I’m happy to say I’m in another interesting audio fiction project that’s going into production. “Havana Syndrome” is being written and directed by award-winning storyteller Lisette Alvarez and promises to be audio spy-fi on a global scale.
“But wait,” you say. “Isn’t ‘Havana Syndrome’ the name of something that really exists?”
Yes! If you vaguely remember there being an attack on American personnel in Cuba by some heretofore unknown sonic weapon (or… something), that’s where the name “Havana Syndrome” comes from.
But the rabbit hole goes sooo much deeper… and my character is someone who wants to know all the nooks and crannies. Frankly, actors enjoy researching things anyway, so this just gives me an excuse to be a tad more maniacal about it.
If you’re interested in the actual facts behind “Havana Syndrome” are, this long-form article by Adam Entous and Jon Lee Anderson for The New Yorker will serve you well.
Of course, that’s from a few years ago. Just this March, there have been some updates to the investigations. Here’s a short piece by the BBC:
And you can also watch this longer piece (referenced above) on 60 Minutes (they’ve reported on it multiple times over the years):
As if this audio drama wasn’t already going to be pretty topical, Lisette Alvarez is informing the scripts with her personal experience as a second-generation Cuban-American. In fact, in a Werner Herzog/Michael Apted move of mixing documentary with narrative, there’s a documentary podcast “Once Upon a Time in Havana” that you can start listening too right now as a prequel.
More news when the fiction (or is it?) podcast debuts in the coming months.