Night of the Eclipsoid Man, Part 2
Season 12, Episode 11
November 18, 2024
Erasing yourself. One deserving tormentor at a time.
Re-Imagined Radio premiers "Night of the Eclipsoid Man, Part 2," a radio story by Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose for Ensérnè Media. In Part 2, Spencer Knightbridge, transformed by a bizarre lab accident into an "Eclipsoid Man," a negative inverse of himself with incredible telekinetic powers of destruction, discovers how completely he has been betrayed by everyone associated with his life. From our Guest Producer series.
Access the episode script
Background
Original Production
"Night of the Eclipsoid Man" is the sixth episode produced in the original Dry Smoke &
Whispers Radio Theatre series, created, written, and produced by Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose.
Learn more at the Ensérné Media website, "a
repository for various things we have developed or are in the process of developing" for our radio
storytelling.
— Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose
"Production began some time around April 21st, 1980," recalls McQuen, "and was completed on May 5th. Our episodes were an hour long at this point, broadcast as two-parters on consecutive Wednesdays, so 'Eclipsoid' aired on May 7 and 14, 1980, at 8:30 PM, Community Radio prime time." Those broadcasts were heard on WMNF, Tampa, Florida, and syndicated to National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB).
"Marc spun the title and concept out of thin air, as a tribute to Steve Ditko, the classic comics artist," says McQuen. "Marc gave me the visual... a man turned into a negative image of himself by a fantastic invention, giving him incredible telekinetic powers of destruction. Then it was up to me, the writer, to invent a worthy story to match the title."
"Our anti-hero, Spencer Knightbridge, became a bizarre quixotic one-man holocaust, bent on avenging horrible wrongs done to him while growing up in the Neon Bowery. Then to really put the icing on the cake, Marc discovered a way to surround his voice with feedback, in a way that made Knightbridge sound like he was in the middle of a plasma typhoon. So his immolation of demons from his past were psychologically compelling and oddly cathartic. We took teenage angst to a whole new level. It quickly became and remained one of our favorite episodes."
Rewriting Produces a Deeper, Richer Story
"Forty years have gone by now, so 'Eclipsoid Man' is one of those episodes we call a 'Smokey Oldie',"
says McQuen. "And it has not aired again since those early mind-bending days in the 80s. Instead, we
decided to re-write it and that was a good call. Deeper and richer by far, we now have a whole new and
more logical genesis for the Eclipsoid inversion, and due to forty more years of life experience, we
ended up with a far more complex and soul-searching journey as Knightbridge finds that dealing with his
demons is anything but cut and dry. We hope you enjoy this new presentation, only 44 years in the
making."
Production
Contents
An original science fiction radio drama by Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose. From their Dry Smoke & Whispers series. A lab accident turns Spencer Knightbridge into a quixotic one-man holocaust bent on the wrongs done him while growing up in Quayment's Neon Bowery. Part 2 of a two-part episode. Used by permission.
Cast
Mark Homayoun (HOM-a-youn) as Spencer Knightbridge
Toni Lima as Aneelia DeMahrisben (DE-maris-bin)
Tyler Boruf as Jasper Pennion and Stang
Greg Alexander as Aiden K and Cottonmouth
Chris Porter as Doctor Basil Thurwood
Linda Goertz as Sister Madeleine D-Léyna (D-Lay-na)
Eric Newsome as William Beddows
Pat Blem as Thayna Beddows
Mason Skyler as Snecker G
Mary Thomas as Coordinator Byerly
Kevin Cooke as Orderly B•Lenge
Marc Rose as Emille Song, Professor Durrick Henchard, Commander Greyson, and "The Watcher"
Credits
Written by Jerrel McQuen
Sound Design, Original Music Composition, and Post Production by Marc Rose
Promotional Graphics by Jerrel McQuen, and Holly Slocum
Produced and Hosted by John F. Barber
Significance
"Night of the Eclipsoid Man" Parts 1 and 2 reboot the Dry Smoke & Whispers series created in 1980 by McQuen and Rose. They were then based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now they are based in Portland, Oregon. They produced and broadcast twenty-four episodes of Dry Smoke & Whispers until 1985. Since then, the series has lain dormant. McQuen and Rose are excited to update other episodes in the series as well. Watch for them to premier on Re-Imagined Radio.
Producer's Notes
Re-Imagined Radio premiers this cinematic radio story by Jerrel McQuen and Marc Rose as a Guest Producer episode. Spencer Knightbridge discovers that the brutal ghosts of his past have robbed him of all that he hoped to be or love. Will it be Vengeance? Retribution? Or, Epiphany when an atrocity bomb from Quaymet's ancient past redefines the meaning of fallout?
This conclusion to "Night of the Eclipsoid Man" brings the story to its complex and emotionally resonant
finale, exploring themes of betrayal, redemption, and the weight of choices made in pursuit of
vengeance.
— John F. Barber
Promotion
Press
