Ella Turenne: Audiobook Narrator
Featuring Ella Turenne: Audiobook Narrator
Bio:
Ella Turenne is an artist, changemaker and entrepreneur. She is the founder and co-host of Fanm on Films, a podcast that showcases the work of Haitian creatives in film and tv. Ella's latest project, Love, Locs & Liberation, is an award-winning one-woman show she wrote and performs about Black women's struggles with identity. It was an official selection in the Hollywood Fringe Festival and won a Fringe Scholarship as well as an Encore Producers Award. It was also an official selection of the Downtown Urban Arts Festival and the United Solo Festival in New York. She has performed in an array of theatrical works including On Striver’s Row, Shades of Blue, Love Child and Come Back to Me, featured in New York’s Fresh Fruit Play Festival. Some of her film credits include Arrangements, woodshed, One More Try and Big, Dark, Scary Girl, which won an experimental film award at the Reel Sister’s Film Festival. Ella co-produced and starred in the short film Freedom, a docupoem of her poem by the same name about the Haitian Revolution which was featured at the BlackStar Film Festival. As a filmmaker, her work has been showcased in numerous national and international venues. Her film woodshed was an official selection of various national film festivals including the Hollywood Black Film Festival and the Montréal International Haitian Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Short Film.
As a writer, Ella edited her first book revolution|revolisyon|révolution 1804 – 2004: An Artistic Commemoration of the Haitian Revolution in January 2004 (Liv Lakay Publications). As a poet, her work has been showcased in various publications including The Anthology of Haitian Poets in Massachusetts, i got somethin’ to say and Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees (nominated for a 2007 NAACP Image Award). In response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Ella co-edited a volume of poetry called For the Crowns of Your Heads; the funds raised were used to support Haiti Soliel, a library that was destroyed in Port-au-Prince.
Let's Hear it for the Audiobook Narrators: Featuring Ella Turenne
How did you prepare to narrate A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler:
There was quite a bit of prep needed for this book because there were so many characters - somewhere above 30! For any text, I usually go through it and write notes - write out phonetically words that are tricky or underline things I want to emphasize. If there are places where a character is not indicated I might note who is speaking. I had the great fortune to be able to speak with the author, Therese Anne Fowler, to get a sense of what each character was like. Then after reading the book, I tested out various voices for each based on feedback from my audition. We wanted to make sure they had distinct voices even if they were subtle. When it came time to perform, my amazing producer, Callum Pews, put together a list of the characters and we worked through all of them until we felt we were satisfied with the voices. On the narration end, it was very helpful to note from the author that the text was from the point of view of the neighborhood - a kind of Greek chorus. I loved that choice...it felt like the community was so invested in the story. I approached the narration with that mindset. I had such a great time narrating this book. I was able to put all the skills I’ve gained over the years to good use!
Let's Hear it for the Audiobook Narrators: Featuring Ella Turenne
What are your top three books that you’ve narrated?
I’m a newbie in the audiobook world but feel really lucky to have three books coming out at the beginning of 2020! The first was Remembrance by Rita Woods which came out in January 2020. This was my first audiobook and I loved every minute of it. It was especially personal for me because some of the characters in the book were Haitian. I’m Haitian, so being able to represent them authentically meant a lot to me.
Let's Hear it for the Audiobook Narrators: Featuring Ella Turenne
My second book is Saint X which is coming out in February. Although I only have a small part in this book, I loved playing Agatha! It is also a real honor to be in the company of so many other accomplished voice actors who have done fabulous audio work.
A Good Neighborhood will be my third book. It is such a great story and very timely. I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to bring it to life.
Let's Hear it for the Audiobook Narrators: Featuring Ella Turenne
Examples of other work you've done?
I host a podcast called Fanm on Films which highlights the work of Haitian creatives in film and tv. I want create space for my fellow Haitian actors, producers and filmmakers to share their brilliance with the world. We’re on platforms such as iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.
I have a one-woman show called Love, Locs & Liberation. This solo show weaves together my own stories of struggles with identity and beauty. From rituals that Black women hold in relation to their hair, to my experience as an American woman with strong ties to her Haitian culture, the play explores many deeply personal issues. Blending poetry, song and humor, I unlock the history of locs as experienced by Black women, revealing many mishaps and triumphs. Through the eyes of 21 different characters, from a 5th grade bully to Madam CJ Walker, I expose the hair connection to politics, identity and culture illustrating why hair is an intimate and essential part of Black life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSb8eGxaCEU#action=share
I recently started taking classes at Upright Citizen’s Brigade and I love it. I just had a showcase and it was a great experience. I plan on participating in more improv shows there in the future.
Otherwise, you can find me reading and writing in a library near you as I study to get my Ph.D. in Visual Studies at UC Irvine.
More places to find Ella Turenne:
Facebook - facebook.com/officialellaturenne
IG - @blackwomyn
Twitter - @blackwomyn
Website - www.ellaturenne.com
