![]() ![]() JR: You’ve done the Murderbot series, by Martha Wells. Are they sardonic? Are they hilarious, or do they think they’re hilarious? Are they nerdy? What is the narrator’s point of view? That is really important to me when I do an audiobook. Because more important to me than the characters is what the narrator’s voice in the book is. And so, for me, that theatrical training helped me to first not be precious about the work, as an audiobook narrator, and being really good with directors who are helping me with my interpretation of the books and also just being able to look at a book, and read the book, and know what the point of view of the book is, and again, embody what the book is about. I performed with a wildly prolific group of artists called the Neo-Futurists, where we were writing and performing and directing all of our own very short plays, and we’re all very opinionated people, and we have very strong points of view about the work that we’re creating. It is the experiences I’ve had with my colleagues: my other directors, other actors, other writers. ![]() And I will say that it’s not just the things that I did in school. KRF: My theater training has been instrumental in my audiobook career. How do you think your theater training has helped you with audiobook narration? So, I try to paint a picture with my voice, and use as much joy as possible as I’m doing that. And when the young people are listening to the book, unless they’re listening to it in a class, they can’t see the illustrations. And so now I say, “Like Celine Dion, I like to embody the character of a book.” And with children’s books, even if they’re books that are teaching a lesson about loneliness or grief, there is joy to them. The thing that I say in general about audiobooks, when people ask me, “What is the most important thing you think about?” And I say, “Well, like Celine Dion, I feel like I have to embody the character of the book as I’m doing it.” And I say that because Celine Dion once very famously said that she just sort of embodies the character of a song, and that’s how she is able to sing songs, and I thought that that was both brilliant and hilarious. But with children’s books, it’s joy, front and center. Free: Well, with everything I do, I try find the joy in what I’m doing, even if it’s a very serious book. Jo Reed: What is it that you have to bring to narrating children’s books that other books might not require? Listen in to Kevin and Jo’s lively conversation to learn more about how he brings joy into the recording booth, the thought and care he puts into creating voices for every character, and more. He’s recorded 450 audiobooks, including Martha Wells’s wildly popular Murderbot Diaries series, Brandon Taylor’s insightful works, and many memorable children’s audiobooks. ![]() Kevin has had an extraordinary career, both in the recording booth and in theater as an actor, a director, a playwright, and an artistic director. There are few narrators who can match his versatility and perceptive performances across genres, and no one brings more infectious energy and joy to books for young listeners. ![]() Kevin is a multiple Earphones Award winner for a wide range of audiobooks, from children’s stories to literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and fantastic science fiction. Free joined Behind the Mic host Jo Reed for a conversation about his acting career, his impressive audiobook work, and being named a 2023 Golden Voice narrator. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |