Elise Arsenault

What was the first audiobook you performed?

Clarity by Loretta Lost

What title or series are you best known for?

Madonna – A Rebel Life by Mary Gabriel

If a listener wanted to get to know your work, which of your audiobooks would you point them to?

Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
Building 903 by Lois Lowry
The Unusuals by Gail Carson Levine
Maybe Tomorrow Series by Charlotte Agell
Kim Possible for Disney Press

Where else have we heard your voice?

The Global Actor™ Podcast – Host
TEDx Anchorage – The Power of a Human Storyteller in the Age of A.I.
Avenue Q – Bad Idea Bear/Mrs.T
Orlando – Sascha, Cellist, Music Director
Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven – VO

What do you always have in the booth?

My booth buddy Ampersand – he's a wheaten terrier-poodle mix and LOVES story time, glass of room temp water, a framed pic of my 5-year old self "little Elise", favorite review, a few spirits to help me bring the magic and often the CaveDay community – a co-working group, to help me stay focused and on task. It takes a village!

How did you come to performing audiobooks?

In late 2014 after joining Actors Equity and performing a ton in theatre, I was searching for a more sustainable way to make my acting career work financially long-term. Adding audiobook narration seemed like it could be the way. Shoutout and Thank You to Becky Gibel who sat down with me for coffee one winter day in Providence, RI and shared her process, her contacts and her love of the work. The rest is history.

Anything else you’d like a listener to know?

I'm grateful to the audiobook industry for the incredible opportunities to play full out as an actor all these years. Getting to be an ambassador to the author's story, connecting directly with listeners has been one of the greatest challenges and privileges of my life. So many books have helped me grow not only as a performer, but as a human, too, and I feel so lucky that we get to live at this time of plenty with all the incredible books and audiobooks out there. #humanstorytellingiswhereitsat