Sunday, June 8, 2014

ActorsE Chat with Kurt Kelly of Live Video Inc. and Actors Reporter Interviews Voice Over Artist and Actor Robert O’Gorman





Robert stops into Pepper Jay Studios to chat with host, voice over extraordinaire, legendary radio and TV host Kurt Kelly. Hailing from the Windy City, from the South Side of Chicago, Robert O’Gorman is a well established offstage and Broadway actor, voice-over artist, and has worked in film and television. In Chicago he did a lot of construction work, and he also got his start there during the explosion of ‘experimental theater’ before moving to New York (after receiving his Equity card) to become the best actor he could be. His aspiration was to be on stage, ‘theater, theater, theater’ was all that was on the young O’Gorman’s mind. Robert received his Equity (an actors union) card when he was cast in a production of Spoon River. All of his work prior to Spoon River was non-equity (non-union, where the actors don’t receive benefits and the pay is less, and in order for an actor to receive his or her Equity card, he or she must be cast in a union production). In New York, Robert got his start with The Dream Theater, he auditioned and got in on the first try. There, he and the entire company learned a lot from Viola Spolin’s book titled Improvisation for the Theater. They ate, slept, and breathed the teaches of that book. William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying was the first big play that was a turning point for Robert’s career. While in New York he met the legendary Australian-American actor and drama coach Herbert Berghof, husband of the German American actress and drama teacher Uta Hagen. During a lengthy conversation with Robert, Berghof encouraged him to find an acting coach that he could feel really comfortable with, and Herbert even offered the services of his wife Uta for him to study under. After being in New York for only a few months Robert met his first serious acting coach, a blind director named Robert Raven. “I was meant to work with him, because of the insight that I received from him….he heard everything (and) never skipped a beat.” O’Gorman explained. Also, shortly after arriving in New York, Robert was cast in a showcase for a play called Turning, which was directed by none other than his acting coach Robert Raven. O’Gorman also worked with a very kind gentleman named Michael Schulman, who understood Robert and worked well with him. Robert also learned over time that knowing different dialects would help to expand an actors range for theater and film, and in his case, voice-over acting as well. Also having ‘strong’ ears was pivotal to work in voice-over acting. Joan Bogden was his first voice coach.


 He asked her if she believed he had a serious chance to be a good voice-over actor, to which he received an encouraging ‘yes’. Robert than made his first voice-over demo on a cassette tape, quit his construction job (which he had continued in to support his acting career) and left his part-time job as a telemarketer and set out into the world of voice over acting. He then went on to work as the voices of several characters in various animated series such as; Pokemon, Silent Service, The Slayers: NEXT, Harlock Saga, and One Piece. In addition to hearing O’Gorman’s voice, he has been seen on several televisions series as well. He has had roles on episodes of Cold Case, Criminal Minds, The Sopranos, and Blake Lively to name a few. To learn more about Robert O’Gorman, he has a profile on imdb.com, he can be found on Facebook, and also on his personal website robertogorman.com. More episodes hosted by the legendary Kurt Kelly can be seen weekly from livevideoinc.comwww.ustream.tvkurtkelly.com, and for more on Kurt Kelly go to his site kurtkelly.com and livevideoinc.com, his profile can see on IMDb as well. Kurt also a personal Facebook page and Facebook Fan Page. Kurt, along with Pepper Jay from Pepper Jay Studios, continue to bring you entertaining and informative programming featuring the finest and brightest figures in entertainment today. 

Written By: Brian Harper and Melissa English

No comments: