The Intimacy & Challenge Of Audiobook Narration And Audio Fiction Acting

  Quick. Name some of the greatest actors of all time. Olivier. Garbo. Streep. Nicholson. Those GOAT actors are movie actors. How about the best actors in audio fiction. You know, podcasts or audiobooks?

While voice actors in audio fiction may not be as high-profile as their visual counterparts like Tom Cruise who can drive a motorcycle off a cliff, actors of note and talent -- sometimes mutual exclusive categories -- are leaping into audio fiction. These actors are not thespians who are desperate for work. No, these actors are well-known in the acting community. 

Here's a brief list of well-known actors now acting in audio fiction podcasts: Anthony Anderson (Black-ish, Law & Order), Alan Cumming (Instinct), Betty Gilpin (Glow), Helen Hunt (Mad About You), Justin Min (Crazy Rich Asians), Will Sasso (Mad TV), and Billy Zane (Titanic).

Some od the most notable and talented audiobook narrators include: Anni Arndt, Robin Miles, Frank Muller, and Bahni Turpin.

The questions driving this article are straightforward. Do actors narrating an audiobook in an audio fiction podcast need specific skills that they may not have learned or encountered during their non-podcast acting careers?

 What specific skills does it take to succeed on audio fiction podcasts? 

To get answers on audiobook narration, Ear Worthy went to an accomplished voice actor, Curt Simmons.

Curt is a semi-retired stage actor and has also produced and performed several audiobooks over the past few years, one of which received the Earphones Award for Exceptional Audio Performance from AudioFile Magazine.

Curt is still active as a stage actor.

 Q. How did you break into the audiobook business? Do you audition to narrate?

A. Well, first of all, thank you for the interview. I appreciate the exposure very much. And it’s just fun to talk about.

But to answer your question, I did some research about how it worked, technically, contractually, promotionally. I built a little recording studio in my closet, opened an ACX account, submitted five or six auditions, was offered a Romance novel, and started recording. I also have a background in Radio and TV, as well as live theatre — acting, directing, producing and editing audio, which helped a lot. I’ll talk more about that later.

Q. Do you read the book before narration? Or as you go?

A. Yes, I do read the entire book prior to starting narration. It’s important for me to know what’s coming because, while surprise
developments in story and character are great for keeping the reader/listener interested, they can be problematic for the narrator if they’re somehow incompatible with the narration that’s already in the can, so to speak. For example, when I’m familiar with the character arc, the obligatory scenes, the plot twists, the changes in the overall tone, etc. I can set them up better and finesse them more effectively. I think it makes for a more enjoyable listen.

Q. How do you prepare for audiobook narration?

A. Well, as I mentioned earlier, I read the entire book before I begin. Throughout the process, I might even read the entire book more than once. My goal is to fall in love with the story. That makes everything so much easier. When I’m in love with the story I don’t have to work so hard for story elements like characterization, pacing, emotional content, finding the author’s voice and such. It all adds up to the meaning of the story. I need to decide within myself why the author wrote this story. What are they saying? What is the theme? I want to be able to answer the question, “what is this story really about?“— The vanishing American dream? The price we pay for the life we live? The insanity of family politics? What we’re willing to do for love? It’s not always obvious.

I cast myself as every character in the story. Doing audiobooks and short stories are great for developing an actor’s characterization chops.

I try not to “report” the story. To me, that’s boring. I do try to act the story. If I’m engaged, the listener is more likely to be engaged.

I decide what each character wants. I choose a voice for each character, including the narrator. A lot of these things will overlap and get developed simultaneously.

Q. How do you infuse such emotion into an audiobook narration?

A. A couple of things. I rely on my training as an actor, particularly techniques I learned utilizing emotional memory. But the main thing is just really being engaged in the story. I think of each story has a performance, not just a reading. I want to “tell” the story as if I were remembering it or relating my experience out loud, and not just read it. I know that may be a bit controversial, but I can’t help it. It’s what I do naturally. But It really boils down to the material, though, in most cases. If it’s a well written story, and I am truly engaged and paying attention to it, the emotion just comes out naturally. The thing I try not to do is push the emotion when it really isn’t there. Faking emotion is a big no-no.

Q. Did your radio experience help? If so, how?

A. Yes, my radio experience is very helpful, as is my acting, directing, and editing experience. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Radio-TV and a Master’s in Theatre. And I started acting in stage plays as an undergrad. So I have at least a conceptual reminiscence of audio production, acting, and directing.

I grew up splicing magnetic tape, so now, with waveform editing, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I also produced and hosted live and pre-recorded radio programs that would be considered podcasts today.

Q. Do you have a favorite audiobook narration story? If so, can you relate it?

A. Well, when I go back and listen to my first audiobook, the twelve-hour Romance novel I referred to earlier, I am truly embarrassed. I have to think of that production as my audiobook boot camp because I very nearly bit off more than I could chew.

I was reacquainting myself to mic technique, learning waveform editing, signal processing and mastering on the job. Plus— The narration included fifteen characters, including teenage boys and girls, as well as four languages in addition to English, and three distinct European accents. What was I thinking? It nearly killed me. Well, not really, but it was very, very difficult. Took me three months. However, I learned a lot. And as a result, my next project was a bit easier, as each successive one has been since.

Q. Can you name audiobooks you've narrated?

A. Three of my best are:
Vacation by JC Miller
Taking On Water by David Rawding
Omari and the People by Stephen Whitfield (Earphones Award winner for Fiction AudioFile Magazine)

(Photo: A younger Curt Simmons and his long-time friend Faye)


Curt Simmons adds: "I’m currently focused on live stage acting and on my Substack podcast, Classically Speaking — doing audio short stories from the public domain. I love it. Each piece is much shorter. I get to work with famous authors who are no longer with us, but the material is fantastic. And I don’t have to pay royalties. Although, I haven’t started monetizing it yet, because I’m not sure I can sustain it with everything else I have going on in my life. A good problem to have. Right?"

I took up narrating and producing audiobooks to keep my creative juices flowing and marinating between stage roles," Curt explains.  "After eight or nine audiobooks in the can, I realized how lonely I was in the studio being my own producer, narrator and technician. At the same time, I found that I did enjoy editing, processing and mastering, having put myself through college working at local radio stations, both on air and in the editing lab, and I’m talking cutting magnetic tape. It always felt like a playground to me.

Curt adds: "I knew I needed to be in a more collaborative storytelling environment. So I've stayed focused on stage work for the next couple of years, which is my first love, Theatre, specifically acting, which I am still engaged in."

Curt tell us that, "My wife and I recently relocated from Seattle to Colorado Springs to be near our daughter and grandkids. At the same time, I’m still pursuing theatrical work. I never thought I could be so busy in retirement. But I am. And that’s a good thing."

When we talk audio fiction then, let me toss out a name for you. Tal Minear. Tal is an Southern California-based actor, sound designer, and producer. They're the creator of Sidequesting, What Will Be Here?, Someone Dies In This Elevator, and several other productions, and Tal can be heard in audio fiction shows such as Tales of the Echowood, Circles, Deconstructive Criticism, and more.

They do sound design for Seen and Not Heard, Surreal Love, Wizard Seeking Wizard, and their own podcasts. They also write about audio drama production on Medium, and The Simplecast Blog.

"It takes, like with most things, a lot of patience," begins Tal. "Auditioning is really the job. Beyond that, I think being able to portray emotion with your voice and finding different ways to read the same lines will really help you go far! If you have the option to send multiple takes for an audition, do a read for the second one that is different, weird, or simply out there. Variety flourishes in audio fiction!"

In 2019, a scripted sci-fi podcast, Cryptids, was released to strong reviews and healthy audience numbers. The podcast was developed by Wild Obscura Films (WOF) and produced and directed by Devin Sheperd and written and created by Alex Thompson.

"The audio medium allows the imagination to take over in ways that no visual medium can, so there was a lot of fun and tension to be mined in letting the listener fill in some of the blanks for themselves," says Thompson, who was interviewed during the podcast's initial release.

The podcast director, Devin Sheperd, knew it would be a challenge.
“As a director, it was definitely different," Sheperd says. "A lot of the actors haven’t worked in the audio space before. Our actors are based in theatre so with a podcast these actors are now working in an enclosed visual space.”

Alex Thompson also acted in the Cryptids podcast, and he notes, “As an actor, I’ve done some voice-over work so I’m comfortable with the mic in front of me. The continuing challenge was to make sure that the acting came through in my voice. So in the visual medium, I can use acting mannerisms and physicality to get into the role but in the podcast that had to be channeled into my vocal chords. Even then, is the story you’re telling in the room the story the audience is hearing on the tape? It was more akin to a theatrical performance than film acting.”

As the director of a podcast, Sheperd found that she would have to turn away from her actors while they were performing to ensure that her eyes weren’t influencing what she was hearing.

“Often, I would listen to the actors with my headphones on, looking away,” continues Devin. “In the audition process, we found that the actors we loved in the audition room while watching them, we didn’t love as much when we listened to just their voice later on. Their physical performance would give us a totally different read than the audio performance. That was hard to adjust.”

There's a bias toward video over audio. The enthusiasm for YouTube and video podcasts (oxymoron?) is evidence that there's a long-standing belief that video is more complex than audio.

 However, listening to an accomplished audiobook narrator like Curt Simmons, audio fiction actor Tal Mineal, writer / actor Alex Thompson, and director Devin Sheperd, we understand that listening to a audio fiction podcast or audiobook is an intimate experience between you, your ears, the narrator and / or actors. It's like inviting these people into your brain. They stay for a while, maybe an hour, and then leave you with some info, a few insights, a kernel of a new idea, a funny story, a tale of woe, or the sense that the wrong person was convicted.