Blog | Shearwater Productions

Why You Should Make Masks this Halloween

October 29, 2024

It’s spooky season! The time for wearing masks and becoming — in some delighted, fun way — someone (or someTHING) other than who we are in our everyday lives. If you have the time and energy (and even if it’s not Halloween), mask-MAKING also takes us out of our everyday selves! If I am working with a group to help them with their mask-making, the group members have been surprised by the newness of it, then cautious and worried about getting it right as they begin, then delighted and enthusiastic as the masks come into being in their hands. Too

Holly Adams on a panel discussion at Bouchercon

The 3 mysteries in my life

September 12, 2024

I have always loved mysteries. I voraciously read mysteries, I enjoy television shows with a mystery or someone who solves them (have you seen Lydia Poet?), and I love narrating them. The biggest mystery in my life: Why does my husband love living with a goofball? JK! August was filled with mystery and adventure that has spilled into a lovely September. Yup, I am elbow deep into three mystery experiences! The Mysterious CHIRP I love adventuring into the world of the Mysterious CHIRP Podcast, a science fiction mystery series I’ve created that unfolds over the course of 6 episodes. At

Holly stands in front of the Glimmerglass building

The delicious math of comedy

July 26, 2024

I’m currently working on a show for the Glimmerglass Opera Festival that proves comedy is math! Plus, how to think of a comedic scene to find the funny moments.

Incoming! The Mysterious CHIRP Podcast

June 4, 2024

I love all things space-related. I wanted to be an astronaut as a kid, and my love of space sciences continues to this day. While other little kids made scrapbooks with horses and favorite sports teams, mine was full of images from Voyager I and Voyager II. As an adult, I followed the exploits of the Mars Rovers and have attended the World Science Festival several times. I also love all things science-connected — I’m a Trekkie and a major Star Wars nerd and allll that. So I made a podcast. A sci-fi podcast, specifically. Except unlike your average romp

Holly performs on the Ithaca Commons during a theatre festival

Spring is here and so are the theatre festivals

May 1, 2024

With spring comes the theatre festivals which happen across the globe (and have a history in just about every culture). Here are some great ones to check out.

5 fun books I’ve put out this year (so far)

March 3, 2024

I’m sad to be missing this year’s Audies but celebrating from home with 5 recent books (or series) that I’ve narrated.

Holly and her mentee meet on Zoom as part of a mentorship program

How do you become an artist mentor or mentee?

January 31, 2024

While mentorships are important in any field, they are fundamental for aspiring artists. I’ve recently taken on some mentees and learned from the experiences.

Holly Adams wears a musical tie as the Symphoria narrator

At Year’s End: Starting Fresh, Repurposing, and Letting Go in 2024

January 2, 2024

Coming back to a project has given me time to reflect, especially as I take a minute to consider the year as a whole, both what I want to take with me and what I intend to leave behind.

Why Voice Over artists should go to conferences

May 24, 2023

This year, I have attended a few awesome VO conferences (both in person and virtual) and am excited to go to so many more. They’ve all been terrific, and each one has a different feel and different learning opportunities and people to meet. And I have attended conferences or in areas that intersect with VO — audiodrama festivals, mystery writers conferences, fantasy cons, and more. That’s a lot of conferences. Sure, conference-attending can be overwhelming, tiring, time-consuming, and costly BUT the benefits so incredibly outweigh all that. I have a few guidelines to help you decide when it’s worth going

Children in Kabul using the masks they made

Arts in Education: Mobile Mini Circus for Children in Afghanistan has returned

April 26, 2023

Since I visited this incredible program in 2013, they were forced to shut down and seek safety when the Taliban again grew powerful and violent in the Autumn of 2022. Now, once again (as of January 2023), they have 27 teams in 11 provinces, serving children of all ages and genders, with a social circus program that also provides food and other instruction. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page (they post most often on Facebook). Support by sharing or donating if you can. — I am walking down the dirt road, my headscarf up over my