Narrators

When preparing for a production, Jessica begins by reading the book. "I like to get a sense of where the characters are in the orchestra--who's the bass, what's the string
section. The spine of each character's emotional energy." She pauses to explain. "It's as though I create their eye sockets, how they see the world."

Jessica, who has a delightfully youthful, energetic voice, loves recording books for young listeners. "I feel like so much of what flourishes in my life right now stems from the fact that I wasn't glued to an electronic device as a child--that I made theater out of paper cups and beads and my mom's sweater and a cassette tape. Kids in today's technologically distracted generation don't have to use their imaginations as much. I love that I get to be a part of connecting kids to reading and seeing--in every sense of that word--for themselves."

The recording studio itself also delights and fascinates Jessica. "It's like a sensory deprivation booth!" she exclaims. "On stage you can use your body, eyes, hair, how you move . . . When they're all taken away, all you have is your voice! How do you transmit everything with just your voice--it's as though you're speaking to a prison mate through a crack in the wall. As an artist, it's great to experience a whole different spectrum of communicating. For me, it's an ongoing exploration." --Jessie C. Grearson