warm
authoritative
intellectual
enthusiastic
ABOUT ME
Friends say I am warm, clever, observant, quirky and witty (I paid for that one). My acting and directing experiences allow my talent for dialogue and interpretation to shine, and I treat the printed word as sacred.
I recorded over 30 audiobooks for the blind including Andy Weir's The Martian, David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest and E.A. Poe's Cask of Amontillado and am comfortable with multi-character reads. Also in the mix were many YA fiction books in the fantasy/sci-fi genre, mysteries and autobiographies.
I earned a Directing masters degree from the Drama Studio of London, have years of radio and commercial production, created my own radio drama show, and understand how to spin compelling text into fully realized performance. New
Friends say I am warm, clever, observant, quirky and witty (I paid for that one). My acting and directing experiences allow my talent for dialogue and interpretation to shine, and I treat the printed word as sacred.
NARRATION
I narrated for Learning Ally for 8+ years. Among the books I recorded:
The Martian by Andy Weir
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
The Maze Runner by James Dashier
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard
The Zodiac Legacy: The Dragon’s Return by Stan Lee and Stuart Moore
Steal Like An Artist: Ten Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal
Candor by Pam Bachorz
AUDIO DESCRIPTION
I’ve been performing audio description for the blind and visually impaired for 25 years. My company, The Visual Voice, described every show in the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley season from 1999 until March 2020. For my work, I received a Special Recognition Achievement Award in Audio Description by the American Council of the Blind in July of 2016.
THEATRE
I’m a member of Actor’s Equity, with a long history of work on stage.
RADIO
I was an on-air DJ for 14 years, starting in high school, working up from overnights and weekends to middays during the week. At KLRS, I did the overnight shift, then ran upstairs to KSCO to work on the morning news, followed by commercial production after. I also filled in as news anchor.
RADIO DRAMA
I created a weekly radio drama for KUSP public radio in Santa Cruz called Mark Donovan’s Storyline, which ran for five years (1993-1998). I was director, producer, adaptor, and writer. We rehearsed and recorded with live SFX and music.
EDUCATION
I have a BFA in Theatre – Performance Emphasis and a BA in English – Creative Writing with minors in History, Broadcast/Journalism and Film Studies. My postgraduate education was at the Drama Studio of London, where I earned a Directing Degree with Distinction, equivalent to a masters.
CONTACT
EQUIPMENT
Quiet recording space
Apple computer
Motu M2 interface
FetHead Phantom preamp
MXL 770 mic
Audio Description for the Blind and Visually Impaired
I was the Artistic Director of The Visual Voice and created/performed audio description for most productions at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley from 1996 until 2020 when COVID-19 shut down most gatherings. During the pandemic I moved from California to Michigan, so The Visual Voice had a sudden and unceremonious end. I will always value the work I was able to do for these underserved communities.
In 2016, I received an award for outstanding audio description of theatre for the blind and visually impaired by The American Council of the Blind.
Also awarded in 2016
Disney/Pixar-Los Angeles
Dr. Francisco Lima-Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Past Recipients Include
Netflix
Steppenwolf Theater Company
MOMA (NYC)
20th Century Fox International
WGBH Boston
PaperMill Playhouse
American Foundation for the Blind
About The Visual Voice
After training with Prof. Gregory Frazier, creator of AudioVision, and five years of shows at AMTSJ (American Musical Theater of San Jose), Mark Messersmith came to The Visual Voice in 1998 and worked with founder Madelyn Dovano before taking the reins of the company when Madelyn passed in 2002. Mark was the audio describer for all but five shows at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley from 2001 to 2020. His first solo description for The Visual Voice was in 1999 for TWs acclaimed Romeo & Juliet.
What is Audio Description?
Audio description is the craft of speaking pictorially during live theatre productions whereby a trained voice “describes” to the blind and visually impaired those things they cannot see, without interfering with their experience of the performance.
Patrons listen through small individual receivers as an unseen describer broadcasts unobtrusive descriptions of the visual elements of the event, such as action, costumes, setting, etc.
Who was the describer?
Mark D. Messersmith was the resident describer and performed most of the description. On rare occassions other talented and qualified describers filled in. All describers were trained by Mark Messersmith.
Which performances were described?
In most cases TheatreWorks offered 3 audio-described performances for each show in their season, and offered discounted tickets for those ordering tickets from the box office and mentioning The Visual Voice.
