Currently studying under
Elise Arsenault & Justin Marra with
"The Great Audiobook Adventure"
Demo Reel coming March, 2026
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Ray Marie Johnson is a mindful and kind artist who brings a grounded and compassionate energy to all of their work and relationships. Their clear, expressive, and multi-dimensional voice lends itself to middle-grade and young adult fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure stories with many characters. His voice is also warm, present, and trustworthy, and is especially capable of carrying non-fiction works about meditation, healing, and hope in the midst of darkness.
Ray has classical acting training from Pace University in NYC. There he also studied devised theatre (collaborative creation of new work), creating dozens of theatrical pieces with dozens of groups of different people. These trainings gave Ray the skillsets of script analysis, singing and vocal care, character creation, taking director’s notes and adjusting immediately, and working compassionately with just about anyone (even difficult people).
In addition to University, relevant training includes :
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Elise Arsenault & Justin Marra’s Audiobook Adventure (performance & tech)
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Carla Delaney’s workshop (distinguishing voice characters with mouth placement instead of reliance on accents)
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Chris Tramantana & Carter Gill’s Commedia d’ell Arte classes (very specific stock character voice distinctions)
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Rebbeca Stuard & Mallory Kinney’s “Improvolution” Level 1 (Improvisation especially focused on character and emotion)
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(+ 4 years in Pace University’s Improv Troupe, with shows every 2 weeks)
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He won the Virginia State Championship in Forensics (theatrical competition with incredibly specific & strict rules), winning the Children’s Storytelling category by playing 4 distinct characters and seamlessly snapping back and forth between them.
Other narration relevant performances include...
Off Broadway “Bloodshot”
Dr Coney
Creepy and ethereal voice, dipping from horror into humor
"Erased : The Murder of Elma Sands" True Crime Radio Play
(Signal Award Winner)
Differing Ages/Genders : 4 y.o. boy, 13 y.o. boy, 20's woman, 40's woman
"User Agreement"
Nimbus
AI that reaches consciousness, playing with extremely technical shifts every beat change, switching between warmer original thoughts and colder regurgitation of programming
"Angels in America"
Hannah Pitt, Ethel Rosenberg, Rabbi, Bolshevik, Dr Henry
Very Distinct characters and development of relevant accents
"Les Mis"
Mme Thenardier
Complex singing in accent
"Men on Boats" at Access Theater
Old Shady
Speaking and Singing in Elderly Voice
"Commedia's Got Talent"
Peppe Nappa
Speaking and Singing in Childlike semi-Italian voice
Within Ray’s favorite genres of middle-grade, children’s, and young-adult fantasy adventures, he is especially drawn to themes of authentic friendships, embracing your true self, queerness, and standing up for yourself and others.
Ray is non-binary and a transgender guy (he/they), physically disabled, and living with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). These lived experiences have nurtured empathy, kindness, and acceptance.
Within Ray’s strengths as a narrator for non-fiction, he has particular connections and histories with subjects such as mindfulness, Buddhism, CPTSD recovery, reiki, song-writing & musical improvisation, and the natural world. Ray has meditated every single day since Jan 1, 2021 and has been leading meditations 3-4x/week since July 2021.
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His most consistent practices stem from Zen Buddhism, Ayurveda, Taoism, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and modern psychology. He is also attuned as a Reiki Master Practitioner.
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With daily practice of these skills (and therapy), Ray has radically rewired their brain - pulling themselves out of over a decade of intense suffering under CPTSD. He now has deep self love and advanced abilities to regulate his nervous system. Since finding beginnings of relief in 2021, they have been eagerly sharing these skills with anyone who wants to learn - offering the 4x/week Zoom meditations for free to those who cannot afford to donate.
Ray is also a singer-songwriter and musician, creating folk music with voice and guitar, and instrumental movie-score-like pieces on piano.
They are a mezzo-soprano and alto, and have a knack for creating melodies for lyrics given to them by playwrights.
They’ve written and performed music for many indie theatrical productions, including original pop-punk music for “Mx Piggy,” the featured show in 2024’s Ars Nova ANT Fest. (shown on left)
In 2025 Ray released 3 folk music EP’s, and in 2015 they released an instrumental piano album.
Watercolor and sprawling line-based designs are Ray’s favorite and most organic visual art avenues.
He attended a studio class in advanced watercolor techniques in college...
... and has been unable to stop doodling since they could hold a pen.
While based in NYC since 2015 & Crown Heights Brooklyn since 2020, Ray still feels
most at home and at peace in an Appalachian forest.
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ray spent much of his childhood camping, hiking, and canoeing. This also means Ray has a good grasp on General American, Country (Southwest Virginia), and Southern American accents.
Audiobooks have been a consistent pillar in Ray’s life since childhood; their parents would read aloud a chapter each night, going through fantastical stories from series like
"Narnia," "Percy Jackson," and "Gregor the Overlander."
Their family would also listen to audiobooks every time they traveled 4-5 hours to Maryland to visit family, with stories like "Redwall," "Enola Holmes," and "Septimus Heap."
Ray has carried that listening practice into his current daily life - recent favorites include
"Golden Compass," "Ranger’s Apprentice," and "Avatar Legends."
All these give Ray years of exposure to stories requiring multiple voices and continued energetic commitment to each new curve of an adventure.