You have talent. Do you have technique?
Hi, I’m Joel. For many years, prior to becoming an audiobook narrator, I was a college theater professor. As an audiobook coach and narrator, I’ve heard so many members of our community express their regret that they had never had the opportunity to take a traditional Acting Class and give their talent a foundation of technique. Particularly in the current climate, it’s not possible to reap the benefits of a traditional in-person college-level course. In addition, many beginner acting courses are focused heavily on the physical and non-verbal components of the craft. For an audiobook narrator, everything comes back to the voice. These classes aim to fill that void in a small, intimate and focused group class environment. It’s time to take your performance to the next level. You belong. Join us.
Classes offered Wednesday or Thursday Evenings,Beginning in June 2024
Joel Leslie Froomkin
Award-winning narrator and director
Joel Froomkin’s unique and incredible 15-week Acting for Audio course is one of the best career investments I’ve made!
Each week, we learned in-depth techniques related to text analysis and character development through Joel’s detailed lectures and our presentations. He incorporated an interesting variety of exercises designed to stretch our acting muscles and build our skills in delivering the emotional truth of our material.
In addition to being a polished, highly-sought narrator and winner of 10 AudioFile Earphone Awards, Joel is a patient, funny, kind, and brilliant instructor. He coached each of us in completely personal ways that helped us understand how to improve our performances. His guidance to other students was relevant to my own work. My narration has become much more nuanced as a result of this class, and I look forward to taking an advanced section!
- Karen Commins, NarratorsRoadmap.com
Joel exhales Earphones, yes, AND did you know he's a theater prof (!!); he teaches the context and *why* choices are made. He's got that director-whatever-that-magic-is to both hear what could be better and explain it in a way that gets you there. He's got the goods, my friends. Never mind that I stumble my words just getting to learn from him, but I'd retake the class just to hear his asides. The man is *wonderful*.
- 2024 Audie winner Cindy Kay
I highly recommend Joel Froomkin's Acting for Audio. Joel's command of acting instruction is right up there with some of the greats: Uta Hagen, Sandford Meisner and Stanislavsky, from whom he draws inspiration and wisdom. He knows and frequently quotes Stanislavsky, the Godfather of acting, whose philosophy has inspired so many of my own "AHA!" moments.
Joel's approach to script analysis is so intelligent, detailed and analytical, but also intuitive, so I have found my approach, understanding and feel for finding the actable moments and emotions in manuscripts has been deeply enhanced through his tutelage. And his direction is spot on. He is always constructive in his approach, never destructive or punitive, so the experience is always one of growth and revelation.
I absolutely loved working with him, in addition to which, he's a lovely human being. Take this class!
- Robin Siegerman, Earphones Award Winner
I'll post my responses to last night's class in my journal, but in the meantime I just wanted to reach out and let you know how much I’m loving the class. We’re only a third of the way in, but it’s already clear you’ve put your heart and soul into designing a comprehensive and thoroughly engaging course. Your passion, knowledge, and genuine care for your students has already had a big impact on me.
Your lectures are terrific. Listening to them is kind of a masterclass in and of itself on great nonfiction delivery. I was a speechwriter in my former life, so I know how hard it is to keep listeners engaged for 45 minutes straight--let alone an hour or more. But you nail it every time.
I also love listening to the notes you give, not just to me but to everyone else. It’s clear you genuinely care about making every student better--whether they have tons of acting experience or none. It pushes me to step out of my comfort zone, take risks, listen carefully to your feedback, and do my best to apply your guidance moving forward.
Also, you and Rich work incredibly well together. You guys have made the various components of the Google Classroom easy to interact with. Plus, Zoom glitches notwithstanding (and we’ve all had those), from my perspective the technical “choreography” of the live sessions comes across as first-rate.
No matter what happens in the rest of the class, I’m positive that I’ll be a better performer than when I started--and that’s enough for me!
- Sheri Saginor
“When I started narrating audiobooks, I had a spark of a sense for storytelling. I recorded my first few books with no training, and what was missing was an understanding that I could make choices as an artist. I took training with coaches, and most notably studied with superstar narrator and coach Joel Leslie Froomkin who really gave me a full foundation as an actor.”
- Audie-nominated narrator Andre Santana
CanvasRebel Magazine