Today we’d like to introduce you to April Grace Lowe.
Hi April Grace, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Even though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I began my career as an actor in New York. I’ve been really lucky getting to play some wonderful stage roles like Juliet, Beatrice and Medea. However, there were times when I was between theater gigs and I worked as a stand-in on Law and Order. Being a stand-in taught me a lot about being on set but I didn’t get to utilize my acting skills. I began looking for a better way to make money because the love of the craft didn’t pay for rent. Then a college friend told me how to work on Audible’s ACX website, and I found my way into narrating audiobooks. As a romantic at heart, romance audiobooks became my main genre. When I returned to Los Angeles recording audiobooks took up most of my time.
The challenges of city living mixed with the need to control my room noise made for some hilarious moments and with each audiobook I recorded, I found myself laughing at those interruptions just as much as I was frustrated by them. In 2019 I took all those comedic interruptions and my experience with Law & Order and started writing the web series Jaw Recorder. The series follows Jasalyn, also known as “Jaw,” a romance audiobook narrator who quarrels with her noisy neighbor, pines for her co-worker, and races to meet her deadlines, all while struggling to find her voice. I showed the first draft to a few friends. One was an avid romance audiobook listener and several were also audiobook narrators; they all encouraged me to keep writing. We workshopped the series on and off for a couple of years and this summer, we shot all 11 episodes. It premiered on Valentine’s day with new episodes dropping every Tuesday and the finale will be released at the end of March.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the main challenges I faced was getting diagnosed with a painful nerve disorder known as Trigeminal Neuralgia. Last year I had to take time off of work because I was losing my ability to speak and eat due to the pain. I spent a month on my back not speaking. During that time, I did a lot of rewrites, planning, and dreaming. I went from feeling hopeless to feeling really motivated. I knew that if and when I was able to return to work, I wasn’t going to hold back on creative expression. My voice was something that I would never take for granted again. I have many family members and friends who rallied to help me produce this web series once I was ready. My husband acted, produced, edited, and filmed the series.
My cousin, Chris Sutherland and his wife, an incredible actress, Cara Mitsuko both worked on several of the episodes. Many of my friends, who are great narrators, delivered amazing performances. You can see the talented actor and Audie award nominee Cody Roberts play Richard in the series. Angela Rysk who plays the author is both an award-winning actress and an incredible narrator in her own right. Jessica Geffen, a ferociously talented actor and narrator, plays my vocal coach. She was the friend who told me how to break into audiobooks all those years ago. It has been a rollercoaster of a journey this past year. I went from suffering in quiet isolation to collaborating creatively with friends and family. I am so glad that I got to make something so fun and comedic that showcases many of my talented narrator friends. This project was very healing for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My husband and I created the production company Doubtless Dreamers and we love writing and producing together. You can see our first feature film “A Promise of Time Travel” on Amazon. We just finished our festival run for our second feature film “Beyond Methuselah” and we’re currently writing a TV pilot based on that film. We have recorded many audiobooks together in dual narration, which happens to be a part of the web series storyline. When I am not narrating books or making independent films, I am teaching yoga and storytelling to high schoolers. Storytelling is an incredible tool for teaching social-emotional learning. After the pandemic, teens really need those skills. Listening to one another tell stories teaches kids how to connect in heartfelt ways and relate to one another. It is amazing the way stories can spark empathy, joy, and laughter. I hope that my web series does just that!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can watch Jaw Recorder on the website www.jawrecorder.com for free. Please share it with friends and family. I hope that it inspires everyone who sees it to laugh and freely use their own voice joyfully; after all laughter is the best medicine!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jawrecorder.com
- Instagram: @doubtlessdreamers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-grace-lowe-623314230/
Image Credits
Doubtless Dreamers
