Theatre / voice
Behind the scenes: Bristol Academy of Voice Acting
When voice actor Melissa Thom decided to set up the Bristol Academy of Voice Acting (BRAVA) from her garden studio back in 2021, it was the culmination of a multitude of serendipitous moments.
She first fell in love with the radio in Brighton, and subsequently in Devon, both of which provided a rich training ground in the art of the voice. But though she commends the experience of breakfast radio in particular, it eventually ran its course.
“You become a character,” she reflects. “I learnt so much, but in the end I thought I was a bit of a parody of myself, and that was the point where I needed to go off and dig deeper into what this craft is.”
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In the ensuing decades, Thom ran a charity, and then moved into startups, setting up in the basement of GWR (now part of the Heart radio network), at a time when female entrepreneurs were far from ubiquitous.
She completed an MA in Marketing at UWE, and worked in digital advertising; bringing commercial and corporate experience which has proved very valuable in the world of voice over.
BRAVA was founded in 2021 – photo: Melissa Thom
She also had her two children, and recalls the stark reality of going through two recessions; financially straightened times when she had her husband couldn’t pay their mortgage. The turning point, in many ways, was the family’s decision to move to Silicon Valley for a couple of years.
“I’m so grateful that happened,” she says. “I was already working with my voice – more as a voice over – but it was when we moved out to California that I got more involved in character work, and got signed to agents as a voice actor.”
Moving back to Bristol, she continued as a full-time voice actor, a profession that lent her the flexibility and agency expedient to a working mum.
And then the pandemic happened. Thom had previously taken a foundation course at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was regularly in touch with colleagues and acting friends from there. “We had a zoom and they just looked broken,” she recalls.
“I remember thinking ‘I’m still really busy’, and I said to them, ‘I’ll train you.’ And so that’s what we did.”
From the outset, the courses taught by specialist voice coaches at BRAVA offer a very different skillset to the things that you learn at drama school. As a result, Thom points out that while some actors can thrive in both worlds, there are lots of people who perhaps wouldn’t have been suited to the stage or screen, that can flourish as a voice actor.
From narration, which encompasses documentary, corporate and e-learning, training moves on to commercial, which is more intensive, and takes on the practical aspects of working in the medium; the foundational skills underpinning every successful voice actor: from the voice itself, to performance techniques, dealing with imposter syndrome, and also – crucially – the business side.
Lastly, for those that are ready and able, budding voice actors take on character work – including video games, toys and animation, all of which have exploded over recent years, even given the exponential growth of AI.
Though still in its infancy, BRAVA is flourishing, routinely filling its courses of online and in person sessions, acting sessions and masterclasses – from ‘extreme voicing’ to ‘classical acting’ and ‘audio direction for video games’.
For Thom, the industry most suits people seeking to add voice to their skillset.
“That’s what I love about voice acting,” she enthuses. “For me there are lots of creative individuals that perhaps started in their jobs because they were creatives, and eventually the joy has been sucked out of them; we have been through all of that.
“This is something you can take on without the pressure of thinking you have to go and change your entire career. With voice acting, you can take it on as little or as much as you want.”
Find out more about BRAVA at www.brava.uk.com.
Main photo: Melissa Thom
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