[1] It approached radio drama as an art form with scripts written by such leading playwrights as Edward Albee, Arthur Kopit, Archibald MacLeish and David Mamet.
Often presented by NPR member stations on a weekly basis, Earplay episodes were produced with much attention to recording technique and sound-effects.
With a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, Earplay began in 1972 directed by Karl Schmidt, legendary producer and radio executive at WHA Madison, Wisconsin.
They transferred the finished dramas onto long playing records and later switched to cassette tapes for distribution to the public broadcasting network throughout the country.
Earplay was receiving over 25 scripts a week and Howard Gelman and his colleague, David Patt, were working with writers and theatre and film directors to record a series of 30 and 60 minute drama in one or two days in one location and then adding sound effects and music at its base studio.
Written by Arthur Kopit and using the ground breaking studio work of John Madden and effects from Tom Voegeli, the play explored the brain of a woman going through a stroke and recuperation.
Other plays that went to different media were Listening by Edward Albee, The Water Engine by David Mamet and Ladyhouse Blues by Kevin McCarthy.
A brief list of playwrights who worked with Earplay include, David Mamet, Israel Horowitz, Mark Medof and Archibald MacLeish.
At the same time, NPR with John Madden and Tom Voegeli took over the audio version of Star Wars producing it at Sound 80 studios in Minneapolis using the same recording techniques as Earplay.
Karl Schmidt, Tom Voegeli, John Madden and Howard Gelman went on to successful endeavors in radio, film and publishing.