This class will introduce you to the many types of voiceover opportunities available, get you comfortable behind a microphone, and help you put together a demo in a diverse range of voiceover styles, from announcers to characters.

Irene Ziegler has been in the voiceover business for thirty years, and was most recently seen as the Broadcast Woman in the fourth season finale of THE WALKING DEAD. She has voiced everything from a talking Mercedes Benz to your cell phone’s GPS. For most people, being in a small padded room would not be a good thing. But to voiceover artists, such a room is the best place on earth.

Voiceovers (or voice acting) refers to the voices you hear on radio and television commercials, cartoons, videogames, on-hold messages, and documentary narrations, to name a few. This growing need for voiceover work, along with the opportunities to work from your own padded room, make this profession a great and burgeoning business for voice actors. The keys to getting started as a voiceover actor are first to find connections and second, put together a demo. Even if you have no desire to make a living at it, voiceovers are a fun way to explore and expand your vocal acting range.

Irene Ziegler lives in Richmond, VA and is active in regional theatre. She has appeared in many notable films, including Safe Haven, Premonition, Nights in Rodanthe, and The Contender. This season, she has recurring roles in two TV series, The Red Road, and The Walking Dead. Irene is also the voice you love to hate on your cell phone’s GPS, and has voiced many commercials. She is the author of Rules of the Lake, Ashes to Water, and co-edited with John Capecci, six collections of monologues for actors. She is also an internationally produced playwright, and the proud recipient of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award (Drama), and the Theresa Pollak prize for Excellence in the Arts. Irene teaches acting at the University of Richmond, and is at work on a new play.

This class takes place July 7-9, from 1-3pm.