MEGAN TROUT is a multi-talented voice actor who has appeared on stage and in film. She attended voice acting and audiobook schools, and has received raves for appearances with Shotgun Players, Boxcar Theatre, Z-Space, Aurora Theatre, Central Works, and the O’Neill Foundation for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” For more visit MeganTrout.com.
Jonathan Lowe: What is your preferred genre, and why?
Megan Trout: I am a thriller/horror girl and I also love YA, so when I get to do a YA thriller (Like These Fleeting Shadows) I am in heaven.
Q: Fav author, and influences? Who first told you to use your voice commercially?
A: Favorite author is incredibly difficult but as a cultural touchstone and influence, I’d say Shirley Jackson is right up there. Haunting of Hill House remains one of my favorite books of all time.
No one told me “I had a great voice”, I kind of stumbled into voiceover through an on-camera job. It required some voiceover pickups for an animated video, and I discovered I was pretty good at site reading. I also kind of hate being on-set and having people touching my hair and face constantly, so recording in the booth with just the director and engineer was a revelation. After that job, I started to pay more attention to the voiceover auditions my agent would send my way.
Q: How did you begin voiceover and narration of books, and what gives you most satisfaction and consumes most of your time: commercials, video games, books, or other work?
A: I started pursuing voiceover classes in 2018 at VoiceOne, an awesome school in San Francisco. Since I had already begun training before the pandemic (and the subsequent influx of actors into the voiceover industry), I was a bit ahead of the curve. I randomly signed up for an audiobooks class, simply because I had never taken one. The amazing Ronnie Butler Jr. was teaching, and all of a sudden–something clicked. I previously worked professionally in live theater for ten years, and all of that craft and skill is VERY relevant in audiobook narration. …Once I mastered not projecting into the mic, I was able to translate those skills and hit the ground running in audiobooks.
I spent 2021 giving alot of love and attention to my narration career, to establish myself as a full-time narrator. So, these days, audiobooks definitely take up the most time. I do have two commercial voiceover agents, and probably audition 5-10 times a week for commercial projects. Ultimately, I’d love to spend a little more time and energy establishing more commercial clients and have a bit more balance between audiobooks and commercial voiceover.
Q: What are you working on now, and what’s next?
A: Right now I am wrapping up my last book for 2022: Hot Lumberjack by Aviva Blakeman. It’s a very sweet and FUNNY Jewish romance where I got to reconnect with my Jewish heritage and brush up on a bunch of amazing Yiddish words (narrated under pseudonym, Scarlett Dorian). First up in 2023 is Cry For Me by R. Sullins. It’s a YA romance, with all the big feelings and angst that come with that first, “once in a lifetime” love. The heroine comes from troubled circumstances and I cannot wait to bring her struggles, growth and triumph to life (Trigger Warning: bullying).
Lowe: Thanks for your time! Know you’re busy. Looking forward to updates.
(Jonathan Lowe is a book journalist with 25 years experience, and author of five novels and a latest collection of stories “Gonzo Fun.”)