Synopsis
Most actors are accustomed to handling dialogue and character so when faced with large passages of narrative as is common in an audiobook, there can be confusion and an impulse to simply push through it. Join acclaimed audiobook narrator Marisa Calin for an exploration of how to embrace the narrative and recognize it as the heart of the story. Marisa will share her thoughts on preparation as well as tools she uses to unearth the author’s voice to guide her performance. She will help actors engage with the action and given circumstances of the text in order to lift their stories from the page and delight their listeners. All levels welcome.
Format
This in-person class will begin with a brief lecture. Each participant will get an opportunity to get in the booth to test drive the concepts discussed using a one page piece of text of their choosing. Each participant will receive constructive feedback from the instructor. The class will conclude with a wrap-up discussion and question period.
Requirements
Participants are required to bring one page of a book (not a script or commercial) to use during class time. Material must be fiction. The focus of this class is the narrative portion of text so please choose a passage that is mostly narrative with limited dialogue.
Instructor Bio
Marisa Calin is an actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is an Audie, Odyssey, Audiofile Earphones Award winning and SOVAS nominated audiobook narrator. She’s had an Audible Best Audiobook of the Year, an Apple Books Must-Listen audiobook of the month, starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, and books on YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks of the year list. She wrote and produced her first feature, A Million Happy Nows, which won nineteen awards on the festival circuit, including Best First Feature at Outfest. Her debut Young Adult novel, Between You & Me, published by Bloomsbury, was named a Kirkus Reviews’ Best Book of 2012, received a Kirkus star for “books of exceptional merit”, was selected for the American Library Associations’ 2013 Rainbow Book List of quality books with authentic LGBT content, and was chosen as a Kobo dazzling debut.
