English Wordplay ~ Listen and Enjoy

Voice Reels

Click on the Excerpts to Listen to these Actors' Voices

Amy Burke:
Kay in Touch(ed) by Bess Wohl,
Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona,
New York Accent: Nell in Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace,
Southern American: Lizzie in The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash,
English RP: Lady Brute in The Provok'd Wife by John Vanbrugh,
Poem: Mother Invention by Jazzy Danziger,
Narration: from Eloise in Paris by Kay Thompson
Jargon: Issues on Training of Radiochemists by Sally Schwarz,
Amelia Earhart interview from Talking to Twentieth women Century by Toni Ann Winninger

Evie Dawnay:
Cleopatra from Anthony and Cleopatra,
Scots: Jean Brodie from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,
Reading: Taking the Veil by Katherine Mansfield,
American: Tina Fey from Bossy Pants,
The Duchess of Devonshire from Victory, Choice in Reaction by Howard Barker,
Reading: Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh,
French poem from Les Fleurs du Mal by Baudelaire

Natalie Gardner:
Reading for Children: "The Worst Witch" by Jill Murphy,
Cockney Monologue "This Wide Night" by Chloe Moss,
Hermione in "The Winter's Tale" by Shakepeare,
Role Playing Video Game: "Final Fantasy 8" ,
Celimene in "The Misanthrope" by Molière,
Adverts: Flora: Love Your Heart, OK Magazine, Walls Magnum,
Sophie in "Artist Descending a Staircase" by Tom Stoppard
American: "Vanishing Marion" by Jeanmarie Williams

Catherine Guy:
The Countess in Vampirealla by Angela Carter,
Mother Sawyer in The Witch of Edmonton,
Blackburn Accent: May in The Accrington Pals by Peter Whelan,
Stephanie in The Box by Hattie Naylor,
Simiane in Madame de Sade by Yukio Mishima,
Recipe for Dressed Swan or Peacock from Food and Cooking in Medieval England by Maggie Black,
Sluts by Katherine Whitehorn
Technical Naration: Plant Based Nutrition and Health by Stephen Walsh,
Reading: The Young Visiters, Mr Salteena's Plan by Daisy Ashford.

Elisa King:
Helen in All's Well That Ends Well,
Elizabeth Barry in The Libertine,
Denise in Hush,
Rosannah in Brilliant Traces,
Prose: The Witches by Roald Dahl,
Poem: Gerard Manley Hopkins,
Theresa in Tea in a China Cup
Marie Curie,
Dutch: De Drang,
Spanish: Blood Wedding,
Also listen to more of Elisa's channelled Marie Curie being interviewed by Shaun MacLoughlin

Philip Kingsley-Jones:
Narration: After the Storm,
A Chip in the Sugar by Alan Bennett,
Narration: Oliver Twist,
Ralph in Bouncers by John Godber,
Sideway in Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker,
Poem: Sonnet to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke,
Commercial: Le Chateau Restaurant
TV Announcement,
On Hold Message

Claire Marchionne:
Shakespeare's Sonnet 8,
Commercials and Narration,
Also listen to Claire's channelled Maria Callas and Florence Nightingale being interviewed by Shaun MacLoughlin

Maryann O'Brien:
Introduction,
Lady Percy in Henry IV Part 1,
Cockney: Debbie in Love and Money,
Alice in Wonderland,
Poem: I Hate the Spring,
Irish: Girleen in The Lonesome West,
Geordie: Jill in Cooking with Elvis,
American: Mrs. Charlotte Wallace in Beyond Therapy,
Also listen to Maryann's channelled Anne Frank being interviewed by Shaun MacLoughlin

Tristan Pate:
Henry V,
Kiss Me Like You Mean It,
Carrion Comfort,
A Skull in Connemara,
The Woman in Black,
The Misanthrope,
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune,
Song: Love I Hear You
Also listen to Tristan's channeled Oscar Wilde being interviewed by Shaun MacLoughlin

Stacy Sobieski:
Rosannah in Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson,
The Skriker by Caryl Churchill,
Ata in Criminal Hearts by Jane Martin,
Shakespeare's Sonnet 30,
New York Dialect: Helen in The Baby in the Bathwater by Christopher Durang,
English RP: Ursula in Vincent in Brixton by Nicholas Wright,
Dol Common in The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
Interview with Sharon Tate by Toni Ann Winninger,

Kevin Varty:
After Poetry,
Total Eclipse,
Dogberry,
The Fallen Birdman,
Song: Jackie by Jacques Brel
Also listen to Kevin's channeled George Orwell being interviewed by Shaun MacLoughlin

Advice in Writing (and Acting) for Radio by Shaun MacLoughlin
(see below for book for more advice)

Radio Drama

Select no more than 8 pieces, each approx 1 minute long

Make sure they're contrasting.

Make sure that they cover a range, including:
Comedy,

Classic drama,

Contemporary prose ,

Native accent or dialect,

Something from contemporary theatre,

Include a poem...

Or a song, if you wish,

Include any accents/dialects with which you are comfortable.

Each extract should start with the name of the play and role you are playing.

On Track 1, it's helpful to introduce yourself to demonstrate your natural voice.

Enclose with your CD an accompanying letter and CV - this is especially useful if you can highlight radio, theatre, film or TV credits. And timing is also critical: if you are about to appear on stage, in a radio production or on TV, it is possible for Radio Drama to flag that fact and to encourage producers to see your performance first hand.

I also advise you to listen to as many plays and drama documentaries as possible. Make a note of who the directors / producers are and send your carefully prepared voice CDs to them. It will probably do no harm to praise a programme of theirs that you have heard, but don't overdo this. Sara Davies gives some excellent advice:

"I'm sure each department has slightly different needs, but in Bristol we find the most useful voice CD is one that includes straight narration, i.e. telling a story in the third person, preferably with a couple of bits of dialogue included, so we can tell how skilfully they can handle different voices in a story; a piece of monologue in something near to the actor's natural voice and maybe one in character or with an accent; perhaps a dialogue with one other actor (but not a multi-character scene) and some poetry."

I would add to this that you should never go on longer than absolutely necessary to show what you have to offer. Producers are extremely busy and tend to be impatient of repetition. 8 minutes for the entire offering should be an absolute maximum.

Sara continues: "the CD should be clearly marked with name and contact number. I have several CD that have become estranged from the letters they arrived with, and all I have on the CD is a name but no contact number or vice versa. "

Commercials and Narration

There is a wealth of useful information online. For example you can listen to show reels for commercials documentaries, voice overs and animation and learn from how other actors present themselves at Hobson's Artists Agency and at Rabbit Voice Management

Home Page

We recommend Shaun MacLoughlin's book because it contains a new chapter on radio acting with advice from producers you might work for. We also highly recommend John Barton's book Playing Shakespeare which is invaluable for voice work: