Skulls and Treasure
Project Overview
Skulls and Treasure is a 4-episode limited run series about archeology, adventure, and mental health. (Think: “what’s harder, finding an ancient mummy or a therapist??”) It’s a love letter to movies like Indiana Jones and The Mummy, while addressing some deeper issues like colonialism, mental health, and justice. It’s self-funded so the stipends are small, but we will record remotely and efficiently on Riverside.fm.
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Sir Robert Aubrey (he/him): British, 70 years old. Robert is an older British gentleman, the professor and mentor of our protagonist. He’s a little stuffy, a little weird, and he’s also the best archeologist in the world. At the beginning of the series, he’s a sympathetic character, but by the end, he becomes the Big Bad.
($75, 3-5 days of recording)
- english
- aristocratic british
- male adult
- male senior
- general british
- radio drama
- british (highbrow)
Well, I won't beat around the proverbial bush. That flute you found was a fake. (A what?) A fake. A forgery. A fraudulent fabrication. Do you require more synonyms? I will admit, as far as forgeries go, it’s not atrocious. Still, I would’ve expected you to recognize the carving lines as distinctly post-industrial. (beat) I realize you may not have had the time to examine it properly before the cave began, as you put it, "super exploding"... but you did have the eight-hour flight back to California. It is never too late to engage your brain, Miss Markowitz.
Don't be naive. Of course credit matters. I am Sir Robert Aubrey, the preeminent archeologist in the world. The world. I didn't get there by allowing others to take credit for my discoveries. It's why I am the head of this prestigious department. It is why I have funding to go on future expeditions. The world is not a fairy tale. There is nothing more important than credit.
Priya Chaudry (she/they): Indian-American, 28 years old. Priya is the protagonist’s roommate and best friend. She’s an MBA student at Stanford and is driven, ambitious, and a little snarky. She’s prone to making snappy or snide comments but she’s always got her friend’s back. ($40, 1 day of recording)
- english
- female adult
- female young adult
- indian american
- all american accents
- radio drama
Absolutely not. I'm putting my foot down. I do not want that man in my house! ("You're very sweet to be concerned about my well-being.") About YOUR well-being? Darling, I love you, but you're a grown-ass woman and you can make your own mistakes. I don't want a millionaire trust fund business boy coming to our hovel of an apartment and deciding that I'm some sort of derelict with bad taste.
Daniel Hernandez (he/him): Latino and Indigenous, 19 years old. Daniel is a college student studying archeology. His thoughts about Western archeology help change the protagonist's mind about some important things, but he's also just a regular stressed out Gen Z college student.
($40, 1 day of recording)
- english
- all american accents
- male adult
- male teen
- male young adult
- radio drama
[Daniel and Hailey run to hide in a closet.] Ew! No! I'm not hiding in here with a skeleton! Wait, did he die here?? I don't want to die here!
I was just saying, if you’re going in and taking artifacts from indigenous cultures and refusing to give them back, it’s basically the same mindset as colonialism. Right? Like, they’re in your museum. You're saying you own them. Do you know how many contested artifacts are in the British Museum alone? Or bones? Berkeley and Harvard both have thousands of Native American remains that they refuse to give back. These are people’s ancestors and a bunch of white guys are like, “nope, we own these.” Some of them were originally collected by eugenicists to prove that Native American craniums were inferior to white craniums. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t already know this.
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![Brandon Abercrombie [VA]](https://d1m9vqlvl3fy94.cloudfront.net/user/attachment/740536/default_54848222e1eaf1-e0fb-4555-a8dd-b4e1aa242784.jpg?aspect=1:1&width=400)
