Lost In Williamsburg

Aaron's quest to locate and return to his comatose body has led him here. To this freezer. In an abandoned kitchen once used by the Historic Williamsburg Corporation. What's inside? With the help of the ghost of Matthew Whaley, Aaron is about to find out. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Valerie can't find a way to get out of her 'dinner date' with Ed. What does he want, and will her dad make things awkward for them?

This podcast contains swearing.

Casey Johnson as Aaron Seager Max Cooper as Matthew Djuna Knight as Julie Linda Hertzler as Valerie Dunhill Mike Turner as Ed Joan Turner as Jessie Dunhill Tony Spunzo as Jake Caroline Corney as your host and introducing Philip Burcher as John Dunhill

©Phillip Merritt, 2014 Thank you to Freesound.org for the use of their creative commons sound effects.

Lost in Williamsburg is an all-new original, full cast, audio drama with music and sound effects. Please consider leaving a review or comments on iTunes. I'd love to hear from you!

Margaret Souter, still convalescing, is scouring the Virginia Gazette for local weirdness, when she receives a visit from and old...friend. Dale (Margaret's son) is still reading Hexabeth's Diary, and Hexabeth is still plotting her revenge, and young Thomas Jefferson is in for one last (possibly) surprise. Hopefully Valerie will help Dale make sense of everything.

This podcast contains swearing

Colleen Kennedy as Hexabeth Blackhard Mark Hutchens as Thomas Jefferson John Shuey as Richard Holcombe Frederick Corney as Professor Jobriath Will Hausman as Dale Souter Joan Turner as Jessie Dunhill Louise Menges as Margaret Souter and Caroline Corney as your host

Written, directed, scored and produced by Phillip Merritt

Thank you to Freesound.org for the use of their creative commons sound effects.

©Phillip Merritt, 2015

It’s finally (!!!) time for the big Halloween show at the Equator, Williamsburg’s favorite college hangout, and the rowdy crowd of William & Mary students is about to find out if Cats with Benefits will perform or not. Will they get to hear the last song Aaron Seager wrote before his disappearance? Do they care? Show organizer and MC Caleb Souter is stressed out, but doing his best. Down the street, still anguishing over his daughter Valerie, John Dunhill hides out from the trick or treaters in the upstairs bedroom of his comatose daughter Julie. And after a strange, unexpected guest makes an appearance on the Dunhill’s porch, John tries to release some tension at the end of this windy and eerie night.

Written, directed, scored and produced by Phillip Merritt

The Girl Who Messed Me Up produced by Mike Puccio, vocals by John Demarzo

It’s Not a Party (Until Someone Breaks Your Heart) vocals provided by Nathaniel Clemmons, Nora Knight and Julia Mosby

Thank you to freesound.org and freemusicarchive.org for the use of their creative commons sound effects and music samples including:

Lamprey - Through You

Kellee Maize - The Fact Is

Isidore Soucy - Quadrille Laurier

Alliance - All

Jason Shaw - Parting Glass

PC-One - Division

Also included are short snippets of songs under the Fair Use Doctrine.

©Phillip Merritt, 2016

Season 2 premier: Main Course

After a traumatic night of lies, blackmail and murder, life goes on for the residents of Williamsburg. Well, at least for some of them. Josh, Lauren and Zeph try to forget their worries, even if it’s just for one lunch. At the HWC Library, Valerie makes a decision that will change everyone’s lives by opening a window on the past, where Thomas Jefferson and his college chums let loose after weeks of studying. Meanwhile, poor overworked, underappreciated Hexabeth toils away in the kitchen of the King’s Crown Tavern, cooking up a strange brew.

This podcast contains swearing.

Patrick Teague as the Waiter

Jacob Wilson as Josh Ryder

Kat Turk as Lauren Tasky

Daniel Turner as Zeph Metcalf

Linda Hertzler as Valerie Dunhill

Will Hausman as Dale Souter

Cassandra Glaspie as Cecelia

John Shuey as Richard Holcombe

Jakob Stalnaker as John Page

Mark Hutchens as Thomas Jefferson

Joseph R. Joyner the III as Dobbin

Thomas Heacox as Artemis

Paul Spivey as Finney

Binola Mehtaji as Sophia

Pete Lutz as Gideon

and Colleen Kennedy as Hexabeth Blackhard

©Phillip Merritt, 2015

Thank you to Freesound.org for the use of their creative commons sound effects.

If you want to skip the first season and jump right in, just peruse the spoiler-filled synopsis below and you’ll be good to go.

The Souters

Dale and Margaret Souter, the last descendants of a once prominent Williamsburg family, are a mother and son who run a colonial B&B close to the Williamsburg historic district. Margaret is obsessed with all the strange goings on in Williamsburg’s past. When she’s not posting news clippings in her scrapbook and waiting for her broken hip to heal, she worries about Dale. She thinks Dale would be a good match for Valerie Dunhill. She also worries about her great nephew Caleb Souter, a student at the College of William & Mary who hosts a show on the college radio station. Poor Caleb’s parents are dead.

The Dunhills

John and Jessie Dunhill are both professors at the College of William & Mary. They have deep tidewater roots and a troubled marriage. They also have two daughters: Valerie and Julie. Both women live with their parents. Valerie works at the Historic Williamsburg Corporation Library, and Julie, who has been in a coma for decades, resides in the upstairs bedroom. One day at the library, Valerie gets a call. Ed, an agent of something only referred to as ‘headquarters’, requests Valerie’s help. They need to dispose of two recently deceased bodies. For an undisclosed reason, they want to make it appear as if the victims were killed by the old country road killer (who happens to be Valerie). Valerie doesn’t want her horrible past revealed, so she must go through with the assignment.

Cats With Benefits

CWB is a college rock band consisting of Aaron Seager, Lauren Tasky, Zeph Metcalf and Josh Ryder. One October afternoon, the band performs live in the studio of the college radio station. They discuss creepy local legends with the show’s host, Caleb Souter. After the performance, Aaron, the lead singer, goes missing! He (and one of his professors) has been attacked in a creepy old house in the Williamsburg historic district by the reawakened spirit of Hexabeth Blackhard. Almost dead, but not quite, the disembodied essence of Aaron Seager leaves his body behind and wanders the city helplessly until he meets the disembodied essence of Julie Dunhill, who tries to explain the situation.

In shock, Aaron stumbles over to his old dorm where he discovers a vigil being held in his honor. His fellow Cats With Benefits perform an amazing, touching song in his honor. Aaron tries to communicate with his old friends, but can’t get through. The college psychic Meghan does pick up on a few weird vibes though. After the vigil, he follows his roommate Josh back to their dorm room. Caleb stops by, and unaware that they are accompanied by the disembodied essence of Aaron, seek comfort in each others arms.

Later in the day,after a failed attempt by the ghost of Matthew Whaley to take over Aaron’s comatose body, Julie invites Aaron back to her house to sort things out. However, once Aaron’s barely breathing physical body is stabbed by Valerie Souter on the old country road, Aaron disembodied essence fades away. But to where?

The 18th Century Crew

Way back in Williamsburg in 1761, Thomas Jefferson and Professor Jobriath, an instructor at the College of William & Mary, plan a surprise exorcism of Hexabeth Blackhard, an alleged witch and owner of the King’s Crown Kitchen. Thomas is surprised however, when Professor Jobriath reveals that his real mission is to kill Hexabeth for that is the only way to truly end her reign of terror. In the ensuing fire, the professor, Hexabeth, and her indentured servant Soph...

After giving Aaron a little surprise at her house, Julie is able to open up to Aaron about her past and reveal details about how she became a 'no-brainer'. Out on the Old Country Road, Valerie, Ed and Jake share a tense ride to an secret destination.

This podcast contains swearing.

Casey Johnson as Aaron Seager Djuna Knight as Julie Linda Hertzler as Valerie Dunhill Mike Turner as Ed Tony Spunzo as Jake Caroline Corney as your host

©Phillip Merritt, 2014 Thank you to Freesound.org for the use of their creative commons sound effects.

Lost in Williamsburg is an all-new original, full cast, audio drama with music and sound effects. Please consider leaving a review or comments on iTunes. I'd love to hear from you!