"The legendary Mike Kirby invited me to sit in on his documentary and narration class, the second of 4 nights of training that his Voiceworx program offers in their Monthly Voice Over Workshop (www.voiceworx.com). I love sitting in on workshops. It's not so much the perverse pleasure of watching nervous first-timers tremble as they step to the mic, alone in the booth, while 7 or 8 of their fellow peers watch and listen intently. It's that I like to know what goes on in these courses. What are they teaching the youth of today? I really want to do more of this, so I can have an informed opinion when people ask me - and believe me, they do - where they can get voice over training.
I spent 3 hours not only observing Mike Kirby putting voice students through the documentary narration paces but participating as well. What?! This was not in the contract. I'm supposed to just drop by these workshops, a mysterious figure lurking in the back of the room, quietly observing the proceedings. But Mike insisted I read aloud with the students and even sent me in the booth at the end to read a corporate piece. That aside, I really enjoyed the experience!
Running the agency from my home office - or by blackberry from the pub - I don't always get the chance to be in studio with talent, especially up and comers. I always love the mix of characters who are drawn to pursuing voice work in various stages of their lives. Everything from the bearded 50-something documentary buff to the young actress just brushing up on her voice skills to the 20-something fashion maven who shows up late, wearing the big white Russian winter hat and red high-heeled boots.
Mike assigned each student a narration script, ranging from a standard Boys and Girls Club of Canada corporate piece to a character driven docu-drama monologue from a character looking for drugs on the streets of Mumbai. He would direct and critique each aspiring performer, all the while mixing in observations about the industry and spinning anecdotes from his long and distinguished career in the biz (www.mikekirby.ca). As mentioned, this is one of 4 nights in the Voiceworx intro program, each one taught by a different instructor. I look forward to sitting in on future Voiceworx sessions. Roger King