Special to The Record

Jason Sheppard

CNA Journalism Graduate

If you’re an avid TV watcher or an avid book reader, chances are you’ve most probably seen but even more possible, heard Therese Plummer in recent years. As an actress, Plummer has appeared in the TV series The Good Wife and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. As a voice-over artist Plummer has brought to life some of your favorite author’s characters. This actress took some time to speak with us about her career.

When did you realize voice-over work was for you?

I grew up in a house of seven siblings and we entertained each other by telling stories and reenacting movies. When I got to NYC and took a class on audio-book narration and realized there is a career in storytelling I knew it was for me. The teacher told me I should be doing voice-over and it fit like a glove. It’s an amazing additional income along with acting in TV/stage/film.

What kind of training, if any is usually required for voiceover work?

I am a professional actor and as such have developed and honed my craft to be able to vocally embody a plethora of characters needed to tell a story. I will study accents and dialects as needed and also work with directors that will coach me through the process for some projects. Working with a director is fantastic as it gives the story a second set of ears and allows me to go places I may not have on my own.

What is your approach in developing or bringing life to a character on a page?

I will read and prepare each book before going into the sound studio. I will cast the characters in my head. The author gives me all the information I need about who everyone is. Being able to voice the characters as well as narrate the story allows me to jump in and out of the scenes and really bring it to life when the action takes place. It’s invigorating to go from an emotional

interaction between characters (lovers, enemies fighting verbally and physically, multiple characters interacting in a bar, etc.) and narration. It’s a one-woman show for sure.

What are the similarities between voice-over and live acting?

For me, it’s the character preparation. In a play or TV/film role, I’m only one character in an ensemble. For an audio-book many times I’m all the characters. There are times producers will choose a multicast (more than two narrators) and I will play my character but also the other characters as they appear in my chapters. It’s really important to talk to the other actors about their narration choices for consistency during multicast narration. I’ve had a few opportunities to act with the other narrator(s) in the same booth and that is just like a play with all of us working off each other. The main difference in voice-acting is that everything: emotionally, physically, mentally needs to be heard as your performance is through someone’s ear-buds and not on their television set. If my character is annoyed my listener will not ‘hear’ me roll my eyes but if I use the right annoyed tone they get it. The body is not able to participate in the performance. It must all be done vocally. That is challenging and exhilarating to pull off.

Do you feel it is important to intimately know the author or company you are providing voice over for?

I have been recording Robyn Carr’s series for the last six years. She reached out to me early on because the fans were enjoying the audio versions of her books. That started a friendship between us that is still very close today. I find this relationship extremely special. When Netflix bought Robyn’s Virgin River series I was able to audition and landed a cameo in one of the episodes. It was an incredible experience to see the real-life set of books I had been narrating for years. I feel like Robyn and I feel like a team.

Will you read an author’s work previous to recording?

I absolutely will. I like to be prepared to be able to go in and do my one-woman show. I want to know what’s happening, who my characters are, my emotional arcs, etc. If I’m prepared you are going to hear a great story.

What would you like listeners to take away with them after hearing your work?

I’d like them to know that I gave my time, talent, heart and soul bringing this story to life for them. Please be kind even if you hated it, just be kind.

Where do you see the voice over industry going with today’s rapidly changing media landscape?

50 per cent of the population has listened to an audio-book. I think this trend will increase. It’s the absolute best way to commute, exercise, chores or just escape when you need to. Instead of zoning out to the TV you can escape into a story while doing other things. Multitasking at its best.

Has an author reached out to you to compliment you on what you brought to their work?

In my opinion, it is the highest compliment as a storyteller to hear from the author. Just as a screenwriter or play-write creates the show and the actor’s job is to honor that story, my job is to honor the author’s words and the world they have created. I am so honored to continue to be asked to tell their stories.

Do you have a personal favorite story or character you’ve narrated? Why?

I recently told Eowyn Ivey’s, The Snow Child for Hachette Audio, and was mesmerized. While I prepared the script I found myself enchanted with every character and scene and cried when it was over. I genuinely didn’t want it to end and missed the characters. I couldn’t wait to get into the studio to bring it to life. It restored my faith in humanity for a little while. That is the power of stories and storytelling.

jasonjournalist@gmail.com