Don't Make Me Get Out of the Booth!

Without inflating my friend's ego, I hope to not become as he says, a Jack of all trades, master of none. That being said, I've ventured into a new space that allows me to perform in the awkward silence that without years of professional improv training and performances from Second City, I would be ill-prepared.

Last night I stepped into the sound booth for the first time ever. It was a local voice over actor's apartment in Ukranian Village and he had a professional sound proof room next to the microphone and recording space I used in the corner. It was like Jack Lemmon knowing that Baldwin had the good leads locked away but just at an arms reach.

Voice over work is something I know nothing about. Darren was a very impressive professional voice over actor who gave a quick crash course. I got the low down on where to look for auditions that I could too could be rejected from. He let me know what to expect with auditions, the cost of a demo, and how hard it may be to crack into.

Then he had me read. Out loud. It was fun. Even fumbling over a fifth grad vocabulary in front of a stranger was simply therapeutic. The big breakthrough came when I relaxed and talked with my hands and let it fly. Darren was critical and also complimentary of my reads. I'm one of the gifted souls who can make three sentences about the beaches of Cabo San Lucas sound like they're a parking lot in Milwaukee.

It was not a loss though. I read two sentences about Midas breaks. Yeah, Darren said it was very impressive on how I was able to bring such an honest and real interpretation  to the copy (of break warranties and certified mechanics). Which is impressive to me, as I know squat about my car.

I agree with Darren 100%. I'm not the best he's ever seen, but I showed promise on day one and that's a great thing seeing as I'm in my early thirties and although it's never to late to pursue a passion in life, I am too old to expect my parents to blindly support me.

I completely recommend taking Darren's Voice Over Exploration class. He was really great to work with!