So… after a lot longer than I intended…my very first audiobook is recorded and proofed! Next step is to turn it over to a sound engineer to master it so that it can be posted to ACX for sale!
This is the leap and faith portion. So far, most of this has been a solo enterprise that hasn’t cost me anything but time. Proofing was done by the brilliant author J.S Veter (my dear friend) and my darling hubby who is frighteningly detail-oriented, and therefor a great proof-listener and tech support.
I’m going to use Fivver for this project to keep the budget low as it is a labour of love.
Once that gets back to me…it’s off for ACX approval. Stay tuned!
Looking for feedback on my Audiobook project!
Welcome to my project! I’m creating an audiobook from my good friend JS Veter’s book SIX. It’s such a lovely story about a dog who finds adventure and family. It’s a perfect fit for some of the crazy voices in my head and my love of telling stories. I’ve recorded several chapters, but it occurs to me that I should start getting some feedback. That’s where you come in!
Please give the chapter a listen, and answer the poll questions. The project is still underway and there will need to be editing and mastering yet to come.
Thanks!
Singing at the Rex!
It’s always a treat to be asked to sing with the Tom Reynold’s Trio. They just finished a month long set of Sundays at the Rex. I got to sing from my album “Pickpockets and Loose Women”. Hopefully there will be other collaborations to come in the future!
Come to my wedding!!
Stage Door News
Toronto: Glass Hammer Productions presents Andrew Batten’s “The Sad Blisters” April 12-27
Friday, March 29, 2019
Serial monogamist Joanne is getting married – AGAIN.
AND she wants her sisters to wear their bridesmaid dresses from her previous weddings.
AND Aunt Sara’s been getting free samples from the bar. What could possibly go wrong?
The Sad Blisters is loosely based on the family dynamic of the playwright’s wife, Debbie Batten, who has four siblings. One of her sisters, like Joanne in The Sad Blisters, was married three times to men with the same first name.
“The Sad Blisters masterfully balances comedy and drama, with wonderfully nuanced characters and a keen understanding of the female voice. Andrew was heavily involved in the casting of the play, the selection of the creative team and in choosing the music. These women are funny, flawed and full of courage and heart. You’ll be delighted emotionally by the performances of a stellar cast and you’ll also be intellectually stimulated by (both subtle and overt) references to the work of Anton Chekhov.” – Victoria Shepherd, Director
Andrew Batten was a former playwright in residence at the Blyth Theatre. He described himself more recently as a “reformed lawyer and recovering teacher”. His previously produced plays include The Accelerated Theory of Hotness, Romeo and Rosaline, The House of the Rising Sun, Even As Also I Am Known, Jellied Salad and Or Not To Be. Batten was also an accomplished actor, and in the last 12 years appeared in numerous productions for Toronto groups such as Alumnae Theatre Company (Hedda Gabler, Sylvia, A Woman of No Importance), Amicus Productions (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), and Village Players (Tainted Justice). Andrew was fond of saying that “people listen when you tell them your stories”.
Glass Hammer Productions is very proud to present the world premiere of
The Sad Blisters, which we lovingly dedicate to Andrew.
Written by Andrew BattenDirected by Victoria Shepherd.
Featuring Bonnie Gray, Andrea Lyons, Anne McDougall, Cate McKim, Esther Thibault.
Producers: Andrew Batten, Debbie Batten, Tina McCulloch
Stage Manager/Lighting Design: Liz Currie
Assistant Stage Manager/Fight Captain: Jamie Fairfoull
Set Design: Alexis Chubb
Sound Design/Music: John Stuart Campbell
Fight Direction: Ryan Armstrong
Poster Design: Vic Finucci
VENUE: The Commons Space, 587a College St. (west of Bathurst), Toronto.
Venue is on 2nd floor and is not wheelchair accessible.
SHOWTIMES: April 12 – 27, 2019.
Performances are Thu/Fri/Sat at 8pm; matinees Sat & Sun at 2pm.
RUNNING TIME: Approx. 80 mins. There is no intermission.
TICKETS: $20 regular; $15 student/senior/Arts Worker.
Cash only at door (reserve seats at sadblisters@gmail.com),
or purchase online at Brown Paper Tickets: sadblisters.brownpapertickets.com
FACEBOOK EVENT: www.facebook.com
TWITTER: #SadBlistersTO
Reading for love (and money)
When I was a kid, my mom was a leader at “Pioneer Girls” (sort of like Girl Guides, but with a biblical focus). My sister and I, of course, were enrolled. My mom was the leader for the youngest group. One year there was a presentation evening. Parents and all the other age ranges came to watch scenes prepared by each group. For my mom’s group, they were doing a shadow play of the story of Jesus bringing a young girl back from the dead (Mark 5:21-43) My mother asked me to read the story while the younger kids acted it out behind a screen. She said I was such a good reader, she wanted me to tell the story.
Little did I realize that I would spend much of my career doing exactly the same thing! They say a lot of people discover their career choices by what they chose to do for play as a child. That is certainly true for me. I love to tell stories.
2018 gave me the chance to take part in some great script reading sessions. Cut Outs at the Assembly Theatre where I was part of the script “Mommy’s wine fest”; Radio Project X where I got to do a bunch of accents (Swedish villian; Russian space station commander to name a couple); and a few you can check out online through Wildsound
2019 looks like it might be another year of reading fantastic stories and scripts! More to come on that later!
Movies
I don’t get much in the way of movie work, but I have to say a Christmas movie is certainly a good way to go if you are going to get one! I did this sweet MOW in 2010 and it keeps coming back! Now you can buy it as a digital download from Amazon:
My current movie is Jigsaw. I am probably only in about 2 min of the film, which I may never be able to confirm as I don’t think I could watch the full horror movie. Gives me nightmares. It was a fun shoot though! Everyone was really nice and upbeat. I guess they try and make the work environment positive so you can feel good about dying? Luckily my nephew managed to catch a screen shot of my big moment. I got to buy my wardrobe too…so I can relieve the joys of my tragic death any time I want. Working in movies has lots of perks!
New Headshots!
I kinda love having my picture taken. Most actors don’t. For some reason I do. Even as a child, when my mom would take 10 min adjust the camera and we were all getting impatient, as soon as the camera goes up, my face lights up. I have fun pretending to be a superstar model, or imagine I’m getting interviewed for something fabulous. So here are the photographer’s favourites (Denise Grant)
Audiobook world
So I’m trying to set up a home studio. This will be a long process of trial and error. The mic I thought was going to be great is not as great as I thought. Editing software is pretty good, but I keep forgetting how to do things! It would be so much nicer for someone to hire me to come into their studio… but I’ve waited years for that, so I’m gonna do it myself!
Taxes and Israel
I”ll have to post some pics here of my trip to Israel. It’s on my list of things to do this week. First of course though I need to finish my taxes. Ugh. I tried to prep things before the trip, so it’s not so bad. It’s still annoying. There are always little things I’ve forgotten. I”m glad I don’t go to an accountant though. I’ve never had a good experience with one. All the same work, and then I have to fork over a tonne of money for someone else to put it in the computer. NO thanks. I’ll strain my brain a little. At least I have time to do these tasks this week. A work project got pushed back by 2 weeks, so hello free time! I can always find ways to fill that.
Next up … photos of my trip!
the project right now
I’m transferring my old VHS tapes to digital. All performances that I have captured. Classes, student films, stage shows, vacation videos. It’s been a crazy trip to watch all of these. Who was I at these moments? Have I learned anything since then? Some tapes have held up better than others. Some make me cringe to watch. Some are forgotten treasures.
I”m also looking at my clothes, jewelry. I wore that? Where did those earrings go? I still wear my eyeliner the same way… is that good or bad?
Along with the nostalgia of this is some regret. I wish there was more. I wish I had done some more of my own projects so that I could build up my skills more. Guess that might be another project.
