William Sarris
Voice actor and narrator. He has narrated over 90 audiobooks and numerous e-learning and web training courses, and has been the voice of radio, TV and web commercials and other content for companies like Pfizer, Pepsi, Lexus, GE, and amFAR.
Appears in 40 Episodes
An Introduction to Becoming Barnum: Interview with Barnum Museum Curator
In this episode of the "Becoming Barnum" podcast, we sit down with Adrienne Saint-Pierre, the Curator of the Barnum Museum's artifact collection and archive. Saint-Pie...
A Bit of France in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Barnum’s travels in France had influenced his vision for his beloved Bridgeport; this was clearly revealed by what he chose to tell the Atlas readers. Barnum adopted B...
“A Touch of Yankee” Solves a Problem
Mr. Barnum was infuriated by the demands of the Hospice Commissioners who expected a far larger percentage of the gross receipts than Barnum felt reasonable.
The Beginnings of Iranistan
Barnum’s homesickness coincided with and perhaps fueled his desire to begin building a country home for his family. Barnum writes about a future grand home in Bridgepo...
A Mountain of Worries
In this episode, we delve into a new “batch” of the letters P. T. Barnum wrote while in France and sent back to his family and business associates in America. These l...
A New Play for the General
P. T. Barnum’s famous protegee Charles Stratton, known to the world as Gen. Tom Thumb, was quite a young child when he was first introduced to European audiences in t...
They Stared with All the Eyes They Had
Have you ever tried to envision a visit to Barnum’s American Museum? I find it is a feat of the imagination to reconcile exterior pictures of the museum with the she...
Story Updates, and a Daughter’s Education
Back in Episode, A Mountain of Worries, we had wondered how Charity dealt with a rather harsh letter from her husband, written on September 12th, 1845. Would she repl...
Searching for Monsieur Guillaudeu
Curiosity got the better of our curator Adrienne after reading another of P. T. Barnum’s letters in which he mentioned the Frenchman who worked for him at the American...
My Success Has Been a Miracle
One of the many “beauties” of P. T. Barnum’s copybook letters from 1845-1846 is that they provide insights into Barnum’s attitudes toward money just at the point in hi...
Souvenir Medals, and a Snug Saloon to Draw and Read In
As we’ve learned from the July – October 1845 correspondence between Barnum and his business associates, the Tom Thumb tour through France, outside of Paris, had not l...
Read & Reflect, Then Do as You Please
Over the past few months of reading Barnum’s letters in his 1845-1846 copybook, I have been surprised to find relatively few to Charity, his wife. Though it is clear ...
A Tree Found, Tried & Shook
Since we are well into “apple season” here in New England (as well as in neighboring New York State, the country’s second biggest apple-producer), the title phrase of ...
“The Laborer is Worthy of his Hire”
In previous letters we’ve gotten to know some of the key staff members of P. T. Barnum’s team at the American Museum in New York, by piecing together details from the ...
Barnum & Catlin
In this episode we’ll explore the connection between P. T. Barnum and another famous showman, a lawyer-turned-artist, George Catlin. Catlin’s early 19th century portr...
Trumpets, “Venus,” and a Young Man, All Heading to America
In this Episode of Becoming Barnum, we’ll follow up on the status of new attractions Barnum planned for his American Museum in New York, and learn about another of hi...
My Mind is Occupied with Thoughts of Home
In this Episode of Becoming Barnum, it feels most fitting to highlight P. T. Barnum’s letters home to his wife, sister, and daughter. These letters were composed in t...
Tell Me Plainly What You Think
This episode of Becoming Barnum discusses another uncomfortable truth about showing human beings as curiosities, as we learn directly from Barnum. This letter came up ...
A Jolly Lot of Brother Showman
This episode of Becoming Barnum discusses some of his lengthy epistles to the Editors of the New York Atlas, for whom Barnum was acting as a foreign correspondent. Thi...
We Have Got Quite Territory Enough
This episode of Becoming Barnum discusses letters containing political remarks and comments about war—content somewhat different from what we’ve seen up to this point....
The Old American is Bound to Do Wonders Yet
This episode of Becoming Barnum discusses letters at the end of November 1845; P. T. Barnum's wide-ranging ambitions seem tamped down a bit, at least insofar as his co...
Last Letters from France
This episode of Becoming Barnum, Barnum sits down to write letters to various family members, plus one to his museum manager who was “like family” to Barnum, and anot...
Thank you & Happy Holidays!
Thank you for listening to 'Becoming Barnum: The Journey to Fame and Fortune.' We will be taking a break for the holidays but will return in the new year with more sto...
Bills and Boardmen
In this episode of Becoming Barnum, P. T. Barnum works to promote Gen. Tom Thumb's performances in London using various methods of advertising, including handbills and...
I Never Wish to be a Millionaire
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, P.T. Barnum addresses that he is aware that his wife Charity is pregnant. This information is revealed in letters writt...
A New Chapter for a New Year
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, A “new chapter” is about to begin in P. T. Barnum’s business life as we learn from a group of letters he composed—appro...
Going It Like a Rush
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we dive into P.T. Barnum's 1846 letters to his uncle Alanson Taylor. He shares his business advice for their partnershi...
Do the Best You Can for Yourself
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we bring you P.T. Barnum's own words as he writes to his manager Fordyce Hitchcock, laying out his plans for the Americ...
A Good Education is Better than Riches
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we explore 2 letters from P.T. Barnum to daughter Caroline & wife Charity. He emphasizes the importance of education, p...
Mademoiselle Venus
P.T. Barnum purchased an "Anatomical Venus" figure in Paris for his American Museum in New York. This was a lifelike wax figure, with internal organs arranged in a cav...