Why are we asking for donations? Why are we asking for donations? This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for ...

Irna Phillips was a radio voice actor in Chicago when she was asked to create a serialized program. From that, she created a legacy that includes ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘As the World Turns’ ...

Soap operas have become a daytime TV fixture — and so have some of the characters who populate their fictional worlds. Here ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. (Alyssa Pointer/For The Washington Post) DORAVILLE, Ga. Tamara Tunie is perched on the edge of her dressing room’s settee, one ...

The creator of a new soap opera, featuring a core Black family, grew up on Chicago’s South Side. Michele Val Jean talks ‘Beyond the Gates.’ A Chicago woman, Irna Phillips, birthed the daytime serial — ...

Set in the sun-drenched enclave of the ultra-wealthy, Montecito is the first major American audio drama soap opera for 35 years, presenting a dark paradise where shattered romances, hidden family ...

Characterized by melodrama and mawkishness, soap operas tend to appeal to wider audiences, influencing network executives to keep them on air for many years. With plots like Marlena marrying the ...

Thirteen million people across the UK sat down to watch a brand new soap opera that burst onto their screens on February 19 1985. The first character to speak on EastEnders was Dirty Den, as he came ...

A Chicago woman created soap operas. And a Chicago woman is keeping them alive. First, let me introduce you to Irna Phillips. She revolutionized television and hardly gets enough credit. Born in 1901 ...

Tamara Tunie is perched on the edge of her dressing room’s settee, one (expertly shaped) eyebrow cocked. Gold brushstrokes ornament her flowing black tunic; her hair is gathered in jumbo rollers, like ...