versed in metaphysics. Or for that matter is even from Minneapolis.
PERSONAL DELIVERY – (Co-written with Andrew Joffe) A man asks his dying sibling to deliver a personal message to their mother – and receives her absolute and unexpected final answer!
EVERY NOW AND THEN – A sunny day, a quaint antique store, browsing through the artifacts of the past. To some, these are the ingredients for a pleasantly-spent afternoon. To Frank, it is the beginning of a journey that will tear his world inside out. Is his amusing and puzzling journey down memory lane an actual journey? Or a careening descent into madness.
SCHOOL SPIRIT – After a horrifying nighttime brush with the supernatural, Michelle shakily bolts out of her house and into her first day of high school. A first day that might also be her last. Recorded live in front of a terrified audience.
Hoofbeats in My Heart
Hoofbeats in My Heart
Hoofbeats in My Heart
A tuneful 13-part audio comedy serial that plays out amid the sagebrush of the Old West. Stout-hearted Marshall Shiloh Brown’s single-minded mission, to capture Ruby Buckaroo, the Bandit Queen of the Cowboys, earns him a severe case of Hoofbeats in His Heart. And the not-too-tightly-wound Sheriff Huck Buckskin, citizen of West Buzzard’s Bottom, is also madly in love with the elusive and delinquent Ruby. Will the lasso-crossed lover’s gallop across the Wild West ultimately result in the triumph of love?
The Bell
Hoofbeats in My Heart
Hurry! Hurry! It's Almost Christmas!
Young Lecia and Frederick embark on a perilous quest through the Dark Forest of No Return in search of a mysterious tolling bell that torments the fairy tale village of Langtvæk.
Hurry! Hurry! It's Almost Christmas!
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
Hurry! Hurry! It's Almost Christmas!
Four half-hour episodes. As Christmas approaches, John, a modern-day working father, seems a little more stressed out than usual. With his lovely wife Eve and adoring teenage children Chris, Brooke and little Anna-Magdalena at his side, what could possibly go wrong? Well, just about everything – including an unexpected visit from his in-laws the never-ending seasonal to-do list, the annoying neighborhood
kids, and that man-eating Christmas tree.
And through it all his smiling co-worker Dennis sets him up for the ultimate disaster at work.
The Doctor is In
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
A physician from Minneapolis, well-versed in metaphysics, mysteriously barges into the lives of an unsuspecting couple, leaving them in doubt as to whether their weird guest is really a physician, whether he truly is well-versed in metaphysics, and for that matter, whether he is even from Minneapolis.
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
The Children's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
"Sleeping Beauty"
Producer/Co-writer/Director/Composer
"Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll
Composer
"Little Red Riding Hood"
Producer/Writer/Director
"Cinderella"
Composer
"Scourge of the Desert"
Producer/Writer/Director/Composer
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
"A Christmas Carol" Charles Dickens
Director
"Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll
Composer
The Bell
Producer/Writer/Director/Composer
Cinderella
Composer
The Little Match Girl
Producer/Writer/Director/Composer
The Little Mermaid
Director
Little Red Riding Hood
Producer/Writer/Director
Scourge of the Desert
Producer/Writer/Director/Composer
The Secret Garden
Director
Sleeping Beauty
Producer/Co-writer/Director/Composer
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Composer
Finding His Voice
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
The voice-over business intensifies into a deadly game of cat and mouse between three people. The hunter and the hunted crisscross through the worlds of film, radio, and television - until everything ultimately depends on the sound of a single voice.
It's Christmas!
The Ultimate Classic Collection for Children
Lincoln in Music and Letters
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Director
Composer
The Little Match Girl – Charles Dickens
Producer/Adaptation/Director/Composer
The Spirit of Christmas Day – George Zarr
Producer/Writer/Director/Composer
Lincoln in Music and Letters
Lincoln in Music and Letters
Lincoln in Music and Letters
Produced/written/directed for the
WFMT Network. Not available due to copyright restrictions.
A link to the Newberry Library event centered around the program:
https://www.newberry.org/02152017-farewell-father-friend-lincolns-death-music-and-letters
A link to the audio of the event:
https://soundcloud.com/newberrylibrary/farewell-father-friend
Audiobooks
Winnie-the-Pooh
The Little Mermaid
Winnie-the-Pooh
WINNER 2022 EARPHONES AWARD - AUDIOFILE MAGAZINE
https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/214541/winnie-the-pooh-by-aa-milne-read-by-barbara-rosenblat/
BY A. A. MILNE
READ BY BARBARA ROSENBLAT
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
A delightful adventure is waiting for you in the enchanted Hundred Acre Forest. Come meet Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their woodland friends Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, and Baby Roo as they encounter a Woozle search for Eeyore’s lost tail, meet a Heffalump, and mount an expedition to the North Pole! Along the way, these companions will get into and out of trouble with hilarious results. Winnie-the-Pooh will appeal to children and adults of all ages!
This beloved children’s classic story penned by A. A. Milne is magically brought to life by multi-award-winning voice talent Barbara Rosenblat. Barbara was selected by AudioFile Magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the 20th Century.
Bambi
The Little Mermaid
Winnie-the-Pooh
BY FELIX SALTEN
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Bambi, a Life in the Woods is a coming-of-age story that follows the life of Bambi, a deer, from his birth through old age. As Bambi grows and matures, he experiences the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, and learns about betrayal and essential lessons of the forest from his father. But most importantly, he realizes the danger posed by “He,” the term used by the animals to describe human hunters in the forest. In the end, Bambi learns the vital tools to survive in an unforgiving world.
This version is translated from the unedited original German novel written by Felix Salten and depicts the harsh and hostile environment encountered by animals living in the wild and is not recommended for younger children.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
The Bunny Collection
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
ADAPTED BY DIANE VANDEN HOVEN
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Far out at sea, where the water is the bluest of blue, lived a Little Mermaid with her five sisters in an enchanting underwater city surrounded by beautiful flowers and exotic fish of all kinds. Fascinated by stories of the world beyond where the animals and humans dwell, they eagerly awaited their turn to the surface. So, as decree allowed, the Little Mermaid was permitted to rise out of the sea to sit on the rocks in the moonlight on her 16th birthday. In this strange new world, she saves a charming prince from certain death and falls in love. But to be with him, the Little Mermaid must make a pact with the Sea Witch, with tragic consequences.
The Bunny Collection
The Beatrix Potter Collection
The Bunny Collection
BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
This collection of ten classic rabbit tales will surely delight any “bunny” big or small. An adventure awaits you in every story written by some of the best-known children’s authors. Come along for the journey; it’s just a hop, skip and jump away! Includes the following stories:
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail—Thornton W. Burgess
The Easter Bunny—Laura Rountree Smith
The Happy Hare—Laura Rountree Smith
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny—Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Peter Rabbit—Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies—Beatrix Potter
Uncle Wiggly’s Rolling Hoop—Howard Roger Garis
The Little King’s Rabbits—Maud Lindsay
Bunnkins-Bunnies and the Moon King—Edith B. Davidson
The Velveteen Rabbit—Margery Williams
The Beatrix Potter Collection
The Beatrix Potter Collection
The Beatrix Potter Collection
BY BEATRIX POTTER
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
This collection of engaging children’s stories by iconic British author Beatrix Potter includes eleven of her most popular tales. Included are “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “The Tale of Benjamin Bunny,” “The Tale of Jeremy Fisher,” “The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle,” “The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies,” “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck,” “The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse,” “The Tale of Tom Kitten,” “The Tale of Two Bad Mice,” “The Tale of Johnny-Town-Mouse,” and “The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.”
Perfect listening for the whole family!
My Father's Dragon
The Beatrix Potter Collection
The Beatrix Potter Collection
BY RUTH STILES GANNETT
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
One cold and rainy day, a boy named Elmer befriends an old alley cat who tells him a way he can fly. All he has to do is rescue an enslaved baby Dragon from a mysterious island inhabited by all sorts of wild animals. Intrigued, the young boy, armed with only his wits and a knapsack of essential implements, embarks on a perilous journey to Wild Island to free the Dragon and fly. This adventure story by Ruth Stiles Gannett has delighted and entertained children from the day it was first published.
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
The Milne and Potter Collection
BY MARGERY WILLIAMS
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real) is a British children’s book by Margery Williams. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit’s desire to become real through the love of his owner, a small boy—a heartwarming fairy tale enjoyed by children for generations. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association voted the book #28 on the “Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children.”
The Milne and Potter Collection
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
The Milne and Potter Collection
BY A. A. MILNE, BEATRIX POTTER
READ BY BARBARA ROSENBLAT, NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
This collection of delightful children’s stories celebrates two iconic British authors, A. A. Milne and Beatrix Potter. Included are the ever-popular Winnie-The-Pooh, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, The Tale of Mrs. Titlemouse, The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Tale of Johnny-Town-Mouse, and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. Read by multi-award-winning narrator Barbara Rosenblat and Noelle Dupuis.
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Welcome to the ageless world of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool, and the Purple Mountains! There, you’ll meet a rabbit named Peter, who one day became so unhappy about his plain-sounding name he decided to change it to Peter Cottontail because he felt it made him sound more important. He began putting on airs to live up to his important-sounding name, but after much teasing from his friends, he soon returned to his original name because, as he put it, “There’s nothing like the old name after all.”
Journey along with Peter and all the little meadow and forest creatures in this whimsical tale as told by famed storyteller Thornton W. Burgess. This childhood classic will delight children of all ages.
The Princess Collection
The Princess Collection
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Everyone loves a Princess story! This collection of ten classic fairy tales is sure to please any Princess, big or small. Includes Thumbelina, The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, The Wild Swans, Snow White and Rose Red, and Sleeping Beauty.
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
This collection of seven popular Hans Christian Andersen stories includes The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Wild Swans, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl, and The Little Mermaid. Fairytales for the whole family to enjoy!
Thumbelina
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Thumbelina is a classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb snatched from her family by an ugly toad who wants to marry her. Thumbelina escapes, befriending various creatures of the forest, until one day, she meets the king of the flower angels, with whom she finds happiness forever.
The Wild Swans
The Hans Christian Andersen Collection
Poodle Versus the Assassin
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom lived a King with eleven sons and a beautiful daughter named Eliza. All was peaceful until the widowed King decided to remarry a wicked Queen with dark magical powers. Out of spite, the stepmother turns her eleven stepsons into swans and banishes Eliza from the castle into the countryside. Despite the overwhelming odds, Eliza is determined to rescue her brothers, overcome the evil Queen’s spell, and reunite her family.
Poodle Versus the Assassin
Poodle Versus the Assassin
Poodle Versus the Assassin
BY ANNE SHILLOLO
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
A 50-something local newspaper publisher and a pampered prince of a poodle stumble upon a shocking crime in a cottage-country small town.
Who killed the mayor? It’s up to Zora Flynn and her nasty small poodle Rocco to sort out a distinctive cast of characters in the town of Williamsport and find the murderer.
Meet Zora. She’s one of a kind, flavored with a dash of Agatha Raisin and a splash of Stephanie Plum, and her exploits and foibles will have you laughing out loud before the end of the first section.
Her small dog, Rocco, wears a bright blue collar studded with yellow crowns. With his regal personality, he amuses Zora with his snide comments and princely demands. Despite this, he is a poodle of action. And Zora’s secret weapon.
Surrounded by rocky cliffs, pristine lakes and picture-perfect scenery, Williamsport is a charming town in cottage country. But now the murder of the mayor casts a shadow. Police chief Arni Korhonen looks like he stepped from the pages of GQ but he’s being forced to consider Zora as a suspect.
Can Zora and her reporters Brady and Olivia track down the real killer before the noose tightens around Zora, jeopardizing her business and their livelihood?
Poodle Versus the Mob
Poodle Versus the Assassin
Poodle Versus the Mob
BY ANNE SHILLOLO
READ BY NOELLE DUPUIS
DIRECTED BY GEORGE ZARR
Zora Flynn, a 50-something local newspaper publisher, and Rocco, her pampered prince of a poodle, are faced with a mini-crime wave. Not one but two victims have surfaced in the bustling cottage country town.
A secret underground casino, kickbacks and bribes, an explosion, and a business-savvy granny are the least of Zora’s worries. The clock is ticking. If the case isn’t solved quickly, she could be homeless by Christmas.
Rocco is keeping up his snarky commentary as the staff of the Williamsport Whistle track down the culprit. But he doesn’t hesitate when Zora is threatened. Can the pair of them escape the clutches of the murderer?
Current Projects
Shadow of the Shapeshifters
A six-part sci-fi horror audio drama produced/written/directed/composed by George Zarr
Rhianna Garcia, an unwilling Shapeshifter, is thrown into the murky world of nameless identities and gruesome death at the hands of the Leedol, a shadowy and all-enveloping force of evil. She encounters surprising allies and defends herself against horrifying assassins, all set against a bleak hidden world where nothing is as it seems.
Media Ancient and Modern
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
One of several videos produced to promote the episode-by-episode release of Hoofbeats in My Heart.
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
A promotional video for the mystery-horror anthology "Dark of the Moon Inn."
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Another of the videos produced to promote the episode-by-episode release of Hoofbeats in My Heart.
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
Promotional Video
These 10 episodes will encore the headlong plunge into the prairies-and-cactus-laden Old West, on the trail of the unlikely on-again off-again on-again off-again relationship between Ruby Buckaroo, the Bandit Queen of the Cowboys, and the sturdy but even more confused Marshal Shiloh Brown. This third installment of the Hoofbeats in My Heart saga involves Ruby’s strange illness stemming from being too close to Marshal Brown, and the Marshal joining the Blister and Bucket Highly First Rate Travelling Theatrical Show, run by two nefarious criminals. Add in a romantic triangle involving Kody Kyoffee (the Canadian Canary), the constantly exploding town of Pencil Pointe, and an original song in each of the ten episodes and you’ve got the comedy audio serial of the Old West called “Hoofbeats in My Heart for a Third Time.”
Audio Comedy
Promotional Video
Audio Comedy
Think having two grandmothers is a hoot? Young Jessie has three! Their mad dash to the mall for doughnuts ends up with the family car submerged in the lake. Twice!
Audio Sci-fi Musical
“The First Internet Musical Features 14 Original Songs, 15 Singers, 7 Musicians And The One And Only Mary Jo Pehl from Mystery Science Theater 3000! The fully orchestrated production features strings, drums, horns and piano performing all styles of music from rock, pop, and blues to contemporary musical theater.”. SYFI Channel’s Seeing Ear Theatre
PART 1
https://archive.org/download/SETheater/S.E.T._68_The_First_and_Last_Musical_on_Mars_Part_1.mp3
PART 2
https://archive.org/download/SETheater/S.E.T._69_The_First_and_Last_Musical_on_Mars_Part_2.mp3
PART 3
https://archive.org/download/SETheater/S.E.T._70_The_First_and_Last_Musical_on_Mars_Part_3.mp3
Seeing the Sites
Links
HOOFBEATS IN MY HEART FOR A THIRD TIME PODCAST
Here’s where you’ll find the third serial of the “Hoofbeats in My Heart" trilogy. Episodes started releasing one every two weeks in Spring 2022. Also includes cast information and illustrations/descriptions of each episode.
http://www.hoofbeatsinmyheart.net/
VOICES IN THE WIND AUDIO THEATRE
An audio imprint of Design Sound Productions Inc. Along with our global marketing and distribution partner Blackstone Publishing of Ashland, Oregon we produce and publish full-cast dramatizations and spoken word content for the consumer and library trade. Our award-winning productions of classic children’s titles and original stories of horror, mystery, suspense, and comedy are available as digital downloads to purchase on all the major online sites including, Audible, Amazon, Google Play, Downpour, Rakuten Kobo, Apple, and Walmart. Beginning in October 2020 our titles will also be available to purchase directly from the Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre’s website. We’re located in Chatham, Ontario Canada.
https://www.voicesinthewind.ca/
THE FIRST NOELLE PRODUCTIONS
Full cast audio dramas and audiobooks. Noelle Dupuis - Executive Producer, Director, Writer, Actress, Narrator, Singer and Composer
https://www.thefirstnoelleproductions.com/
BARBARA ROSENBLAT
Actor. Singer. Recording artist. London-born, New York City bred, Barbara Rosenblat carries performance credits from the US to the UK. From Broadway to London's West End. From network television to Netflix. A legend in audiobooks for her extraordinary range, Barbara Rosenblat “is to audiobooks what Meryl Streep is to film”.
https://www.barbararosenblat.com/
MARSSIE MENCOTTI
marssie Mencotti is a professional actor, director, and voiceover actor and is represented by Grossman-Jack Talent and NV Talent for VO. She includes among her many theatrical, commercial and voiceover credits: the original cast of Chicago’s Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, the Keanu Reeves film “Hardball” (Paramount Pictures), the Vagina Monologues at the Apollo Theatre, and voiceovers for Nintendo, Icehouse Beer, and Wrigley’s Eclipse Gum.
