Rick Reid's Voice Acting Highlighter

My Blog Has Moved!

2011-10-01T16:10:00.003-06:00

My occasional blogs about my current creative endeavors can now be found at http://www.rickreid.com/News. Please join me there.

(This blog will self-destruct on November 1, 2011.)

Mrs. Tewksbury Strikes Again... And Again!

2010-07-14T15:17:00.005-06:00

(Greenville, North Carolina) -- Voice actor Rick Reid reprises his infamous role as the opera singing society lady, Mrs. Tewksbury, in a Greenville, North Carolina community theater production of Harvey by Mary Chase beginning August 6, 2010.

Reid -- who can't carry a tune in a bucket -- plays the singing voice of the off-stage character in the opening moments of the classic American comedy being staged by the Magnolia Arts Center. The script calls for an awful female singing voice performing "the Buttercup Aria" from H.M.S. Pinafore. Fortunately, Reid's singing voice is about as awful as they come.

Reid, who lives in the Denver, Colorado area, won't actually be in Greenville for his ear-splitting performance. Instead, he'll make a virtual appearance via digital technology. His .mp3 file of the Buttercup Aria has taken on a life of its own since Reid first recorded it for a February 2009 production of Harvey in Parker, Colorado. After the run of that show, he posted the recording on the YouTube website to share his gloriously bad song stylings with the world. Since then, the recording has been played by YouTube visitors nearly 1,500 times and theater groups around the country have stumbled upon Reid's anti-masterpiece while researching sound cues for their own productions of Harvey. So far, Reid's recording has made additional appearances in community and high school theater productions of Harvey in McCook, Nebraska, Gilbert, Arizona, Belfast, Maine and just a few weeks ago in Huntington, West Virginia. The current Greenville staging of Harvey will be the sixth in what Reid hopes will be a long string of productions to use his recorded performance.

"Harvey has always been one of my favorite plays," said Reid. "It's fun for me to be involved in so many productions of it. I also find it amusing that I'm gaining some notoriety for being a bad singer. I don't think I ever would have received this attention if I were actually a good singer. Pleasant singing voices are a dime a dozen, but a voice that can make paint peel off walls -- that's something special!"

Besides mangling light opera, Rick Reid is an accomplished professional voice actor. He has been heard on radio and TV commercials, corporate media productions, websites and animations for a wide range of clients including Dish Network, Time-Warner Cable, Coors, Western Union, Liquid Comics and J2 Global Communications. His other creative endeavors include co-producing the Starz Studios movie news series for the Starz premium television networks, and designing music and sound effects cues for Denver-area theater productions. Reid also plays the theremin and other oddball electronic musical instruments. His first full-length experimental electronic album, Boulder Suite: Improvisations for Theremin, Drums & Devices, is available from iTunes, Amazon and most other on-line music retailers. Details about the album and links to audio samples are available at http://www.rickreidtheremin.com. Information about Reid’s voice acting work is on the web at http://www.rickreid.com.

Harvey runs August 6-8 and 12-14 at the Music Academy of Eastern Carolina, 1400 Red Banks Road. Show times and tickets are available on-line at http://www.magnoliaartscenter.com.

Mrs. Tewksbury Strikes Again!

2010-06-18T11:31:00.028-06:00

(Huntington, West Virginia) -- Voice actor Rick Reid reprises his infamous role as the opera singing society lady, Mrs. Tewksbury, in a Huntington, West Virginia community theater production of Harvey by Mary Chase beginning June 24, 2010.

Reid -- who can't carry a tune in a bucket -- plays the singing voice of the off-stage character in the opening moments of the classic American comedy being staged by Art Resources For The Tristate. The script calls for an awful female singing voice performing "the Buttercup Aria" from H.M.S. Pinafore. Fortunately, Reid's singing voice is about as awful as they come.

Reid, who lives in the Denver, Colorado area, won't actually be in Huntington for his ear-splitting moment in the show. He'll make an ersatz appearance via a digital audio file. His .mp3 file of the Buttercup Aria has taken on a life of its own since Reid first recorded it for a February 2009 production of Harvey in Parker, Colorado. After the run of that show, he posted the recording on YouTube.com to share his gloriously bad song stylings with the world. Since then, theater groups around the country have stumbled upon Reid's anti-masterpiece while researching sound cues for their own productions of Harvey. So far, Reid's recording has made additional appearances in community and high school theater productions of Harvey in McCook, Nebraska, Gilbert, Arizona, and Belfast, Maine. The current Huntington, West Virginia staging of Harvey will be the fifth in what Reid hopes will be a long string of productions to use his recorded performance.

"Harvey has always been one of my favorite plays," said Reid. "It's fun for me to be involved in so many productions of it. I also find it amusing that I'm gaining some notoriety for being a bad singer. I don't think I ever would have received this attention if I were actually a good singer. Pleasant singing voices are a dime a dozen, but a voice that can make paint peel off walls -- that's something special!"

Besides mangling light opera, Rick Reid is an accomplished professional voice actor. He has been heard on radio and TV commercials, corporate media productions, websites and educational cartoons for a wide range of clients including Dish Network, Time-Warner Cable, Coors, Western Union, Liquid Comics and eVoice. His other creative endeavors include co-producing the Starz Studios movie news series for the Starz premium television networks, and designing music and sound effects cues for Denver-area theater productions. Reid also plays the Theremin and other electronic musical instruments. His first full-length experimental electronic album, Boulder Suite: Improvisations for Theremin, Drums & Devices, is available from iTunes, Amazon and most other on-line music retailers. Details about the album and links to audio samples are available at http://www.rickreidtheremin.com.

Harvey runs June 24-27 at the Renaissance Center, 900 East 8th Street, in Huntington, West Virginia. Ticket information is available on-line at http://www.733arts.org.

Rick Reid and Gunnar Hauge release first full-length music collaboration, "Boulder Suite."

2010-05-28T11:26:00.023-06:00

(Denver, CO) -- Multi-talented voice actor, TV producer and sound designer Rick Reid has announced the release of his first full-length music album, "Boulder Suite - Improvisations for Theremin, Drums & Devices."

Reid's duo performance with drummer Gunnar Hauge was recorded live in a Boulder rehearsal studio during the pair's very first jam session, on May 16, 2010.

"Gunnar and I found each other through Craigslist," explained Reid. "Both of us had posted ads in the same week, looking for collaborators for electronic music experimentation. After exchanging a few emails with him, I saw Gunnar perform with local rock band Free Radt at the Toad Tavern. Two days later we were in a rehearsal studio, creating the music that appears on our new album."

Reid said an album release was not on his mind during that jam session. "I knew we would be improvising, and the simplest way I could think of to remember what we came up with was to record it," he said. "When I listened to the recording afterward, I realized that this was a moment frozen in time -- that we had made some really interesting, unexpected music that we probably couldn't play exactly the same way ever again. So, I decided to piece together the very best elements and put it out there for the public to hear."

The recording features Hauge on all acoustic drums and percussion. Reid plays the Moog Etherwave Theremin, the Korg MicroKORG synthesizer/vocoder keyboard, the Korg Kaossilator Pro, the Korg Kaoss Pad KP3 and the Alesis AirSynth.

Reid performed his parts of the music by unconventional means. "Although the MicroKORG does have a traditional, piano-style keyboard, I really didn't play it as a keyboard instrument. Instead, I triggered simple chords that were automatically repeated by an on-board arpeggiator," he said. "I also used the MicroKORG as a vocoder to create some of the robot-like voices that appear in parts of the recording." Both the Kaoss Pad and the Kaossilator feature an X-Y touch control surface, similar in function to the cursor control on a notebook computer. To perform synthesized and sampled sounds and to create music loops on-the-fly, Reid tapped and traced his fingers on the control surfaces of these devices.

Reid didn't even lay a finger on two of his musical instruments. "The Alesis Air Synth is just plain weird. It's a device with an infrared transmitter and receiver built into a sci-fi looking black dome," he explained. "I play it by moving and tilting my hand a few inches above the dome. As the infrared light reflects off my hand and back inside the dome, it creates a stream of 3-dimensional position and velocity data that alters the intstrument's pre-set sounds." Likewise, Reid's Moog Etherwave Theremin is a hands-off instrument. "The Theremin is one of the oldest electronic instrument designs still in use. It was patented by Leon Theremin in 1928. I play it by moving my hands in the space surrounding the two antennae that stick out the top and side of the instrument." Changing the hand's proximity to the instrument's vertically oriented antenna controls the musical pitch, while touchless interaction with the horizontal loop antenna on the side controls the volume. Reid augments the eerie sound of the Theremin with reverb, distortion, delay and other effects by running it through a Line 6 Floor Pod Plus guitar effects pedal.

So what does the album sound like? "It reminds me of early Tangerine Dream and other krautrock bands of the late 1960s and early 70s," said Reid. "Some elements remind me of the early instrumentals work of Pink Floyd. There's also the swirling, atmospheric effects that remind me of Jean-Michel Jarre. Finally, there's a lot of randomness to the work. I would compare it to some of the early work of Vangelis, Morton Subotnik and John Cage in that respect." The improvised composition is not, however, entirely set in the electronic music genre's distant past. "I think there is also a contemporary quality to it at the same time. I think it has a place among today's trance and techno music."

One thing Reid stresses when talking about the album is its rather random, unpolished condition. "Gunnar and I had no intention of recording an album. This was the first time we had ever played together and we began with no plan. We didn't choose chord progressions or specific rhythmic styles. This was not pre-written at all. The whole thing came from improvisation -- from a sort of shared musical meditation. I'd call it a happy accident." But not all accidents are happy, he explained. "There are parts of the album -- both musically and technically -- that are clearly flawed and maybe even a little annoying. Maybe even a lot annoying. But it's constantly changing, so what may sound unpleasant in one moment leads directly to something different and more pleasant a short time later. When composing in-the-moment like this, the disonance and harmony are both spontaneous and interdependent."

Reid said that when he edited the recording session to album length he made the deliberate decision to leave in much of the dissonance. "There were parts that I would consider to be mistakes if I were producing a more conventional, commercial release," said Reid. "I want these unsettling elements to serve as a reminder to the listener that we really were just making this stuff up as we went along. I want them to get a sense of our experience -- the ebb and flow between Gunnar's performance and mine, that feeling of pleasant surprise when things sounded great, and that sense of self-forgiveness I had to have whenever I hit a klinker or went down a musical path that led to a dead end."

"Boulder Suite - Improvisations for Theremin, Drums & Devices," is a download-only album that will be available at most on-line retailers including Napster, Amazon and iTunes within the next several weeks. Three singles from the album are currently in rotation at the streaming music website, SongVault.FM. Excerpts from every track are also available at CDBaby.com. You can learn more about Rick's electronic music work at his new site: RickReidTheremin.com.

Rick Reid Helps Colorado Kids Make A Wish

2010-02-10T22:04:00.005-07:00

(Denver, Colorado) -- Denver-based voice actor Rick Reid can be heard narrating a TV public service announcement for the Colorado chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The 30-second spot produced pro bono by Colorado employees of Starz Entertainment promotes the foundation's participation in the Checkoff Colorado program, which allows taxpayers to make a donation when filing their state income tax returns.

"Starz has been a long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish," said Reid. "When producer-director Steve McClure asked me to lend my voice to this worthy cause, I was thrilled to be able to help."

The TV spot will air throughout Colorado until April 15th. For details about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado visit http://www.wishcolorado.org. To learn more about Starz Entertainment visit http://www.starz.com.

Rick Reid Makes Sound Choices In Two Denver Stage Comedies

2010-02-05T22:20:00.002-07:00

(Parker and Westminster, Colorado) -- Denver-based voice actor and sound designer Rick Reid added two more theater productions to his sound design credits this month with a pair of comedies that opened on February 5th on opposite ends of the Denver metro area.

To the northwest was "The Foreigner," staged by the 73rd Avenue Theater Company in Westminister. To the southeast was "Moon Over Buffalo," staged by the Parker Arts Council.

"The Foreigner" runs through March 14. Details are on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=295640067027&index=1

"Moon Over Buffalo" runs through February 14. Details are online at: http://parkerartscouncil.org/Comedy.html.

Rick Reid Adds Sound Effects & Music To Pair of Dickens-inspired Holiday Plays

2009-11-25T09:21:00.008-07:00

(Westminster, Colorado) -- Denver voice actor and sound designer Rick Reid lends his creative and technical expertise to a pair of holiday stage plays being presented by the 73rd Avenue Theatre Company.

Reid serves as sound designer for "A Christmas Cactus" directed by Mellisa Taylor and "A Hillbilly Christmas Carol" directed by Ellen Farnsworth. "A Christmas Cactus," written by Eliot Byerrum, is a detective comedy that draws inspiration from characters and situations in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." "A Hillbilly Christmas Carol" by LeRoma Eshbach Greth takes the Dickens references a step further, with a story about a backwoods family who try to recreate Ebeneezer Scrooge's dreams to inspire some Christmas cheer in a cranky family member while he snoozes.

Both shows feature music and sound effects researched and edit by Reid. In "A Christmas Cactus" he also performs several musical sound effects cues and the voice of an off-stage character.

"To me, creating the sound environment for a stage production is just as challenging and rewarding as playing a character on stage," said Reid. "I also enjoy the added challenge of finding or creating just the right sound effect to bring heightened authenticity, drama or humor to the on-stage action."

"A Christmas Cactus" opens Friday, November 27th. "A Hillbilly Christmas Carol" opens December 5th. All performances will take place at the 73rd Avenue Playhouse, 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, Colorado. For tickets and show times, visit: http://www.the73rdavenuetheatrecompany.com/now-playing/

Denver Actor Brings Hare-Raising Vocal Performance To Arizona For Higley High School Staging Of ‘Harvey’

2009-11-11T15:04:00.015-07:00

(Gilbert, Arizona) -- When Denver, Colorado actor and theatrical sound designer Rick Reid took on the vocal role of incompetent opera singer Miss Tewksbury in a February 2009 community theater production of “Harvey,” he had no idea that his performance would take on a life of its own. This week, the recording of his off-key falsetto rendition of “I’m Called Little Buttercup” appears in its third production of the show, as Higley High School presents the classic Mary Chase comedy about a middle-aged eccentric and his invisible rabbit friend.

“When I was creating the sound effects for the production of this show in Parker, Colorado, I needed the off-stage sound of a very bad, female opera singer performing the Buttercup aria from ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ by Gilbert and Sullivan for the opening scene,” said Reid. “I thought about recording a female cast member, but I was worried that she would sing too well. I realized nobody could sing the part worse than me, so I did it myself.” Reid posted the recording on YouTube.com after the Parker production closed. It has since been played hundreds of times. With Reid's permission, a southwest Nebraska community theater group used the recording in their October 2009 production of “Harvey,” after a company member heard it on YouTube.

Shortly after that show closed, Reid got a similar request from another YouTube listener, this time from a student on the stage crew of Higley High School in Gilbert, Arizona. So, on Thursday night at 7:30pm, Reid’s improbable Internet hit will take the stage for a third time as the Higley Knight Time Players present “Harvey” by Mary Chase, under the direction of Debbie Prost. The run continues Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14 at 7:30pm. All performances are at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 East Pecos Road, Gilbert, Arizona.

Fortunately, Arizona audiences will only have to endure Reid’s almost window-shattering performance for several seconds each night. Those brave enough to listen to the entire song can find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7cdE5Trzeo

Rick Reid is an accomplished voice actor, stage actor, theatrical sound designer and network TV writer-producer. More details about his adventures in modern recording can be found at his website, http://www.rickreid.com.

EVENT DETAILS:

"HARVEY" by Mary Chase
directed by Debbie Prost

Higley Center for the Performing Arts
4132 East Pecos Road, Gilbert, Arizona 85295
November 12 – 14, 2009, 7:30pm

$7 adults, $5 children

Tickets are available at the door, or may be reserved by calling Debbie Prost at (480) 279-9753.

Rick Reid Voices Medical Motion Comics For Children On International Website

2009-10-23T01:44:00.013-06:00

Denver, Colorado-based voice actor Rick Reid provides the voices of several of the characters in the new, educational motion comics animated video, "What's Up With Paris? Medikidz Explain Overweight," being previewed on the Medikidz.com website Friday, October 23. Reid bring his voice talents to super hero characters called Gastro, Axon and Abacus, as well as several minor characters in the 25-minute program produced by Bangalore, India-based animation studio, Liquid Comics.

Website visitors who have completed the free registration process can watch an early draft of the first 7 minutes of the new video in the Medikidz.com "Brain Room" beginning at 4pm UK time, 9am Mountain time. The video will repeat throughout the day. It can also be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TaF3PlXab0

"A motion comic is a fairly new form of animation," said Reid. "It's basically a comic book with moving parts, rather than a fully-animated cartoon. It can be produced at a much lower cost than full-motion animation, yet it has a strong appeal to comic book fans because it preserves the visual style elements such as speech balloons and spelled-out sound effects that make comics and graphic novels unique," Reid said. "The soundtrack plays out differently, too. It's more like an audio book than a fully produced animated cartoon. There is less emphasis on sound effects and music, and just a few actors may play a bunch of different roles," he said. "Kids can even read along with the actors because most or all of the dialog is spelled out on screen, just as it would be in a comic book."

The non-profit Medikidz Foundation was established by a group of physicians in the United Kingdom who saw a need for health and medical information presented in formats suitable for their youngest patients. With their team of teenage Medikidz super hero characters, Medikidz teaches children about a wide range of diseases and other health issues through their interactive website, comic books and motion comics videos.

"What's Up With Paris? Medikidz Explain Overweight" also features the voice talents of David Brower and Kat Keesling.

Voice Actor & Sound Designer Rick Reid Makes Long Distance Appearance on McCook, Nebraska Stage

2009-10-17T09:38:00.004-06:00

Denver,Colorado-based voice actor and theatrical sound designer Rick Reid puts on a brief but "hare" raising performance in a McCook, Nebraska community theater production of "Harvey" by Mary Chase this week. The long-distance performance was made possible by YouTube.com.

Early this year Reid performed as Wilson, the sanitarium orderly, in a Parker, Colorado production of the classic comedy about a middle-aged man named Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible friend he describes as a 6-foot-one-and-a-half-inch tall white rabbit named Harvey. Reid also designed the show's sound effects and music cues, including the off-stage voice of a very bad, female singer performing the Buttercup Aria from "H.M.S. Pinafore." Reid was going to have a female cast member sing the song, but when he tried it himself, he decided his attempt at performing light opera in a falsetto voice was so amazingly bad that he simply could not let the opportunity pass him by. Reid also decided to share his performance with the rest of the world via the Internet.

"I noticed how recordings of this song got lots of plays on YouTube.com," said Reid. "I just felt compelled to post my truly awful rendition there, too."

While it has not been a viral phenomenon like many other YouTube.com posts, the recording has had more than 300 listeners so far. One of them was Jeri Lynn Karr from the Southwest Nebraska Community Theater Association. After exchanging a couple of emails with Reid about the song, he invited her to use his recording in the SWNCTA production of "Harvey." Now, Reid's nearly window-shattering voice can be heard in McCook, Nebraska for four performances October 22nd through 25th at the Republican Valley Events Center.

Fortunately, Nebraska audiences will only have to endure his performance for several seconds. Those brave enough to hear the entire song can do so on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7cdE5Trzeo

Rick Reid is an accomplished voice actor, theatrical sound designer and network TV writer-producer. More details about his adventures in modern recording can be found at his website, http://www.rickreid.com.

"HARVEY" by Mary Chase
Director: Don Harpst
Assistant Director: Howard Kool

REPUBLICAN VALLEY EVENTS CENTER
905 East 7th Street, McCook, NE 69001

Thursday, October 22nd, 7:30pm
Friday, October 23rd, 7:30pm
Saturday, October 24th, 7:30pm
Sunday, October, 25th, MATINEE, 2:00pm

Dinner Theatre Tickets (all ages) $21.50
Adult Show-Only Tickets $10.00
Children (12 & under) $7.00

**Tickets MUST be purchased in advance for Dinner Theatre**

Due to limited seating advance ticket purchase
is strongly recommended for “SHOW-ONLY” tickets

SHOW-ONLY TICKETS are available for purchase at:

Hershberger Music Company and Janssen-Kool Honda

DINNER THEATRE TICKETS are available for purchase
by calling:

Alice Harpst at 308-340-2592 or Gene Weedin at 308-345-5265

****Buffet dinner served nightly at 6:00pm & 12:30pm on Sunday****

Designer Adds Classic Sci Fi Sounds To Westminster Production Of The Rocky Horror Show

2009-10-01T03:30:00.008-06:00

What's a science fiction spoof without a theremin?

That's what Denver-area theatrical sound designer Rick Reid asked himself when approached by director Ellen Farnsworth to provide sound effects and incidental music for her 73rd Avenue Theatre Company production of The Rocky Horror Show.

The answer came by delivery truck a few days later in the form of a brand new Moog Etherwave theremin.

“Usually, when I create sound effects and music cues for theatrical productions I deliver them on a CD or minidisc or as a cue list playable on a notebook computer,” said Reid. “I may attend a few rehearsals to fine tune the effects for a show, but I'm often not involved once it opens to the public. With The Rocky Horror Show being such a fun, interactive experience, I just had to put myself into the performance. Using a theremin and synthesizers to create sound effects on-the-fly seemed the perfect way to do that.” Reid said he had wanted to purchase a theremin for years and now he had a good excuse.

The theremin was patented in 1928 by Russian engineer Leon Theremin and is one of the very earliest electronic musical instruments. “It was originally called an etherphone because it allowed musicians to seemingly pull mysterious musical tones out of the ether with a wave of their hands,” said Reid. It's really a fascinating instrument to listen to and to play." The sad, almost human sound of the theremin became virtually synonymous with sci fi movies of the 1950s. The eerie sounds produced by the device have been featured in movie soundtracks since 1931 in such memorable films as The Thing (From Another Planet), Spellbound, The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Ten Commandments and more recently in Ed Wood, Hellboy and The Avengers.

The theremin is deceptively simple in design. The shallow wooden box has just four control knobs and two shiny antennae: a vertical rod that regulates musical pitch and a horizontal loop that controls volume. “To produce sound from the theremin I don't even touch it,” Reid explained. “I simply move my hands in the air near the antennae. My body becomes a grounding path for the electrical field around the instrument. Changing the location and position of my hands causes variations in the sound produced. I think the theremin is probably the easiest musical instrument to play poorly and the most difficult to play at a virtuoso level,” he said. “Very few musicians have truly mastered the theremin. I'm strictly a beginner. I can make weird noises and improvised 'space music' with it, but not what most people would consider traditional, tonal music. I've got years of practice ahead of me.”

Fortunately, in this instance, weird noise is all that is required.

The Rocky Horror Show is a 1973 musical comedy written by Richard O'Brien. It is the precursor to the 1975 cult movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Both the original stage production and the film starred Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from Transsexual, Transylvania. Fans of the movie who have attended midnight screenings dozens or even hundreds of times have developed complex rituals including dressing as their favorite characters, heckling the on-screen dialog, pantomiming scenes and throwing such odd props as rice, toast and hot dogs. “Obviously, this is not serious theatre,” said Reid, “But it's an absolute blast!”

In addition to his Moog Etherwave theremin, Reid's electronic arsenal for the production includes Roland RS-5 and Korg MicroKorg keyboard synthesizers, the theremin-like infrared light-controlled Alesis AirFX and AirSynth devices and a Line 6 Floor Pod Plus digital effects processor.

The Rocky Horror Show opens October 2 and runs through Halloween night with performances at 7:30pm on Tuesdays and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays at the 73rd Avenue Playhouse, 7287 Lowell Blvd. In Westminster, Colorado. Tickets are $15 each and may be reserved by telephone by calling (720)276-6936, or by email by writing to the73rd.avecompany@yahoo.com. Audience members are invited to attend in costume, but props will not be permitted in the interest of the safety of the performers.

Rick Reid Adds Sound To Three More Denver-Area Theater Productions

2009-08-31T22:37:00.007-06:00

Colorado voice actor Rick Reid keeps his home recording studio working between voiceover gigs by editing and mixing sound effects and background music cues for stage plays. Reid serves as sound designer on three plays about to hit the boards in Denver over the next few weeks: Muriel's Memoirs, Victoria's House and The Rocky Horror Show.

Muriel's Memoirs makes its national premiere on Friday, September 4th at 7:30pm at Westminster's 73rd Avenue Playhouse. The two-act drama written by Christina Hamlett and directed by Maru Garcia reveals the complex relationships and family secrets among an elderly Alzheimer's patient and her two adult daughters. Show times and ticket information are available at http://www.the73rdavenuetheatrecompany.com.

The Parker Arts Council presents Victoria's House at the Parker Mainstreet Center beginning Friday, September 25th. The two-act mystery written by Fred Carmichael and directed by Patricia Goodman pays homage to the traditional Victorian thriller and such classic mysteries as Gaslight and Rebecca. Show times and ticket information are available at http://parkerartscouncil.org/September_Show.html.

Director Ellen Farnsworth brings The Rocky Horror Show to the 73rd Avenue Playhouse beginning Friday, October 2nd at 11pm. The macabre, sexy and silly British stage musical by Richard O'Brien was adapted into the cult classic movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Show times and ticket information are available at http://www.the73rdavenuetheatrecompany.com.

Muriel's Memoirs, Victoria's House and The Rocky Horror Show are Rick Reid's 6th, 7th and 8th theatrical sound design project for 2009. His previous productions this year were Harvey, A Doll's House, Dorothy And The Wizard of Oz, Don't Drink The Water and Mary, Mary.

Rick Reid Announces Free Career Webinar For Actors

2009-08-24T22:27:00.011-06:00

Denver-based voice actor Rick Reid is pleased to invite professional actors, models and other performers to a free webinar titled "Talent On Target: Hitting Your Career Bullseye" on Tuesday, September 1 at 7pm mountain time.

The webinar will be presented by the staff of Holdon Log, the company that created the PerformerTrack webware accounting and scheduling system for professional actors.
"The topic of the webinar is about how you can use the PerformerTrack webware to more efficiently and effectively operate your acting business," said Reid. PerformerTrack is a personal time management and record keeping system designed specifically for professional actors and other performers. "It can help you track auditions, performance schedules, talent agency contacts, accounts receivable, tax deductible expenses and many other bits of information that can be difficult for us creative types to organize and manage," he said.

"If you are interested in learning more about PerfomerTrack and possibly subscribing, this will be a great introduction, and you will have an opportunity to get an introductory discount," Reid said. "Even if you are certain you don't want to use PerformerTrack, you'll probably pick up lots of useful self-management ideas you can apply on your own. If you are already a PerformerTrack subscriber, you are welcome to join us as well, for a quick refresher course on PerformerTrack's cool features and capabilities," he added.

Reid explained that participation is open to current and aspiring professional performing artists throughout the USA and enrollment is limited to 100 people. Actors and other performers interested in participating in the webinar will need access to a telephone and a computer with Internet service to participate. Advance registration is required. Those interested in participating may register on-line at http://www.performertrack.com/webinars090109RR.html.

Rick Reid Interviews ASIA Vocalist John Payne

2009-08-18T22:46:00.014-06:00

Denver-based voice actor and electronic media writer-producer Rick Reid interviews international recording artist John Payne in the August 17 edition of the John Payne Fancast.

Reid recorded the 37-minute interview with the progressive rock singer-songwriter, producer and bass player on August 14, 2009 while Payne was making a concert tour stop in Wisconsin.

The in-depth conversation features Payne's candid comments about his many prolific years as lead vocalist of the 1980s "super group" ASIA beginning in 1992 after the departure of the band's original singer, John Wetton. Payne reveals current projects in the works, including new ASIA and JPS albums and a planned concept album to accompany Decoding The Lost Symbol, an upcoming book by alternative historian and best-selling author Simon Cox. He also talks about his recent turn as Parson Nathaniel in a series of sold-out UK concert performances of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds.

The John Payne Fancast is a podcast series produced and hosted by Denver-based podcaster Jeri Unselt and serves as a fan-to-fan communication resource for information about Payne's music recordings and concert appearances. The John Payne Fancast can be found on the web at www.johnpaynefancast.net and in the podcast directory of the iTunes Store.

In addition to his work as a professional voice actor, Rick Reid is employed as a network TV writer-producer and is a former album rock radio personality. Over the past several years he has interviewed dozens of celebrities including musicians, actors, movie directors, authors, politicians and sports figures.

Rick Reid Speaks For eVoice Web Demo

2009-08-04T01:14:00.005-06:00

Denver-based professional voice actor Rick Reid can be heard on the newly redesigned eVoice.com website. Reid narrates a product demo presentation created by Los Angeles-based Start Design Group. The demo can be viewed at: http://www.evoice.com/how-virtual-pbx-works

eVoice.com, a division of J2 Global Communications, is a leading provider of voice mail and virtual receptionist services for individuals and businesses.

Rick Reid Designs Sound For Trio of Plays

2009-05-10T10:31:00.009-06:00

When voice actor Rick Reid isn't recording voiceovers for radio and TV commercials, he still keeps his home studio busy creating music and sound effects cues for live theater productions. Rick's sound design work can be heard in three plays in May in the Denver-metro area. Click the links below for details:

73rd Ave. Theater Company presents:
"A Doll's House"
by Henrik Ibsen.
May 8 - June 14, 2009
73rd Ave. Playhouse
Westminster, Colorado

73rd. Ave Theater Company presents:
"Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz"
by Steve and Kathy Hotchner, based on the book by L. Frank Baum.
May 16 - June 28, 2009
73rd Ave. Playhouse
Westminster, Colorado

Spotlight Theatre Company presents:
"Don't Drink the Water"
by Woody Allen.
May 23 - June 20, 2009
John Hand Theater
Denver, Colorado

Rick Reid Lends Familiar Ring To Colorado Stage Production

2009-02-27T11:21:00.013-07:00

Professional voice actor Rick Reid will remain unusually silent during the upcoming 73rd Avenue Theatre Company production of "Mary, Mary" by Jean Kerr. He will, however, provide the show with a familiar ring -- a familiar telephone ring, to be precise.

Reid, who operates a small voiceover recording studio from his home, serves as sound designer for the production, providing sound effects as well as theme music. "This show is unusual, because it only requires one sound effect," said Reid. "Because it is set in the early 1960s, the telephone on stage has to have a ring with the traditional, metallic tone. As the cliche goes," he explained, "they just don't make 'em like that anymore."

In addition to the telephone ring, Reid researched, selected and edited an assortment of acoustic jazz and lounge music cues for the production, to indicate scene and act changes and to serve as background music prior to the show and during intermission. "I like to find music that reinforces the era, setting and personality of the individual show," said Reid. "When you have the appropriate background music playing as the audience enters the theater, you literally set the stage for the performance to follow."

It isn't just musicals that benefit from music, Reid explained. "Because we are all so used to seeing movies and TV programs with musical soundtracks, even just a few music cues can enhance a non-musical stage play in a way that better meets the expectations of today's audiences and makes a more complete theatrical experience."

To create these audio enhancements for stage plays, Reid draws from his collection of about forty-thousand royalty-free music and sound effects recordings. He also creates original sound effects when needed using a portable digital recording device. Additionally, Reid has the capability to download public domain MIDI files such as classical music scores and process them through digital synthesizers to authentically re-create the sound of acoustic musical instruments ranging from solo pianos to full orchestras. Reid's previous sound design credits include Denver-area stage productions of "Harvey," "Bleacher Bums," "Miss Johnson's Trunk," "The Hound of the Baskervilles," "Deathtrap" and "Arsenic and Old Lace."

The newly formed 73rd Avenue Theatre Company presents “Mary, Mary” March 6 through April 12 at the 73rd Avenue Playhouse, 7287 Lowell Blvd. in Westminster, Colorado. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults or $16 for seniors and students and are available at the door or by calling 720-276-6936 or emailing the73rd.avecompany@yahoo.com.

"Mary, Mary" is directed by Maru Garcia. The cast includes Magally Rizo Antuna, Randy Diamon, Clara Evans, Steve Seaholm and Bill Thompson. Darlene Grandy is assistant director and stage manager. Mellisa Taylor and Kiso Kyle are the light and sound operators. Freddie Allen and Curtis Miller built the set. For further details, see the event listing at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1917568/

The Agent: What is it? What can it do for you?

2009-02-08T18:52:00.009-07:00

by Rick Reid

I often have potential clients contact me directly, rather than speaking to one of my talent agents first. If you are someone who is new to hiring voiceover talent, you may have a tendency to do the same thing with other voice actors as well. I want to assure you that the talent agent is your friend. Here's why...

We voice actors have crazy schedules.

We may work part of the day in our home studios and part of the day at other studios around town. Some of us may also be acting in films, television shows and stage plays. Some of us "daylight" in other professions and do most of our voiceover work at night. When we are working in our studios, we may have our telephone tied up for "phone patch" sessions or switched to voice mail to avoid having an untimely ring ruin an otherwise perfect recording. Our agents, on the other hand, work in offices during business hours and are available to take your call immediately or call you back within minutes.

We voice actors cannot usually give you a price quote "off the cuff."

We know you want to know the bottom line. How much will this voiceover cost? Please understand that a voice actor's skill, experience and time isn't as simple to price as a can of soup on a grocery store shelf. Factors like the length of the script, the potential size of the production's audience, the length of time the production will be used, how many different character voices are required, the standard rates for the market, union scale rates and the travel distance to the recording studio are just some of the considerations that go into pricing a voiceover project. Collecting and assessing all this data to come up with a fair, reasonable, accurate price quote can be a complex and time-consuming task for a voice actor who is focused on providing excellent performances and customer service to his or her current clients. Our talent agents are amazingly expert at dicussing the details of your project with you, asking the right questions and arriving at an appropriate price quote. For this reason, you will save yourself a considerable bit of time and effort by going to a talent agent first.

You may need more than one voice actor.

You can also work more efficiently when you need more than one voice actor by contacting a talent agent to help you with casting your production. The agent usually represents dozens of talented actors covering a wide range of abilities, age ranges, character types and accents. A talent agent can recommend individual actors who will best meet the needs of your script or can arrange an audition with several actors and send you audition .mp3 files to listen to at your office.

Did I mention that we voice actors have crazy schedules?

Usually, our talent agents can track us down faster than you can, and they probably know our schedules better than we do! Our agents can book an audition or recording session at a time that is convenient for you while simultaneously helping us keep our schedules organized so that we can give every client our complete attention and effort. Our agents can also help you arrange studio rental time, if needed, for the sessions you book with us, regardless of where in the world we may be working. Thanks to modern technologies like broadband Internet and ISDN telephone lines, you can work with us whether we are in our home studios or vacationing in some exotic locale.

And here they are!

If you would like to work with me on your next voiceover production, please contact my talent agent nearest to you:

COLORADO

Kathleen Ham
Donna Baldwin Talent
Denver, CO
www.donnabaldwin.com
(303)561-1199

GEORGIA

Sally Neal
Houghton Talent
Atlanta, GA
www.houghtontalent.com
(404)603-9454

INDIANA, KENTUCKY and OHIO

Sharon Landers
Heyman Talent
Cincinnati, OH
www.heymantalent.com
(513)533-3133

TENNESSEE

Misty Griggs
Advantage Models & Talent
Franklin, TN
www.advantagemodel.com
(615)790-5001

EVERYWHERE ELSE

Just choose the talent agency listed above that is closest to where your business is located.

Do you want to represent me?

If you are a talent agent located outside of the markets listed above and would like to work with me, please send an email to me at voiceovers@rickreid.com and let's discuss the possibilities!

Rick Reid Voices TWC Ad Campaign in Texas

2009-01-07T17:15:00.004-07:00

Voice actor Rick Reid can be heard all over the Lone Star state this week in TV commercials for Time Warner Cable's "4-Day Sale" campaign. Rick's narration was delivered live from his home studio via Source-Connect to The Living Room Music & Sound Design in San Antonio, Texas. The spots were produced for Time Warner Cable by Guerra DeBerry Coody Marketing & Communication.

Rick Reid gives voice to AINC image ID campaign

2008-12-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Rick Reid is featured on new image ID spots premiering this week on AINC, the Audio Information Network of Colorado. AINC is a non-profit radio reading service based in Boulder that gives disabled Coloradoan the ability to listen to local newspapers read aloud by volunteer announcers. Listeners can hear AINC programming over the secondary audio channel of Rocky Mountain PBS television stations, on the Internet and with proprietary receivers.

In addition to lending his voice to the campaign, Reid produced and engineered the spots that promote AINC's tag line: "Listen. Learn. Connect." The 12 spots ranging in duration from three to thirty seconds also feature the voice talents of David Brower, Judy Fossum, Vivienne Houghton, Mark O'Clock, John Snider and Anna Wellborn. Reid and all of the other actors offered their talents on a pro bono basis.

To learn more about AINC and to find out how you can support their efforts to bring the printed word to all Coloradoans, visit their website at http://www.aincolorado.org.

Rick Reid To Appear In "Harvey"

2008-12-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Rick Reid will be performing the role of Duane Wilson in the Parker Arts Council production of "Harvey" by Mary Chase on February 6, 7, 13 and 14, 2009 at the Parker Mainstreet Center.

For the complete schedule and ticketing information, visit www.parkerartscouncil.org.

Rick Reid Featured In Shane Co. Radio Campaign

2008-12-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

Rick Reid is featured in a radio spot with Tom Shane for the Shane Co. jewelry store airing through December in more than a dozen major markets across the USA. Now you've got a voiceover friend in the diamond business!

Rick Reid Set To Teach Advanced Voiceover Studio Class at Denver Center Theatre Academy

2008-11-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Rick Reid will be teaching the first three sessions of the Advanced Voice-over Studio, Demo, Marketing class for the Denver Center Theatre Academy at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts beginning January 17, 2009.

Rick will be teaching basic principles of setting up and operating a low-cost home recording studio. Tia Marlier will teach two two sessions on how to prepare for production of a voice acting demo recording and T. David Rutherford will teach two sessions on marketing and promotion strategies for voice actors.

Rick Reid Voices "Mars Attacks!" Movie Promo

2008-11-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Find more videos like this on voiceover universe presents...

Rick Reid narrates a new TV promo for the Tim Burton movie, "Mars Attacks!" The 30-second spot was written and produced by Emily McClintock for Encore Wam, a premium movie channel available on digital cable and satellite TV throughout the United States.