‘Lake Song’ audio drama imagines a futuristic Chicago where water is everything, brought to life by cast of 23

CHICAGO — One would think within the land of Make Believe, anything is possible, even during the pandemic — Make Believe being the Make Believe Association, a 5-year-old Chicago-based storytelling company that produces audio dramas, or “plays for your ears.”

But according to founder and executive producer Jeremy McCarter, it was when preparing to do the second season of production that the pandemic changed the trajectory of how Make Believe told stories. The interactive part of telling stories — recording them in front of a live audience and having the audience discuss the story — came to an end with the pandemic. But instead of shutting down, McCarter said the association doubled down.

“The whole world changed in 2020,”