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I first started out translating Gaston Leroux's original newspaper publication in Le Gaulois of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra back in 2013, but then I had only a translation of Apollo's Lyre for an audio recreation of the chapter we were working on. It turned out so well and so many liked the adaptation I had done I decided to translate the whole story and with all the research I had already done it seemed like a good idea. It took 7 years on and off to translate the whole story and to create a 400-page compendium appendix. However, in 2023 edits were put on hold when the opportunity to adapt the original transition to an audio drama for Zariya Hollow: A Horror Anthology Podcast arose.

Both Alex and I as well as a few others on our team helped adapt the whole story into an audio drama format. We had been talking about it for years and Alex had started writing original music for it back in 2013. Many things had to be conquered with this adaptation. Firstly, it was the first time anyone would hear the infamous missing chapter "The Magic Envelope." We spoke in length about how to do it. Another challenge was figuring out the right amount of drama for something that is only heard when the descriptions of things, especially the Phantom's face were so important visually. Alex and I come from a theater background, with lots of experience being a haunt actor and beuilder as well we both listened to a lot of audio dramas growing up. Alex with their theater degree, a composing background and growing up in Europe, me with an art background with 2 theater makeup certificates, and 3 degrees in illustration, 3D character modeling, and sculpting, with a specific focus on the Romantic era art styles, and art history. We both had very similar ideas and interpretations of Leroux's iconic story and we both love history and different cultures. All these things helped us in creating this audio drama. 

One of the things I love about the story of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is there really isn't what you would call a "villain". One could argue Erik, but he's actually the anti-hero, so who is the villain then? Both Alex and I felt the real villain was actually society and everyone in the story who is a major character all had flaws, and a possibility to be a villain to someone else. We analyzed the new translation for the meaning between the lines of what Leroux wrote. Using all the skills we had and our combined knowledge, we kept within the borders of that canon of the story while trying to breathe life and realism into the story, and still trying to keep it mysterious and interesting for listeners. We both agreed it needed to be darker than any version had ever been prior while still maintaining the lighter-hearted moments, romance and some humor to even out the darker parts of the story. We wanted the characters to feel like they leaped off the pages of the book and were living and breathing right in front of you. We also wanted the listener to feel like they were right there with the characters experiencing the story along with them, to draw you into their world. Several techniques were employed to accomplish this as well as cutting-edge technology. With both our backgrounds and upbringing we had the right combo to figure out an entirely original interpretation of Leroux while not breaking the canon of a story that saved both our lives and had a profound effect on us. 

Sound, was so important to this adaptation such as the music, sound effects, the right rooms echo and ambiance atmosphere, and the right types of voices to play the iconic characters. Everything was carefully planned and plotted out to streamline the amount of work that went into creating it. I had long been a fan of Gaston Leroux's novel since I first read it in 1992 and had always dreamed of a well-done faithful adaptation, but one never came. I had been running phantomstheater.com since the mid 90's, now phantomstheater.weebly.com, and had many wonderful opportunities over the years to speak with Phantom phans to find out what they wanted to see in an adaptation and what made the translation of Leroux hard to understand. I took all the ideas and wonderful discussions that I had over the years and used them to help us adapt the best script possible. Alex and I, for years, had shot ideas back and forth, if we ever got the money to make an adaptation. During the pandemic, we had the opportunity and means to create the podcast. Fast forward to Christmas 2023 and so began the long crazy journey with a lot of caffeine and sleepless nights ahead. I have never been more proud and pleased with the results and been so thankful to all those who helped us along the way. So many people came together and helped when we got stuck or needed something we didn't have. I hope that you all enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed creating it.