Improvisation is an important skill for a voice actor to hone – and one that isn’t often talked about! There’s plenty of voice-over skill to be gleaned from learning improv, and lots of great improv skills that can be brought into the booth. While screen actors tend to know the importance of the great art of improv, it’s extremely beneficial for voice actors as well!
If you’ve never taken an improv class or seen a show yourself, I highly recommend doing so! It’s enriching for our own career as voice actors of course, but it’s also fun. According to Wikipedia, improv is, “The form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds in the present time, without the use of an already prepared, written script.” Even in that definition, we can start to see how this is going to apply in our field.
The show where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.
Whether you’re just beginning to learn about improv or are ready to appear on Who’s Line is it, Anyway?, here are some of the biggest takeaways you can bring into your voice acting:
Character & World-building
During improv, a scene will unfold without you having any preparation beforehand. You’ll need to adapt quickly to what’s happening, decide on who you are going to be in that scene, and then maintain that character and world around you (along with your improv peers). This is such an important part of being a good voice actor!
Whenever you are auditioning for a new character, you’ll only have a little information about who they are and what they’re doing. It’s up to you to make those decisions, and then act accordingly! Even when it’s less obvious – such as in commercials or corporate narration – having the ability to quickly understand your character and the world around them is essential. Just because you’re not a wacky character doesn’t mean you get to skip this part! When you get a commercial or narrative script, you still need to decide what role your voice is playing in selling a product or explaining a service. Are you supposed to speak to your audience as if you’re the expert? Their friend? Their parent? A radio announcer? Using good critical improv skills and some direction from the client, you’ll be able to embody exactly who it is your client is looking for.
Timing
Improv tends to be comedic – so comedic timing is a skill one must hone to be a great improviser. But knowing when to make a funny joke is just a part of having good timing. Improv also teaches you when to enter and leave a scene, when to take a beat, breath, or laugh to make a scene more impactful, or when to assist a fellow actor to help them shine. All of this can also make our line reads better behind the mic. When you receive a script, it may not have much in the way of pacing and delivery notes for you to follow. These are decisions you have to make as an actor! Being able to examine your script and decide which lines need what pacing or emphasis, what you should deliver as a joke versus something serious, and when you should mix in a laugh, a grunt, or a sigh is all part of what makes a voice actor’s talent become next-level.
Expanding Your Range
Improv can be a harrowing experience for the introvert. You never know who you might be in the next scene. It can be nerve-wracking to not prepare what we’re going to say in advance. And what if no one laughs at our jokes? Yikes!
But, getting out of your comfort zone can make us better actors, and honestly, probably better people overall. Doing improv takes guts, but putting yourself out there will allow you to reap the rewards. Imagine all the new things you could do if you only knew you could. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is how we expand our range of possibilities as an actor, both on and off the stage. If you only ever used your natural speaking voice, how would you know that you can do a terrifying villain monologue? A spot-on impression of a baby? Maybe a drunken fool stumbling out of an 1800s tavern? Improv will bring new characters out of you that you had no idea existed before.
If you’re interested in taking a super-fun improv class with SAV, you can do so by clicking here.
You’ll truly never know what you can do until you try. Let improv help you find that out!
Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!
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