Welcome to The Story Circle

Under the direction of Garrick Hagon, William Dufris and Liza Ross, The Story Circle is a creative team of recording experts using imaginative writers, skilled voices, original music, thrilling sound effects and state of the art studios to transform your material into great audio. Details of our services can be found here.

To listen to samples of Story Circle productions, visit our Listening Circle.

Late News

Sir Ian and Michelle Paver with wolf at the Wolf Sanctuary

The Story Circle production of 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' read by Frances McDormand for Persephone Books has just received an Earphone Award from AudioFile magazine.

Hot on the heels of his reading of 'Outcast', Sir Ian McKellen has now recorded the fifth story in Michelle Paver's series, 'Chronicles of Ancient Darkness', at Sans Walk Spoken Word, London, with Ross Burman studio engineer, Wolfgang Dienst editor and Garrick Hagon director. The incredible clan website is at: www.torak.com.

Frances McDormand

For Persephone Books, Frances McDormand has recorded the unabridged book of her latest film, ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’, by Winifred Watson. The production was directed by Garrick Hagon at CDM Studios in New York with post-production by Wolfgang Dienst.

Adjoa Andoh has continued her splendid readings of Alexander McCall Smith’s Mma Ramotswe series with his latest story ‘The Miracle at Speedy Motors’, recorded at Motivation Sound, London, for Hachette Audio, with music by Netsayi Chigwendere.

Garrick Hagon (Director), Nigel Whitmey, Philip Pullman, Liza Ross (Hester), Jo Wyatt (Lyra) and Norman Goodman (studio engineer)

Philip Pullman has just narrated a full cast version of his new short story ‘Once Upon a Time in the North’ for Random House featuring one of the most popular characters from ‘His Dark Materials’, Lee Scoresby, the aeronaut, played by Nigel Whitmey. As in the Story Circle production of the trilogy, the bear, Iorek Byrnison, is played by Sean Barrett.

Tamsin Greig	Julian Rhind-Tutt

Tamsin Greig came to the studio to read a further series of Princess Poppy stories for young children by Janey Louise Jones and Tamsin's Green Wing colleague Julian Rhind-Tutt read Chris Hunter's thrilling autobiographical story of an Army bomb disposal officer in Iraq, Eight Lives Down. The producer on both produc tions was Zoe Howes for Random House and Garrick Hagon directed.

Sarah Lancashire

Sanjeev Bhaskar has completed the unabridged reading of ‘India’ the book based on his spectacular TV documentary series and Sarah Lancashire has taken time out from her filming of ‘Oliver Twist’ to read the Erica James' love story, ‘Tell It to the Skies’. At Audio Workshop, Hilary Neville read Alexander McCall Smith’s ‘The Careful Use of Compliments’, the latest Isabel Dalhousie story. These productions directed by Liza Ross and Garrick Hagon.

Bill Bryson at Q Sound

Bill Bryson has read his new book, 'Shakespeare', a detailed, atmospheric and witty account of what we really know about the Bard, for Harper Collins.

Fenella Woolgar read Jane Fallon's 'Getting Rid of Matthew', a Richard-and-Judy choice to be released in August, for Orion Audiobooks, directed by Garrick Hagon.

Fenella Woolgar

For Naxos Audiobooks, we have produced an unabridged reading of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' by Garrick Hagon.

Greta Scacchi has read a six-hour version of Colleen McCullough’s ‘The Thorn Birds’ directed by Garrick Hagon at Sans Walk Studio.

Ruth Wilson

Also, for Hachette Audio, The Story Circle abridged and produced Steven Mackintosh reading Mark Johnson's searing biography 'Wasted'. The remarkable actress and writer Julie Walters has read her novel, Maggie’s Tree, directed by Garrick Hagon, recorded by Ross Burman at SWSW, with post-production by Wolfgang Dienst. And Ruth Wilson, the BBC's recent Jane Eyre, has recorded 'The White Giraffe' by Lauren St. John.

Jim Norton has read 'The New Policeman' by Kate Thompson for Random House UK directed by Garrick Hagon.

Johnson Beharry, Damian Lynch, co-author Nick Cook

Samantha Bond

The Story Circle production of 'Through the Looking-Glass' has just been recognized by the American Library Association as one of their 2007 Notable Children's Recordings. It is published by Naxos Audiobooks.

For Hachette Audiobooks, Samantha Bond has read two exciting books by Trudi Canavan, ‘The Novice’ and ‘The High Lord’, with music by Frank Schulmeyer and post-production by Wolfgang Dienst.

The Story Circle production of Huckleberry Finn for Naxos Audiobooks has received this review from Booklist (August 2006):

Huckleberry Finn

This classic comic masterpiece tells the adventures of independent Huck Finn and runaway slave Jim. A raft trip down the Mississippi River unmasks the hypocrisy, racism, and savagery of supposedly "civilized" people. In rich tones, Hagon captures Twain’s anecdotal, tongue-in-cheek prose as he reenacts Huck and Jim’s escape. Sounding like a born storyteller, Hagon recounts lies that get bigger and better and tales that grow more unbelievable. He superbly portrays the duke and the king—charlatans and frauds whose self-serving greed mirrors the double standards of the prejudiced townspeople. He makes each character distinctive, whether sanctimonious or sentimental, feuding or formal, preaching or poaching. Even if some of the writing is politically incorrect by today’s standards, the audio version is top-notch. -Lolly Gepson

Alice in Wonderland

Of our production for Naxos, Christina Hardyment in The Times says: ‘A new multi-voiced unabridged Alice in Wonderland is the best I have come across.’ (Full review on Critics’ Circle page).

The Story Circle production of ‘Wolf Brother’ starring Ian McKellen for Orion/Strathmore received a Parents Choice Award in the US.

David Rintoul

Nick Mason

Symposium Cast

With a stellar cast led by David Shaw-Parker as Socrates and Susan Sheridan as Diotima, we have produced Plato’s Symposium for Naxos Audiobooks, directed by Garrick Hagon. We have also completed a 7-hour production of Vikram Seth’s new book ‘Two Lives’ read by the author with Vincent Ebrahim, Eve Karpf and Tim Bentinck, for Time Warner UK.

Charles Spencer

For Strathmore Publishing we recorded Nick Mason reading his own account of life with Pink Floyd and including the incredible story of the re-grouping for Live8, at Motivation Sound.

Charles Spencer read his own book Blenheim: Battle for Europe, at Audio Workshop, for Orion Audiobooks.

The Story Circle production of ‘Classic Tales of Ghosts and Vampires’ is now available on www.audible.com. – ‘one of the most imaginative and original audiobook collections that I’ve heard’, Christina Hardyment, The Times, August 21st, 2004.

An article from Publishing News on The Story Circle Multi-Voice Recordings can be found on the Critics' Circle page.

Recent Awards...

Awards for Story Circle Productions are listed on the Winner's Circle page.

Working with clients, The Story Circle will:

• adapt or abridge your material into any audio format: solo, dual, multi-voiced reading, fully-fledged drama, dramatised narrative
  
• provide a budget for your production
• compose original music when required
• create a special effects soundtrack
• record and digitally mix the production
• submit a listening copy of the production for your approval
• present the finished CD master on the agreed delivery date

If you would like a quote or would like to discuss your project with The Story Circle, please see our contact page, or e-mail us by clicking here. We would be pleased to provide a competitive estimate for any audio project.