When Studio Romance Turns Into Real Life Love Stories
Office romance leading to meaningful connections and potentially marriage isn’t unheard of (cue montage of Jim and Pam from The Office). So, should we be surprised that it happens to our favorite audiobook narrators as well? We had the chance to chat with David Colacci and Susan Ericksen about what it’s like to be married to a fellow audiobook narrator. David Colacci has been an actor and a director for over forty years and worked as a narrator for over 30 years, recording authors ranging from Jules Verne to John Irving, Michael Chabon, John Lescroart and Donna Leon. He has won AudioFile Earphones Awards, been an Audie Finalist multiple times, and included in Best of Year lists by such publications as Publishers Weekly, AudioFile magazine, and Library Journal.
Susan Ericksen is a three-time Audie Award-winning narrator who has recorded over 800 books, including the highly acclaimed In Death series by J.D. Robb, and the V.I. Warshawski novels by Sara Paretsky. The winner of multiple awards, including 20+ Earphone Awards for fiction and nonfiction, Susan is a classically trained actress who excels at multiple narrative styles and accents. They live in Minneapolis, MN, with their two children, Mario and Elena. Read on for an exclusive interview.
B&N Audiobooks: Did you meet because of your narration work? Colacci & Ericksen: No, actually — we met before either of us had even started narrating. We met in graduate school, getting our MFAs in Acting and Directing at Southern Methodist University. B&N Audiobooks: What is it like to work in the same industry? Colacci & Ericksen: Having started out as classmates, then theater collaborators, it was an easy and natural progression. We’re certainly very understanding and sympathetic regarding each other’s needs, e.g. needing not to talk when preserving one’s voice, tiptoeing around the house during recording hours, negotiating respective studio hours. B&N Audiobooks: Have you worked on any projects together? If not, is that on your bucket list? Colacci & Ericksen: Yes, quite a few. In fact, our very first home studio project was a dual narration, which happened to receive an AudioFile Earphones award. In the theater, we've done many collaborations as Actor/Director and Actor/Actor, including several iconic couples, like Benedick and Beatrice, and John and Abigail Adams. B&N Audiobooks: Do you have home studios together? Are you able to work at the same time, or do you take shifts? Colacci & Ericksen: We have a home studio, and though we’ve talked about building a second, that has not happened, partly because of the difficulty of taking the first one offline during the process. So, we do take shifts, which can certainly involve challenging negotiations at times, particularly when also bringing up two children. B&N Audiobooks: Do you practice together, i.e. character voices, accents, etc.? Colacci & Ericksen: We wouldn’t really say “practice”, but we certainly consult with each other and sometimes use each other as sounding boards. We frequently rely on each other for pronunciation research and accents. B&N Audiobooks: Do you have any tips for other budding romances between narrators? Colacci & Ericksen: Pay attention to the level of sincerity and emotional investment your potential partner gives to a read. If there’s integrity there, it’s probably a good sign!
Check out their most recent audiobook releases here:
Susan Erikson narrates the latest Eve Dallas adventure. Dallas stumbles into a mind-boggling case after a controversial billionaire is found murdered while surrounded by priceless art in J.D. Robb's latest thriller.
David Colacci narrates Donna Leon's fast-paced tale in which a suspicious accident leads Commissario Guido Brunetti to uncover a longstanding scam.
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