ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Audio theater

Audio theater is like a really fun game of make-believe that you can listen to! You know how you use your imagination when you're pretending to be a princess or a superhero? Well, with audio theater, you can do the same thing, but with your ears instead of your eyes.

If you're listening to a story on the radio or on a podcast, that's probably audio theater. It's like someone is telling you a really cool story, but they're also making all of the sound effects and music themselves. So when someone in the story opens a door, you'll hear the creaking sound of the door opening. When there's an explosion or a car chase, you'll hear all of the exciting sound effects that make it feel like you're right in the middle of the action.

But it's not just sound effects - there are also voice actors who bring different characters to life. They use their voices to make each character sound unique and interesting. So even though you can't see what's happening, you can picture it in your head because the people making the sounds and telling the story are doing such a good job.

Audio theater is like a movie or a play, but you don't need to look at a screen or a stage. You can just listen and imagine everything happening in your own head. It's a really cool and fun way to enjoy a story!