Learn to read like a Professional Actor
Reading aloud is about so much more than simply pronouncing the words correctly, or focusing on how many words you can read per minute.
It is about bringing a story to life in the mind of your listener. It is about helping your audience to feel a story, to live a story, not just hear a story.
To help make that happen means learning to use your voice to add expression to what you are reading. Sometimes it means slowing down, for emphasis, for punctuation, or to allow the listener time to process what you are saying. Sometimes it means changing your volume or your tone to add a sense of drama. Sometimes it means hastening through an action scene to add an element of breathlessness.
Makes sense, right, but how can you learn to read like a professional actor, podcaster or storyteller? Well, perhaps the best place to start is by studying their work. So, here is a challenge:
- Try clicking on the pic below to open a copy of the first few chapters of Harry Potter.
- Read some of the pages, one at a time, and try to bring them to life with your voice.
- Use the timer to record how long it took you to narrate the page.
- Now click on the video to hear world-famous actor (and all-round genius) Stephen Fry read the official version. How do you compare? How long does Stephen take to read the text? Where does he add drama with his voice? Can you imitate the master? Can you improve on his reading??
- Challenge yourself to become a master story-teller. Who knows where it will lead you.
It is about bringing a story to life in the mind of your listener. It is about helping your audience to feel a story, to live a story, not just hear a story.
To help make that happen means learning to use your voice to add expression to what you are reading. Sometimes it means slowing down, for emphasis, for punctuation, or to allow the listener time to process what you are saying. Sometimes it means changing your volume or your tone to add a sense of drama. Sometimes it means hastening through an action scene to add an element of breathlessness.
Makes sense, right, but how can you learn to read like a professional actor, podcaster or storyteller? Well, perhaps the best place to start is by studying their work. So, here is a challenge:
- Try clicking on the pic below to open a copy of the first few chapters of Harry Potter.
- Read some of the pages, one at a time, and try to bring them to life with your voice.
- Use the timer to record how long it took you to narrate the page.
- Now click on the video to hear world-famous actor (and all-round genius) Stephen Fry read the official version. How do you compare? How long does Stephen take to read the text? Where does he add drama with his voice? Can you imitate the master? Can you improve on his reading??
- Challenge yourself to become a master story-teller. Who knows where it will lead you.
Here's another example.
Below you'll find a video of Chris Pine (of Wonder Woman and Spiderman fame) reading a picture book called Clark the Shark.
Beneath the video is a copy of the first 369 words from the story. Try reading along with Chris. Listen to how he uses his voice to add some fun and expression to the story. Imagine reading the story aloud to a younger sibling or school buddy. Try using your own voice to create interest and add feeling.
What do you notice about the pace that Chris reads? Does he speed up or slow down at certain points? Why do you think this is?
Interestingly, it takes Chris almost exactly 3 minutes to read the first 369 words of Clark the Shark. Do you think this is too slow, too fast or just right for the context and audience? Why?
Below you'll find a video of Chris Pine (of Wonder Woman and Spiderman fame) reading a picture book called Clark the Shark.
Beneath the video is a copy of the first 369 words from the story. Try reading along with Chris. Listen to how he uses his voice to add some fun and expression to the story. Imagine reading the story aloud to a younger sibling or school buddy. Try using your own voice to create interest and add feeling.
What do you notice about the pace that Chris reads? Does he speed up or slow down at certain points? Why do you think this is?
Interestingly, it takes Chris almost exactly 3 minutes to read the first 369 words of Clark the Shark. Do you think this is too slow, too fast or just right for the context and audience? Why?
Clark the Shark
Written by Bruce Hale and read by Chris Pine (of Wonder Woman and Spiderman fame)
In all the wide blue seas, in all the wide blue world, the top school for fish was the Theodore Roosterfish Elementary. And of all the fish at Theodore Roosterfish, the biggest and strongest was Clark the Shark.
Clark loved school, and he loved his teacher, Mrs. Inkydink. He loved to play upsy-downsy and spinna-ma-jig with his friends. Clark loved his life.
"School is awesome," shouted Clark the Shark.
“Less shouting, more reading”, said Mrs Inkydink.
“Lunchtime is sweeeeet!” yelled Clark the Shark.
“Munch your own lunch,” said his best friend, Joey Mackerel.
“Recess Rocks!” bellowed Clark the Shark.
“You are playing too rough, Clark!” cried the other kids.
“Yes, Clark loved his life with all of his sharky heart.
But he loved everything way too much.
He was too loud. He was too wild.
He was just too much shark for the other fish to handle.
After a while, no one would play with Clark. No one ate lunch with Clark.
No one sat with him at circle time. Even his best friend, Joey Mackerel, said, “Cool your jets, Clark! You’re making me crazy!”
One day, Clark asked Mrs. Inkydink, ‘What’s wrong with everyone?”
Mrs. Inkydink patted his fin.
Clark, sometimes you play too hard, you munch too hard, and – gosh – you even help too hard.”
“But life is SO exciting!” said Clark.
“There’s a time and a place for everything,” said Mrs. Inkydink.
“And sometimes the rule is stay cool.”
At recess, Clark tried to stay cool, but he pushed the swing with too much zing!
“Sorry,” said Clark. “I forgot.”
“Yikes!” cried Joey Mackerel.
At lunch, Clark tried to stay cool, but everything smelled so good that he munched a bunch of lunches.
“Sorry,” said Clark. “I forgot.”
“We’re STARVING!” said his friends.
In class, Clark tried to stay cool, but a good book got him all shook up.
“Now, Clark!” said Mrs. Inkydink. “This isn’t the time or the place. Tell me, what’s the rule?”
“Stay cool,” said Clark.
“Hey, that rhymes!” he cried.
Then Clark got a big idea in his sharky head.
Maybe if I make a rhyme, I’ll remember every time! he thought.
The next day, he put his plan to work.
Written by Bruce Hale and read by Chris Pine (of Wonder Woman and Spiderman fame)
In all the wide blue seas, in all the wide blue world, the top school for fish was the Theodore Roosterfish Elementary. And of all the fish at Theodore Roosterfish, the biggest and strongest was Clark the Shark.
Clark loved school, and he loved his teacher, Mrs. Inkydink. He loved to play upsy-downsy and spinna-ma-jig with his friends. Clark loved his life.
"School is awesome," shouted Clark the Shark.
“Less shouting, more reading”, said Mrs Inkydink.
“Lunchtime is sweeeeet!” yelled Clark the Shark.
“Munch your own lunch,” said his best friend, Joey Mackerel.
“Recess Rocks!” bellowed Clark the Shark.
“You are playing too rough, Clark!” cried the other kids.
“Yes, Clark loved his life with all of his sharky heart.
But he loved everything way too much.
He was too loud. He was too wild.
He was just too much shark for the other fish to handle.
After a while, no one would play with Clark. No one ate lunch with Clark.
No one sat with him at circle time. Even his best friend, Joey Mackerel, said, “Cool your jets, Clark! You’re making me crazy!”
One day, Clark asked Mrs. Inkydink, ‘What’s wrong with everyone?”
Mrs. Inkydink patted his fin.
Clark, sometimes you play too hard, you munch too hard, and – gosh – you even help too hard.”
“But life is SO exciting!” said Clark.
“There’s a time and a place for everything,” said Mrs. Inkydink.
“And sometimes the rule is stay cool.”
At recess, Clark tried to stay cool, but he pushed the swing with too much zing!
“Sorry,” said Clark. “I forgot.”
“Yikes!” cried Joey Mackerel.
At lunch, Clark tried to stay cool, but everything smelled so good that he munched a bunch of lunches.
“Sorry,” said Clark. “I forgot.”
“We’re STARVING!” said his friends.
In class, Clark tried to stay cool, but a good book got him all shook up.
“Now, Clark!” said Mrs. Inkydink. “This isn’t the time or the place. Tell me, what’s the rule?”
“Stay cool,” said Clark.
“Hey, that rhymes!” he cried.
Then Clark got a big idea in his sharky head.
Maybe if I make a rhyme, I’ll remember every time! he thought.
The next day, he put his plan to work.