What is Second Shift?

The short(ish) version

At its most basic level, Second Shift is a story you may have heard before, at least if you move in certain circles: three kids from our world are transported to another, where magic is real, an ancient evil threatens, etc etc. But the show was always meant to be, and we like to think it became, something more. The premise provides a fantastical framework for what is ultimately a very human tale about the search for purpose, the consequences of actions, and the meaning of "home".

More than anything else, though, Second Shift was a labor of love... and a learning experience. Almost everyone involved started with little or no expertise in whatever their role was on the show (Andrew Schwartz and his audio mastery being a notable exception), but everyone who read the final scene of pilot fell in love with the world and its characters, and wanted to see their stories told, so we learned as we went. It shows in places (all too clearly to the ears of those who made it), but the love is always there.

While certainly not the first, Second Shift was also among the earliest audio theater projects to eschew traditional radio entirely and focus instead on the relatively new medium of podcasting. Even among the amateur audio theater podcasts of its time, Second Shift was unusual in that it told an ambitious, long-form story with a full cast and no narrator.

Between June of 2006 and July of 2011, Second Shift released 29 episodes and a live "bonus" episode, totaling over 20 hours of full-cast audio theater. That time period saw weddings, divorces, career changes, and cross-country moves, causing the production schedule to vary from two weeks to sometimes over a year between episodes. And yet, there were always people out there who would discover it for the first time and fall in love as much as we had. Their comments, support, and analyses served as a reminder that however long it took, we had to get the story told.

And here it is. The complete series, along with all the bonus material we can gather.

If you are one of the people who encouraged and supported the show while it was in production, thank you. Seriously, it would not have been possible without you.

If you are new to the show, thank you for taking a chance on us, and we sincerely hope that you enjoy our story. If you do, please tell your friends! You can still rate/review/subscribe to us on iTunes, or subscribe using the podcast listener of your choice via our RSS feed, or you can listen to episodes, along with commentary tracks for season 1, and other goodies at this site.

Wo-chare pen-bangi,

("Greatest health to you")

