I believe so strongly that Improv is a necessary skill for voice actors; I sometimes turn myself into a pretzel explaining the value of it to Voice One students. I say “Improv helps you break the rules of voice acting by teaching you the rules of spontaneity” or I say, “Improv gives you the confidence to make a choice and then make a different choice”. Obviously, neither of these endorsements seem to work. Students’ fear of Improv generally gets in the way of seeing the value, and I find myself resorting to “Improv is fun!”
Luckily, our amazing school admin, Danny, forwarded me an article written in the Chicago Tribune by Jackie Pilossoph where she interviews Second City actor Kim Greene Hiller. Hiller speaks eloquently about how Improv can teach people concrete life skills like resiliency, team building, listening and creativity. Reminding me that Improv goes beyond merely being an asset for an actor. It is, more significantly, a valuable asset for navigating life. Here is Hiller speaking about teaching Improv and resilience:
“I see children who were scared become brave, I’ve watched adults who were cut off become present, and I’ve seen kids who have anxiety become creative and not afraid to be wrong. Resilience helps people realize that no matter how much you think you failed, if you get up again, you didn’t fail.”
She goes on to speak about other valuable life skills, taught by Improv:
“Listening: In improv, you have to be an active listener. You’re constantly reading social cues, maintaining eye contact, looking at body language. All of these things are important for socialization and better citizenship.”
“Team-building: You need to be able to build trust and to work collaboratively and creatively. In improv, you can’t be successful if you’re not saying yes to other people’s ideas. You have to solve the problem and make it work.”
“Creativity: Improv teaches students that there is no right or wrong answer. We encourage students to tell us what they think, not what they think the right answer is.”
I particularly raise my hands in the air over this last comment about creativity, since so many voice over students want to “do it right”. They feel they must perform the script “right,” choose their classes “right”, make their demo “right”, design their career path “right”. When in truth, being in the moment, saying yes to the offers that come their way and following their gut are more reliable than any imagined “right way”. And if something does fail, Hiller reminds us that “the genius is not in the plan, it’s in the way you handle the piece that didn’t go according to plan.” In other words, get back up and try again.
October 28 - November 11 (3 Mondays)
6:30-9:30pm
$225
October 11, 18, 25
December 6, 13
6:30-8:30
$20 at the door
No prior improv experience requried
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 23-29) and what's coming your way next week.
Explore the role dubbing plays at Netflix, with interesting nuggets from the dubbing and subtitling team at Netflix themselves!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 16-22) and what's coming your way next week.
Seventeen's Leah Campano asks Rosalie Chiang questions about the VO industry, her career and more!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 9-15) and what's coming your way next week.
The students of Voice One show their appreciation for #Teacherappreciationweek.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 2-8) and what's coming your way next week.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 25-May 1) and what's coming your way next week.
Elley Ray Hennessy shares her wisdom regarding voicing animated characters.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 18-24) and what's coming your way next week.
Part four of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 11-17) and what's coming your way next week.
Let’s tackle big, old, ugly fear. Here are five ways to conquer your fear of trying improv, or anything new.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 4-10) and what's coming your way next week.
From Robin Williams to Tina Fey, here are 25 reasons why improv will not only make you a better actor, but will change your life!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 28-April 3) and what's coming your way next week.
Aaron sits down with Lori Alan to discuss a voice actor's role in animation and up coming class, Talk to the Booth Lady.
If you are a future VO superstar, join our youth Summer program coming up in June 2022! Classes available for students 4th-12th grade!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 21-27) and what's coming your way next week.
Video games have become a sophisticated and immensely popular form of entertainment and recreation, and the voice acting involved keeps evolving.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 14-20) and what's coming your way next week.
Five ways to mitigate the negative consequences that come along with time change.
Part three of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 7-13) and what's coming your way next week.
One of the most highly influential players in voice acting history
Exclusive interviews with 2K Games Casting Manager Tom Celia, E-Learning Entrepreneur Angeli Fitch, MoCap Legend Walt Gray IV, AND workshops starting this weekend!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (February 28-March 6) and what's coming your way next week.
Part two of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (February 21-27,) and what's coming your way next week.
Our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
We've created a guide that you can print up and bring with you to your Super Bowl watching party. After the game, upload your answers and compare!
Why are explainer videos on the rise and what does it mean for voice actors?
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 24-30, plus a peek at next week.
In anticipation of her upcoming class on American Accents, Aaron sits down with renowned dialect coach of stage and screen, Lynne Soffer, for a brief interview.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 17-23, plus a peek at next week.
Get out of your own way and own your year in VO by applying this advice.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 10-16, plus a peek at next week.
Aaron meets with Walt Gray IV to discuss the why voice actors should know how to audition through self-tapes.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 3-9, plus a peek at next week.
Sally shares an experience that shifted her perspective on perseverance in voice over.
Aaron finds out what Marika Casteel has to say about acting and voice over
Wishing you happiness and good company as we wind down the year
We felt so inspired after our Professional Invitational with Rowen Wagner from Moose Toys, we just had to write about it!
Aaron asks Gavin a few questions about Commercial VO and his new class at Voice One.
A Tech Tip clarification from our brilliant instructor Jim Edgar
Three steps to stop listening to yourself while performing commercial VO
Take a look at the awesome classes coming your way this month, and join us in-person in San Francisco or online via Zoom.
Many actors are affected by dyslexia, but it isn't talked about enough.
Check out what we have in store for you this month!
Voice Acting is more than just reading, no matter the sales pitch.
Interview and Q&A with Tom Celia - Recording Available!
How the pandemic changed dubbing and what that means for the future
Join us on September 8 and meet Cliff!
“I will quite often come out of the booth drenched in sweat, but those are the things that I live for.”
This weekend only! Save $50 on your class registration!
'Twelve Minutes' required much more time in the booth
A quick look at classes starting this weekend and next week!
Voice actor Kayleigh McKee discusses her experience in voiceover and progress in representation
Blizzard's Casting Director Wants You to Bring Truth to the Fantastic Worlds of Video Games
Join us this Thursday (8/5) for a *FREE* Webinar!
A Discussion of VO and Mocap in Video Games
Meet and perform for some of the best in the industry!
Making your audition stand out and connect to the listener is the route to success. Here are some great suggestions how.
Everything you need to know about why, how, and when to take the Voice One Core Curriculum this semester!
Standing out in a crowd is difficult, especially if you are consciously or unconsciously emulating what you've heard before.
What's up with the recent changes to Audacity?
Entire Core Curriculum is available from July 19th to August 8th in our Summer Fast Track!
Interview and Q&A with Tyler Rhoads on July 9
We now have fun and affordable offerings for you every Friday night!
Much has changed in Voice Over in the past few decades.
Tackling the issue of representation in the audiobooks industry comes with a number of unique concerns
An interview with a voice casting director on the state of the industry
Kelly Tran's seeming sudden prominence in the public eye is rooted in years of dedication to the craft.
Come meet our next guest talent agent!
Solid advice on being the voice actor that directors want in their projects.
Steve Pogatch – Lead Audio Producer – Pandora/Sirius XM/Stitcher (Studio Resonate)
Emi Lo, Apphiya Yu, and Shawn Gann discuss their perspectives on Asian-American representation in Anime and more
Knowing what works is great, but knowing what doesn't work can save you a lot of anguish.
What makes acting in animation believable and bookable?
Anjali shares realistic advice from what she has learned over the course of her amazing career.
Award season always brings up the question about recognition of voice acting by the Academy
We spoke with the legendary dialect coach on learning accents
Embracing your "imperfections" can make you a better creative collaborator.
