What it is:
Life of Lash is a Goodall Two Shoes Productions original audio drama series.
Aired as an active podcast, it’s currently available on iTunes / Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and Soundcloud. (links to all services can be found at https://nathangoodall.com/podcast/)
The series tells the story of the life of half-orc Lash Shagar, focusing on the adventures of his parents – Margaret, the human adventurer, and Joshua, the orc bard, as they drink through barrooms and brawl on battlefields. Spanning the genres of Fantasy, Action, Adventure and Comedy, the story comes to life with a cast of voice actors, original soundtrack and sound effects!
What’s Happening:
We’re casting for the new characters joining the story in Season 2! How many episodes they’ll each be in will be covered in their character bio’s listed below with the audition lines, with each being in 1-2 episodes in Season 2. We will need you to come back for the Season 3 premiere episode as well. After that, these characters may or may not show up again in later seasons of the series (if they do, whoever is cast will be contacted to see if they want to reprise the role, with zero obligation to commit to doing so as we totally understand if you are busy with other things by that time).
The bigger commitment is recasting the main character Margaret. As much fun as I had voicing her myself, I never would have done so if I’d planned for this to be an actual published series as it now is. It was originally intended to just be circulated within a small group, and when the idea to air it as a podcast started, I continued to voice her for the first season only because I hate recasting a character mid-season.
Now that Season 1 is completed, recasting Margaret before anything from Season 2 airs is the perfect opportunity to bring in someone more suited to do the voice! I’ve got a pretty low voice naturally, so raising it to a certain point to meet the voice modification technology halfway meant I needed to keep a fairly consistent and specific tone for my voice to actually sound like Margaret’s. If I tried to vary it more to show more emotion or change in attitude, it would drastically effect how the voice mod tech behaved in altering it. That coupled with the fact that I could only speak that high for so long before it started killing my voice really makes it so I am thrilled at the chance of someone taking over the series lead role!
Credit/Goal:
I started writing this series as a backstory for a character that was part of a story world my friend David had made, which turned into me making a chapter as an audio drama for fun, which in turn brought in friends that had always wanted to try voice acting but previously didn’t have any sort of project to do it for.
As we transitioned into it becoming an actual published series, we really wanted the ideals behind the project to carry over. We wanted these to be released as free episodes, with no sponsors, product placement, or commercial monetization (aside from the commercials Stitcher plays, but that is part of that outlet and we do not get any profit or promotion, etc., for it at all). With this of course comes the fact that we don’t get any kind of profit for the series, so it is all done on a volunteer basis. I do the writing, assembly editing, sound design placement, and a bunch of voices specifically because I can’t afford to pay anyone to do those things. I ended up paying for the original soundtrack and cover artwork out-of-pocket with my own savings because I wanted the voice actors to be in something published as a way to thank them and give them something for their amazing work.
With all of that continuing, I want to make sure any new cast members get something out of the following! For the current cast, it’s just something they’ve all wanted to try and ended up enjoying as a hobby that’s far different from their day jobs. For anyone new cast, here’s what we can provide:
I strongly recommend only auditioning if being part of the project meets these terms too:
In Closing:
I actually don’t recall any swearing in the script for Season 2, but because there is explicit language in the series overall, as well as violent themes, we ask that anyone auditioning be 18 years old or older.
While I’m usually pretty big on the old school ways of casting, which is leaving the call open until the close date, please be advised there is a decent chance I’ll cast roles out before the deadline in an attempt to give whoever is cast more time to record and a better chance at meeting the mid-December goal for submitting their lines. If you feel you are especially suited for a role but won’t be able to record your audition until close to the deadline, shoot over an email and let me know and I’ll do my best to not cast the role out until the close date!
If this seems like something you’d be interested in and you connect with one (or more) of the characters below, please submit your auditions and have a good time with it! Feel free to contact me with any questions as well.
I’ll be posting the casting call to behindthevoiceactors.com and castingcall.club but you only have to audition in your preferred outlet (you totally can submit your auditions to both, but again that’s just if you really want to for whatever reason).
Have fun!
Very Respectfully,
EDIT FOR UPDATE:
Hey all! The deadline has been extended to 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 18 (so the casting call will close at midnight when Nov. 19 begins).
DO NOT WORRY! The project is completely on track and there won’t be any delays in actual production – everything is still set and good to go. We only added the extension because a few messages came in from people that really want to audition but won’t be able to until the weekend. We want to give everyone an opportunity but also understand everyone is probably eager to see the results and get started, so this will be a short grace period and we’ll get going after this small extension.
The casting council is already reviewing what’s been submitted and giving their notes and votes -- we’ll start casting stuff out as soon as Sunday, Nov. 18 (as soon as the last of the auditions we were sent messages about are reviewed and added to the lineup). At the latest we’ll have everything cast by the end of Wednesday, Nov. 21. I personally have been blown away with how fantastic everybody has done with their auditions – choosing will be insanely tough! You’ve all humbled me with your interest as this call is bursting with talent. Thank you all for your patience and participation, excelsior!
Very Respectfully,
CAST ON BEHINDTHEVOICEACTORS
The female lead for the Season 2 premiere. Her values have been twisted after her peaceful orc tribe was slaughtered by humans unprovoked. A skilled warrior and a toughened soul, she is now cold toward most everyone except her husband Etrin. Searching for her long lost son, she becomes furious when she learns he has come to accept and live amongst humans, and that he has gone so far to even change his name to Joshua, as well as marry the human Margaret. Her path is one of violence and vengeance born through sadness and strength forged from her growing hatred toward the world.
I originally had her voice in my head as a mix between Lin Beifong from The Legend of Korra and Reign from Supergirl, but there is no need to stick to that or even to try and emulate it. Whatever voice you feel brings the character and her personality and values to life is something I’m excited to hear!
In terms of scheduling, Noralai will be the female lead in the Season 2 premiere, as well as in Episode 3 of Season 2. If cast, the hope is to have all her lines recorded and submitted by mid-December so I can start editing the episodes together and get it to the soundtrack composer, but realistically only her lines for the season premiere episode actually have to be completed by around then. She will also play a part in the Season 3 premiere that is scheduled for production early next year. While this is the extent of the commitment, she might show up again in later seasons and whoever voices her will be contacted to reprise the role in that instance (though there will be no obligation to do so given that you might be too busy to do so at that point).
(please note the associated image for the character is just a visual example and was not done for this specifically, this is a piece by Luis Gómez Weyler)
“A shame. Out of curiousity, what tribe does this orc named ‘Margaret’ hail from? A strong one, hopefully?”
(shocked in disbelief) “No…” (holding her stomach, keeling as if she’s going to be sick) “Draknar had a child with that…that Dyr woman…this ‘Margaret?!’ Disgusting!”
(explaining her plans for her half-orc grandson to his babysitter/bodyguard after taking them both prisoner and her intent to use them to punish her own son) “Inside the Coffin of The Timeless, one sleeps and doesn’t age. We will place this filthy creature in there for an entire lifetime – Draknar’s lifetime. Draknar will spend his entire life in agony, never knowing what happened to his son, searching for him, even hoping at times for at least something to bury, only to find nothing. Over. And over. Again and again.”
The male lead for the Season 2 premiere. His values have been twisted after his peaceful orc tribe was slaughtered by humans unprovoked. Once a gentle soul, his hulking size and strength have since become tools of vengeance and violence since losing his tribe. While he is adamant in his new hateful beliefs, he also is madly in love with his wife Noralai, for whom he’d do anything for. Searching for his long lost son, he is disappointed when he learns his boy has come to accept and live amongst humans, and seeks to punish him for doing so. His path is one of vengeance born through pain, hoping to take down as many humans as possible in a misinformed fight to right the wrongs that have happened to him.
His voice is intended to be medium-low to very low in octave, stern and strong in conviction. While usually calm and ‘professional’ in how he speaks, he can get carried into his own emotions and also expresses a feeling of love when speaking to his wife Noralai. Whatever voice you feel brings the character and his personality and values to life is something I’m excited to hear!
In terms of scheduling, Etrin will be the male lead in the Season 2 premiere, as well as in Episode 3 of Season 2. If cast, the hope is to have all his lines recorded and submitted by around mid-December so I can start editing the episodes together and get them to the soundtrack composer, but realistically only his lines for the season premiere episode actually have to be completed by then. He will also play a part in the Season 3 premiere that is scheduled for production early next year. While this is the extent of the commitment, he might show up again in later seasons and whoever voices him will be contacted to reprise the role in that instance (though there will be no obligation to do so given that you might be too busy to do so at that point).
(please note the associated image for the character is just a visual example and was not done for this specifically)
(after being asked if he and Noralai hail from a violent war tribe) “Certainly not! We were part of a peaceful orc tribe. We did things differently. It did not matter. The humans came. We barely escaped.”
(speaking to his wife Noralai when deciding if they should kill their half-orc grandson) “Draknar would never forgive us. But…the one we knew is lost to us. The existence of this very Dyr-bred makes that clear. He has forgotten. Chosen to at that. Still, we shouldn’t be too hasty. We need to take the child back with us to the cavern. There we can decide.”
(explaining his plans for his half-orc grandson to his babysitter/bodyguard after taking them both prisoner and his intent to use them to punish his own son) “We won’t harm the child, not like this. We worried for our missing son. As much as we hate what he has turned into, not knowing if he was even still alive was absolute torture. Finding out the intense worry we’d felt for so many years was for nothing, a complete lie, deserves an equal fate. An eye for an eye.”
The regular series lead, Margaret jokes and teases to the point where she can be a bit obnoxious. Her attitude, however, is more her just trying to entertain herself, as she usually teases people for her own amusement, rarely ever actually intending to make anyone mad or bring them down. She’s somewhat witty but thinks she’s more clever than she actually is, incredibly confident to the point where she can take things too far. She also has a good heart and is a somewhat accomplished adventurer. Skilled with a blade and quick on her feet, she falls for Joshua by the end of Season 1, Episode 3, though Joshua falls for her immediately during Season 1, Episode 2.
Definitely skim through Season 1, Episode 3; and Season 1, Episode 5 to get an idea of her voice. There is no obligation to completely emulate this, but being similar to it is preferable. Margaret will be somewhat weary and disheartened over not being able to find her missing son in one episode, and speaking over a battle upon finding him in the next, during the two episodes she appears in for Season 2. This allows for a better range of performance for her dialogue this season (which again I am not able to do well myself since the voice modification technology is limited and required me to stick to a pretty specific tone for me to actually sound as I intended for her to).
Margaret is the main character and a series regular, meaning the hope is you can ride this crazy train for as long as the series has her in it. However, I’m totally against locking anyone into anything this long-term since you may find you have to drop this role to make time for other projects you’d like to move on to, etc., in the future. After every season, you’ll have a chance to reprise the role for the next one or leave the project as you need. We’ll try to avoid recasting her again at any point in the middle of a season since I hate recasting mid-season, but accommodations can certainly be discussed if you have an emergency or opportunity that you really need to be free from the role for during a season -- again, this is all for fun so we are pretty easy-going and understanding of changes you may need to make for your own lives!
(official art for Margaret, created by Daniel Pinal [Daniel Pinal Negrete])
(similar to, but your delivery of a line of hers in Season 1, Episode 3) "Aww, don’t be such a spoilsport, Pasarin dear. You love drinking games, you’re just sour because you lost."
(after learning Pasarin was made a leader for a faction in Season 2) “They were smart to do so, the kid is good. He did so well, our Pasarin! And I’m sure he’ll find someone to help us!”
(shouting to her team as she helps her son’s weary babysitter escape during their mission to rescue him) “He’s up! We’re heading out, cover us and follow as soon as we pass you!”
[CAST ON ANOTHER SITE]
The leader of a dark coven, she has taught her four followers how to lure in victims for them to dismantle and use to fuel their dark magic. She meets Noralai and Etrin in the premiere episode of Season 2, and is fascinated at the two orcs’ unusually high intelligence and their search for their son. She offers to teach them how to wield dark magic with the promise that it will help them find their missing son, at the price of bringing her new victims to sacrifice.
Please keep in mind that, though the character is female, anyone can audition for it since it will likely require you to do a ‘character voice’ that I will probably modify with effects. The original voice idea for her is a somewhat typical witch voice – creepy, cackling, somewhat insane. However, whatever style you feel adds an authentic creepiness or chilling tone to her dialogue is certainly welcome. While I can apply a decent amount of voice effects and modification to your performance, the more you lend to it naturally the better! If cast, the hope is to have all her lines recorded and submitted by mid-December so I can start editing the episodes together and get it to the soundtrack composer.
She’s in the premiere episode of Season 2, as well as the premiere episode of Season 3. Beyond that, the character might show up again in later seasons, during which whoever is cast will be contacted first with the offer to reprise the role (though with no obligation to actually do so since you may be too busy to do so at that point).
(please note the associated image is just a visual example and was not done for this specifically, this is a piece by shaydh)
(speaking to Noralai and Etrin, masking that her coven purposely lured in human warriors and pretending they were attacked by the humans unprovoked) “Who are these noble heroes that came to save us?” (speaking to her followers) “We are saved by these fair strangers.”
“Such humble introductions from such powerful saviors! Kind spirits indeed!”
(Reacting when Noralai and Etrin call her out for being stronger than she’s admitting, starting with a piercing shriek of a laugh) “They know! They know we lured the humans here!”
The followers to the Dark Elf Witch each speak a line, one directly after the other in tandem, as if finishing the thoughts of their leader after she says something.
Please keep in mind that, though the characters are female, anyone can audition for them since it will likely require you to do a ‘character voice’ that I will probably modify with effects. The original voice ideas were to have them speak a variation of some kind of creepy, whispering or hissing style, but anything that embodies a strange and unsettling tone for their dialogue is totally welcome. While I can apply a decent amount of voice effects and modification to your performance, the more you lend to it naturally the better! I have the lines of “Follower #4” already, so if you’d like to hear how that voice actor portrayed their character, let me know and I can totally send you a sample. If cast, the hope is to have all her lines recorded and submitted by mid-December so I can start editing the episodes together and get it to the soundtrack composer.
The followers will be in the Season 2 premiere episode, as well as the Season 3 premiere. Random fighting sounds and reactions might be needed from them for the Season 2 finale as well, but no obligation as the actors for “Followers #3 and #4” could actually fill the parts for those.
(please note the associated image is just a visual example and was not done for this specifically, this is a piece by shaydh)
“They are noble.”
“So humble.”
“Too smart to trick.”
[CAST ON OTHER SITE]
The followers to the Dark Elf Witch each speak a line, one directly after the other in tandem, as if finishing the thoughts of their leader after she says something.
Please keep in mind that, though the characters are female, anyone can audition for them since it will likely require you to do a ‘character voice’ that I will probably modify with effects. The original voice ideas were to have them speak a variation of some kind of creepy, whispering or hissing style, but anything that embodies a strange and unsettling tone for their dialogue is totally welcome. While I can apply a decent amount of voice effects and modification to your performance, the more you lend to it naturally the better! I have the lines of “Follower #4” already so if you’d like to hear how that voice actor portrayed their character, let me know and I can totally send you a sample. If cast, the hope is to have all her lines recorded and submitted by mid-December so I can start editing the episodes together and get it to the soundtrack composer.
The followers will be in the Season 2 premiere episode, as well as the Season 3 premiere. Random fighting sounds and reactions might be needed from them for the Season 2 finale as well, but no obligation as the actors for “Followers #3 and #4” could actually fill the parts for those.
(please note the associated image is just a visual example and was not created for this specifically, this is a piece by shaydh)
“They are strong.”
“So powerful.”
“Too smart to play games.”
