The Responsive Voice: A dialogic approach to actor voice training
Tuesday 1st October 2024, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
This course will apply key insights from research on natural conversation to voice and dialect coaching for actors. Current actor voice training approaches the voice as the product of an individual speaker. The voice is seen as expressing inner truths and emotions, and there is a strong focus on learning lines and soliloquies. However, some voice coaches have called for ‘a genuine, dynamic, and spontaneous responsiveness as opposed to learning how to say lines without really listening or reacting to others’ (Gutekunst & Gillett 2014:4). This aligns with findings from research on natural talk. Here, it has been shown that the voice is a tool for dialogue rather than only for monologue.
The course will start by introducing the dialogic functions of the voice as it is used in real-life conversation. In natural talk, speakers vocally align with each other, for example, by mirroring each other’s pitch or speech tempo. Here, the voice - or ‘prosody’ - manages interaction with other people rather than revealing an emotional state. Aligning with others frequently leads to prosody that is different from prosody produced in isolation. These insights have not yet been applied to actor voice training, where they have the potential to transform dialogue coaching.
The course will give an overview of how recent voice training approaches teach voice/ prosody and will outline areas where the prosody of acting may differ from that of natural conversation. We will propose ways in which the prosody of natural talk can be meaningfully applied to the work of actors, acting students, and voice coaches, with many examples and exercises that students can take part in if they would like to.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
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📜 Certificate of attendance available
Beatrice Szczepek Reed
Beatrice Szczepek Reed is Professor of Linguistics at King’s College London, where she is the Co-Director of the Centre for Language, Discourse and Communication. Beatrice studies spoken language, particularly the phonetics and phonology of natural conversation.
Anne Whitaker
Anne Whitaker is a California transplant now based in London. Her work as a voice coach spans professional coaching and conservatoire training programs including The Royal Central School for Speech and Drama, Mountview, and The Globe.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Tuesday 23rd June 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Thursday 2nd July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Unclenching the Jaw: Options from the Physio Lens
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“Jaw tension” is one of many potential problems facing the singer, and can cause a direct negative impact on the performance in both direct and indirect ways. The underlying cause of jaw issues is attributed to numerous factors (technique, posture, strength, range of motion, etc.), making it often difficult to identify common denominators. Join Walt Fritz as he examines the evidence supporting stretching, strengthening, and manual therapy interventions to address jaw-related concerns in vocal performers, taking into account their unique needs.
Monday 6th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday 10th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Monday 13th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday 17th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Monday 20th July 2026
7:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday 24th July 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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