Sound effects help ensure success of Northland Radio Hour at library in McCandless

Finding objects to mimic the sound of a squeaky door hinge is one of the most difficult sound effects that librarian Susan Claus has encountered when preparing for a Northland Radio Hour show.

The hour is a programming idea at Northland Public Library that began during the covid-19 pandemic to offer patrons a unique and virtual experience, said Nicholas Yon, the library’s director of communications.

Library staff members and volunteers will perform “The Circus Train,” a classic Ellery Queen mystery first broadcast in 1943, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 14. It can be viewed in person at the library, 300 Cumberland Road, McCandless, or via Zoom.

Claus, a librarian and manager of the children’s and teens department, leads the planning for sound effects.

“The intriguing thing about coming up with sound effects for ‘radio’ is that it makes you more aware of sounds in general,” she said. Seeing an object helps interpret the sound you’re hearing, but once you can’t see what’s making the noise, it’s easier to fool your ear. Crumpling plastic wrap sounds like a crackling fire, and shaking a big piece of poster board sounds like thunder.”

The cast and crew reproduce sound manually using a variety of objects as much as possible. Acoustic sounds, rather than recorded sounds, make it easier to hit the cues on time, Claus said.

Yon noted that an occasional digital sound may be used, if needed.

Staff members and occasionally nonstaff volunteers are cast to play a role in a production and perform via a live “table read” of the script, Yon said. A lot of research is done to find shows that fit into the library’s parameters and limitations, which include programs that are available for public use or not copyrighted, and those with a cast of characters that fits the number of volunteers.

“We also usually choose mysteries, as they are a classic genre of historical radio programs and are the easiest to translate for current audiences,” Yon said.

Northland Radio Hour broadcasts typically are adult programs with adult subject matter, usually involving mysteries. Yon said they’ve done radio show events for “teens and ’tweens,” including last summer’s Old Time Radio Show Summer Camp, during which youngsters studied the “golden age” of radio, drafted a script, created sound effects and recorded an original program.

“It was truly a hands-on summer camp experience,” he said.

At the library, of course, are a reference materials that can be researched, such as “Sound Effects Radio, Television and Film” by Robert L. Mott.

And Yon said Claus has a knack for finding the right noise reproduction.

“Each radio mystery Northland has done so far has required lots of footsteps, punches and bodies hitting the ground,” Claus said. “We’ve used leather-heeled shoes, a baseball and baseball mitt, and a duffle bag full of random objects to make those sounds. The trickiest one for me has been coming up with a convincing door-opening sound. It’s hard to find a squeaky hinge when you need one.”

The shows are done about quarterly, with past performances including “Sherlock Holmes and the Night Before Chirstmas” and “Witness for the Prosecution.”

“The Circus Station” is the story of the owner of a circus who is killed on a speeding train, and three $10,000 bills have been removed from the body. Among the suspects are circus employees and sideshow acts.

For this show, Claus is putting an ear to the ground in preparation, so to speak.

“I’m doing some active listening right now to hear what everyday objects might make a listener believe they were hearing the sound of a steam train pounding along the tracks. I think I’ve got a line on a wooden train whistle, which should be pretty convincing,” she said.

Registration for attending the performance will close at 6:30 p.m. March 13 and can be done by calling 412-366-8100, Ext. 113. Visit www.northlandlibrary.org for information.