MasterClass – Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting

Nancy Cartwright is an Emmy and Annie Award-winning actress who has given voice to some of the most beloved and well-known characters in animation history, including Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and more for The Simpsons; Rufus from Kim Possible; Chuckie from Rugrats; and Mindy from Animaniacs.

In 2012, Nancy received the Don LaFontaine Legacy Award, a special award created to recognize voice talent and its integral role in marketing and promotion within the entertainment industry. Her autobiography, My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

Lesson Plan

1. Meet Your Instructor
   Get to know Nancy Cartwright as she narrates an animated version of her own life story and shares what she’ll be teaching you in her class.
2. Vocal Techniques
   Nancy demonstrates vocal techniques to adapt and change the sound of your voice. She also talks about how she developed the voice for Bart Simpson.
3. Your Vocal Identity
   Nancy reveals the benefits of identifying your vocal niches and strengths, and she shares how you can discover and identify yours.
4. How to Become a Voice Actor: Jump-Starting Your Career
   Nancy advises you on how to begin a career in voice acting. She shares stories of her mentor, Daws Butler, and talks about the role a mentor can play in developing your vocal skill set. You’ll also learn how to create an effective demo reel.
5. Creating Character Voices
   Nancy teaches you how to develop original characters by creating voices—in real time—for our original series called No-Effort Girl. She also teaches you how to find clues for developing your own characters.
6. Creating Distinct Characters
   With examples from My Little Pony and The Simpsons, Nancy discusses how to voice multiple characters at once and how she manages to keep her stable of characters separate and distinct.
7. Breaking Down Your Script
   Nancy shows you her process for preparing for a recording session. She gives examples of how she notates a script and how doing so makes challenges like recording in other languages easier to tackle.
8. Voice Acting Tips for Recording
   Nancy walks you through techniques and situations to be aware of during your first time in the recording booth. You’ll learn how to prepare and care for your voice before, after, and during sessions.
9. Keeping Your Character’s Voice Consistent
   With an original script, Nancy demonstrates how to keep a character’s voice consistent through different vocal hurdles.
10. Performing a Range of Emotions
    Nancy teaches you how to navigate scenes in which a character experiences a wide range of emotions. She then demonstrates with an original script and reveals the benefits of ad-libbing with a story from The Simpsons.
11. The Ultimate Vocal Challenge
    In a culmination of the techniques she’s taught so far, Nancy records an original script with multiple characters. She also shows you how to work with a director. You’ll get to see the full animated scene from No-Effort Girl.
12. Taking Your Career to the Next Level
    Nancy introduces you to the cast of characters you will find along the way in this industry, and she shares tips on how to find representation. She also talks about how to handle auditions, rejection, and the business side of your career.
13. Lessons From a 10-Year-Old Boy
    With stories from her time on The Simpsons, working with Meryl Streep, and developing the voice of Chuckie on Rugrats, Nancy reflects on what she’s learned from her life as a voice actor and how it can be applied to any career.
14. Harness Your Voice
    Nancy shows you how you can use your voice to make change and bring joy to others.

About Nancy Cartwright

For nearly 40 years, Nancy Cartwright has voiced some of the most iconic animated characters on screen, including everyone’s favorite 10-year-old underachiever. Now the Emmy winner takes you into the recording booth to teach you the art of voice acting. In our first class to feature original animation, you’ll learn how to develop characters, get performance tips, and hear Nancy’s career advice. It’s time to get animated.

Salepage: MasterClass – Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting