Toronto-based voice Actor, Melissa Altro stars on the PBS Kids animated hit Arthur as the voice of the spunky character “Muffy”. Altro shares her thoughts about kids, characters and classes with Parent Club.
What brought you to the world of Arthur (did you take theatre at school to prepare for it?
I was 12 years old when I was cast as the voice of Muffy on Arthur. It was my very first voice audition and I was really excited that I got the part. I had been active in a children’s theatre group up until that point, but I hadn’t had any formal training. I didn’t know anything about the world of voice acting. Through playing the role of Muffy I learnt so much when it came to microphone technique and taking direction. I really got most of my training on the job!
What do you think cartoon voice classes can teach kids?
The class that I will be offering in the New Year for kids will focus on having fun, playing with sounds and exploring characters of all kinds. I really want kids to experiment and use their imaginations. Voice acting is so great in that it doesn’t matter what you look like, you can play all different types of roles and that’s really freeing.
What age is too young?
Children at a very young age are naturally speaking in funny voices and playing characters. The thing with voice acting is that you have to be able to read text and well. So I’d say that 8 years is probably the youngest you would want to start your child in order to ensure their reading skills are strong enough.
How many “takes” does it take to tape one cartoon episode?
In a typical recording session, you will deliver your lines at least twice. After that, it depends on what the director is thinking. If they want to hear a specific delivery of a read they will ask you to do it again until they hear what they like!
Altro will be teaching six-week cartoon voice classes for kids as of January 2012. Registration is available now at www.voiceprostudio.ca.
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