Voice artists tend to have a pretty lonely routine, working by ourselves from our home studios, those little boxes where we spend hours a day talking to a microphone. After the covid pandemic more studios have adopted remote sessions and I’m hardly ever asked to leave home and record on another studio, which collaborates to the feeling of isolation. Even though I love my job and find it really creative and entertaining I do miss being around people, sharing experiences, learning from others - and being seen! A problem that has been pretty much solved since I joined the community of improvisers at Barcelona Improv Group.
Besides practising acting skills, improv is an art that in its very essence encourages us to be really supportive, to imagine with no boundaries, to try new possibilities and to embrace our vulnerabilities. And we learn to think fast, to be present, to work as a team and to truly listen to each other.
So how does the art of improv benefit me as a voice artist? Besides making my life personally more joyful, it helps me to be more creative, gives me the chance to work with several different characters and extreme emotions (which is particularly great for animation) and to be more flexible with my readings, as it makes it easier to navigate through different intentions. I have to admit: working behind the microphone is beautiful, but stepping on a stage and meeting the eyes of the audience that is seeing us is so powerful. I recommend the practice of improv to all voice actors in the world!