Studio Ochenta & TRAX from PRX present: Cultureverse

From Studio Ochenta and TRAX: Cultureverse is an immersive audio drama that celebrates our collective cultural past. It is a place where myths and legends come alive in the modern world, hosted by Kelly Marie Tran and Yara Shahidi.

Episode 1: The Rolling Calf

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse? In the first episode of our cultural adventure series, Winston sneaks out to go camping with his friends and encounters a Jamaican folk creature called The Rolling Calf.

Episode 2: The Water Dragon

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, David and Jenny meet the most revered creature in the Chinese Zodiac: The Water Dragon.

Episode 3: The Cholito de la Suerte

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Isa meets a mysterious little round creature in this homage to the Mexican folk character: the Cholito de la Suerte.

This story is based on el Cholito de la Suerte, a folk creature from Hidalgo, Mexico. According to popular culture, this creature appears only to girls and if he is found, you should take him, clean him, feed him, and protect him. In return, he will give you money every morning for the rest of your life…..if he remains a secret.  If not, the Cholito and your new fortune will disappear at once.

Episode 4: Gitli

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Ahuli learns to listen to his animal relative: Gitli in this homage to the Cherokee myth of The Deluge.

This story is inspired by the Cherokee myth called  “The Deluge”. In the story, a long time ago a man had a dog, which began to go down to the river every day and look at the water and howl. The dog warned of a flood that would soon cover the entire world. The dog convinced the man to build a raft and the man’s family (and the dog) remained safe in the raft as the water rose. It rained for a long time, and the water covered the mountaintops. When the rain stopped, the man climbed to the top of a mountain and saw that everything was still and they were the few that survived.

Episode 5: Dagda's Harp

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse? In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sean receives a gift with the power of the Celtic God: Dagda.

This story was inspired by Dagda's harp, a mystical object in Celtic mythology. Dagda is one of the most important Celtic gods. He owns objects with magical powers, including a cauldron and a club... But his most famous and iconic instrument is his magical harp. It’s made of oak and richly decorated, and this instrument allowed him to control the coming and going of the seasons, the weather, and also the might of warriors during battle and the emotions of entire towns.  

Episode 6: The Watermelon Prince

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, May finds a curious watermelon that connects her to her Vietnamese heritage and herself.

This story is inspired by the Vietnamese folktale, The Watermelon Prince. It is the story of a king’s adopted son who gets banished to a faraway island after the king’s biological son spreads vicious rumors about the adopted one. It is on the island that the son discovers the watermelon. One day, he carves a message of love to his adopted father in the watermelon and throws it in the ocean, so that someone else may discover it. It washes up on the shores of  Vietnam and is taken to the king.  The king sees the message and discovers the truth: that the rumors about his adopted son were not true. Two weeks after that, a ship sent by the king brings his son back to the palace where he eventually becomes king of Vietnam and rules to the end of his days.

Episode 7: The Golem

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sarah creates her own Golem in this homage to the ancient Hebrew folk creature of the same name.

This story is inspired by the Jewish folktale of the Golem, a stone figure brought to life to protect a Jewish community in Prague. Golems are not intelligent, and if commanded to perform a task, they will perform the instructions literally. There are many variations of the golem story which originates from the Czech Republic, Poland, and ancient Judaic tribes.

Episode 8: The Dangsan Tree

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Kevin celebrates the Korean ceremony of Jesa and travels through a sacred cosmic tree. 

This story represents the importance of Sacred Trees in South Korean mythology. These trees are usually outside of villages in South Korea, and they are the location for the community's rituals. According to Korean shamanism, the Sacred Tree, also known as the Cosmic Tree, keeps a connection between the mortal and the spirit realms.

Episode 9: The Wise Fool

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Juan visits his family in Puerto Rico and loses a very valuable watch in this homage to the classic Puerto Rican folk character: Juan Bobo.

This story is inspired by Juan Bobo, a Puerto Rican folk character. In Spanish, bobo means “fool,” and Juan Bobo is a jíbaro -which means “farmer.” He’s known for always getting into sticky situations, but in the end, Juan’s choices always show he is much wiser than expected.

Episode 10: The Loyal Mongoose

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Amita meets the Loyal Mongoose from the ancient Indian tale of the same name.

This story is inspired by the Indian morality folktale about the Loyal Mongoose. An ancient tale from the Panchatantra collection, an enormously influential group of stories from ancient India. In this particular story, a farmer couple has a pet mongoose. One day, the couple leaves the mongoose with their baby, assured that he would guard their baby well. While they’re gone, a snake enters the house and tries to attack the baby. The loyal mongoose attacks the snake to protect it. But, when the mother arrives home, she sees the mongoose with bloodstains. She thinks the mongoose tried to harm the baby. In her anger, she kills the loyal mongoose. When she enters her house, she sees her baby is fine with a dead snake beside him. She realizes what happened and regrets her actions. 

Episode 11: The Mami Wata

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Dwayne, Obi and Tiffanie encounter an ancient Pan African water spirit called Mami Wata. 

This story is inspired by the Pan-African folktale of the Mami Wata, a water goddess known for protecting seaside towns by sending fishermen calm waters. Africans who were displaced from their continent believed that the Mami Wata guided & protected them as they were taken to the West. Even today, for many Africans in the Western world, the deity is said to have traveled with them from Africa on the Atlantic Ocean protecting them from harm.

Episode 12: Nafanua

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sefi channels the great Samoan warrior goddess: Nafanua.

This tale is based on the legendary oral history of Nafanua, the daughter of Saveasi'uleo, the king of the underworld, who once stepped in to end a great battle between eastern and western tribes of Samoa. Nafanua has 3 special tools that she uses: one was for herself, the TaFesilafa'i; one was for her adopted family, Fa'auli'ulito, and the other was called Ulimasao which was used for victory, to end war and bring peace. She is a historic figure that is often cited as being one of the great leaders of Samoa.