ACCENT AND DIALECT COACH

Working and acting with an accent can be extremely demanding. As an actor it is your job to find the truth and detail of the character and the accent.

The accent should sound authentic and owned by the actor. As you know, there is nothing worse than going to see a play and noticing the accent more than the performance. To create a truthful performance the actor needs to integrate the director’s vision, the life of the character, playing the text and owning the accent.

My approach to teaching accents varies according to the play, the accent and the individual actor. I therefore use a variety of methods from phonetic analysis, physicality, Laban efforts, rhythm work, muscle memory and ear training.

I will start from a thorough phonetic breakdown of the accent, and will then develop with the actor the best way for them to physically remember and feel the accent, creating the visual shape and imagery of the rhythm, speech and sound. This is an individual process, very much geared towards the theatre/tv/film production or individuals specific needs. This will allow you to own the accent, through muscle memory awareness and so enable you to self-correct in the future.

Getting to know the rules, structures and components of an accent facilitates the actor to identify how it is similar or different from their own.

All these areas will help you to create an authentic sound.