Film and Radio Scripts by Bill Olson

FICTION

"Each Turn" was a ten-part radio drama series Bill Olson produced between 1995 and 1996. It featured many talented actors from the Twin Cities and told the story of an aspiring writer/filmmaker named Jeff Adams. "Each Turn" dealt with issues of how to get along better with each other and how we need to strive for our dreams in the face of Reality (played by Mel Jackson).

EACH TURN #1 -- Dreams and Reality: Jeff Adams tries to live out his dreams, in the face of lack of confidence, an unsupportive family and Mr. Reality.
EACH TURN #4 -- Perennial Dreams: This script was based on the "Each Turn" TV pilot. It's a story of theatre politics in the Twin Cities.
EACH TURN #8 -- Pawns and Battle Lines: Jeff Adams decides to produce a documentary about a woman who lost custody of her child because she's a lesbian.
EACH TURN #9 -- Buenas Nuevas: A story that is more autobiography than fiction. It tells how writer/director Bill Olson met actor Michael Caine and lost a dear friend in Mexico.
BY THE RIVER: An art film about fear, loss and revenge.
ENCORE: A radio drama in which an artist tries to free her daughter from a dictatorial government in the future.
EVER-GREEN SCENE series pilot: A woman TV reporter works with extraterrestrials to produce a provocative TV news show.
LITTLE HOOD: A radio drama adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood."
THE RIDE NORTH: A radio drama by Bill Olson featuring the Sheriff Bob character, created by Bob Dawson. This play, endorsed by Dawson, has an elderly Sheriff Bob riding north in the face of forest fires to rescue orphaned children in 1894. Sheriff Bob was the character Dawson played on a children's show on WEAU-TV for 30 years in Eau Claire. This play takes Sheriff Bob lore (which includes the villain Ruff-Cut Jade) and places him within actual historical events in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I wrote the play for several reasons, to entertain, to inspire Eau Claire residents to take an interest in the history of their city and region, and to help promote the Sheriff Bob documentary I directed and edited for Eau Claire Community Television. At CTV, we've been talking about producing a live radio show to help promote our new low-power FM radio station. I also wrote this script with the goal of providing material we could produce without having to worry about rights and to have personalized material that will better reflect the community.
SILENT POND: Poetic passions for a forgotten pond. This is the narration text of my two time award-winning video.
SOCRATES: THE FINAL DAYS: Perhaps more history than fiction, this radio drama, which was adapted from four Platonic dialogues, dramatizes the final days of Socrates.
SWEET GIFTS: An interpretive art film about men and women in the cold.
THUNDER: An allegorical radio drama featuring urban action, suspense and terror. Because of the "quest" nature of the story, this play has a very large cast for a half-hour radio play. Many smaller roles would be played by the same performers.
VIEW FROM THE SKY: A short film script of a discussion between an old man and a young man in Mexico City.

NONFICTION

AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE: A speech based on "African Perspective" -- a video interview with two African journalists.
FIGHTING ON - A PROFILE OF TWO CHRONIC PAIN SURVIVORS: Two Wisconsin women talk about their experience with chronic pain and unsympathetic physicians.
READING'S COOL: How volunteers help kids read at Reading Partner Program, operated by the Eau Claire Area School District in Wisconsin.