“Blocked under Ground”: Audio Drama Released for the 100th Anniversary of the Radio Play

The radio play “Blocked Under Ground”, which was published on “Bayern 2” and in the ARD audio library (click here for the radio play), takes listeners on a fascinating journey through various media. Broadcast for the first time on January 20, 2024, the audio drama is accompanied by an audio walk and an audio game for smartphones. As an integral part of a research project, “Blocked Under Ground” offers a practical insight into the diverse possibilities of modern audio drama design.

The UAS Technikum Wien plays a key role in this pioneering project. Under the leadership of Benedikt Salzbrunn, lecturer, researcher and head of the User Experience course, the team worked intensively on the “Blocked Under Ground” project, which is funded by CTS Vienna, together with partners from TU Wien, Universität Wien and Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Student Aliya Tuktarova from the Bachelor’s degree program in Business Informatics and Researcher & Lecturer Timothy Berens (Course User Experience) at UAS Technikum Wien also contributed to the success.

Radio play, audio game and audio walk

“Blocked Under Ground” unfolds a multi-perspective audio drama that tells the story of people trapped in a subway tunnel after a crash. As the underground is flooded, they desperately search for a way out. The accompanying 3D radio play, recently released by Bayrischer Rundfunk (BR) to mark the 100th anniversary of the German radio play, allows listeners to be right in the middle of the action.

The project offers not only a gripping listening experience, but also interactive access to the plot. An audio game for smartphones, which will be released as an app at the end of January 2024, enables a rescue mission in the flooded tunnel labyrinth. At the same time, the story can be experienced as an audio walk in the urban space from a third perspective.

Schedule overview:

In the picture: Evaluation of the radio play “Blocked Under Ground”

Further Links:

Project page – Blocked Under Ground

ARD Audiothek – Blocked Under Ground – Link to the radio play

CTS Wien

CTS Wien – Blocked Under Ground