Narrator Bios
Flo Gibson
Flo Gibson was a familiar voice to listening audiences during the golden years of radio, an actress in the E.T.O. during World War II, and she performed in Equity Library Theater in New York. After retiring to raise a family, she returned to her recording career, working with Recorded Books, Books on Tape and the Library of Congress. In 1983 founded Audio Book Contractors. She recorded books and ran the company from her home until her death in 2011. Her narration has won national acclaim, four times on the American Library Association's "Notable Recordings for Children" lists and three times as the recipient of the Parents' Choice Award. She was also named "Best Female Narrator" in the Audio Awards article in Book World. In her remarkable career, Flo recorded 1,134 unabridged books.
Other Narrators
Richard Brown performed in plays, musicals, films, and radio for over forty years and recorded for the Library of Congress "Talking Books" program.
Grover Gardner has been an actor, director and narrator, recording over 500 books. Mr. Gardner earned five Helen Hayes Awards nominations. He also recorded some of the "Ride With Me'' series of travel tapes.
Carrie Gibson has a Masters in Psychology from Antioch University. Before returning to theatre in 1989, Ms. Gibson worked for social service agencies primarily focusing on issues related to addictions and personal growth. Ms. Gibson is the Founding Artistic Director of the G.A.P. (Growth And Prevention) Theatre, one of Seattle's most successful educational theatre companies. Ms. Gibson has written, directed, acted and toured with G.A.P. in plays on social issues for schools, businesses and conferences. In 1997, she founded a new company, Had To Be Productions, and co-created a play on diversity, "Not Until You Know My Story", based on interviews with people with a variety of differences including race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, size and privilege. Their next play, "Not Just Ramps", focuses on access issues for people with disabilities. Had to Be Productions has taken its plays and workshops to companies and government agencies throughout the United States.
Jack Hrkach has performed in Washington, D.C. area at the Folger Theatre, the Kennedy Center, the Source Theatre, and Olney Theatre; elsewhere at Florida's Caldwell Theatre Company and upstate New York's Cortland Rep, among others. In addition to his recordings for Audio Book Contractors he has recorded over 100 "Talking Books" for the Library of Congress, and has also read for Recorded Books and Books on Tape. He received a Ph.D. in theater from the City University of New York. Since 1990 he has taught in the Department of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College, specializing in Theater History and upper-level seminars. He is also coordinator of the B.A. degree program in drama. Especially interested in international studies, Jack has mentored foreign students at the college, taught at the school's London Center and takes students annually to the Edinburgh Festival.
While living in the Washington area, Christopher Hurt acted at Round House, Arena Stage and the Kennedy Center, and was nominated for two Helen Hayes Awards in 1986 and 1989 and narrated over 300 books.
Michael Kramer has been a Washington theatre artist for over 25 years. He has received 10+ AudioFile Magazine Earphones awards, 4 Audie nominations, the 2015 Audie Award for Fantasy, and a Publishers’ Weekly ListenUp award for his audiobook narration. He continues to narrate for the National Library Service Talking Books Program as well.
John MacDonald was a director, actor and narrator, who lent his deep, rich baritone and commanding physical presence to theatre productions at The Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre Center, Allenberry Playhouse, the Folger Theatre, Rep Stage and the Washington Stage Guild. For 10 years, he was the voice of three-time Emmy winner Gil Eastman, host of Deaf Mosaic, on PBS. In his 20 years behind the mike, he recorded more than 200 unabridged literary works for The Library of Congress, Books on Tape (including Watership Down and The Hunt for Red October) and Audio Book Contractors. He held an MFA in Directing from the Catholic University of America and was the Founding Producing Artistic Director of the Washington Stage Guild.
Michael Russotto is an actor, director, and narrator, who has worked in the Washington, DC area for many years. He has appeared onstage at Arena Stage, The Folger Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre, Rep Stage, Theatre J, The Studio Theatre, and the Washington Stage Guild, to name just a few venues. Michael also records books for the Library of Congress "Talking Books" program.
Kimberly Schraf is an actor, narrator, teacher and coach in Washington, D.C. She currently narrates for the Library of Congress "Talking Books" program and has recorded works for several commercial companies as well. She has performed at, among others: Arena Stage, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Round House, Studio, Woolly Mammoth, the Washington Stage Guild, the Kennedy Center, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Ms. Schraf coaches speakers of all sorts: CEOs, lawyers and their clients, writers and actors; she is a graduate of St. Jonn’s College in Annapolis.
Mary Woods began her career in Washington D.C. where she performed at Ford's Theater, the Folger Theater, Round House, Washington Stage Guild, New Playwrights' Theater, and at the National Portrait Gallery. She is a veteran narrator of Talking Books -Library of Congress, and received the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year - Fiction award in 1996. She appeared in the 2012 films “Jackie” and “Just Like a Woman” and TV episodes of “Longmire” and “The Messengers”. Ms. Woods has been a Radio News Director and now hosts a daily radio interview program for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. She received her B.A. at the Catholic University of America in Fine Arts and Drama.
