KIRSTY STRAIN

Assisting actors with specific dialects for a casting or role, accent softening either to assist those where English is a second language or for those with strong regional accents who wish to become more neutral and elocution for those who wish to have better diction and more well rounded clarity.

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ACCENT AND DIALECT TRAINING FOR ACTORS:

Giving you all the tools you need to successfully act in an accent or dialect. You will be coached in the main vowel and consonant positions and accurate speech and intonation patterns of your key target accent. In addition, you'll be given handouts and helpful audio-visual aids. The target accent can also be applied directly to any audition or performance text.

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Dialects Offered Include: American-Standard, American-California, American-New York, American-Southern States, Australian, Central Scottish, Cockney, Edinburgh, Essex, Fife, Glasgow (native), Highlands, Liverpool, London, Northern, Scottish-Standard, Yorkshire, RP and RP Varieties.

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Topics Covered Include:

• Regular practice of key tongue, lip and mouth positions on target vowels and consonants

• Key vowels of the target accent

• Key consonants of the target accent

• Practice material

• Transposition of target accent into audio/visual assist for auditions and castings

• Intonation patterns of the key target accent.

• TV and audio-visual examples and recommendations

• Skype sessions

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ACCENT SOFTENING FOR ACTORS:

Ideal for those who speak English as an additional language, or have a regional accent and wish to become more neutral or want to improve their accuracy, clarity and confidence in English pronunciation. 

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Actors with international English accents also need to soften their accents and understand English intonation and stress when speaking English for castings, auditions and roles in Film, TV and Theatre.

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Topics Covered Include:

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• Rigorous articulation exercises designed to strengthen your speech muscles; in order to achieve clear, flexible RP sounds more easily

• A practical understanding of the placement and facial movements of the accent

• A detailed breakdown of the sounds of RP; giving you a solid foundation of the tongue and mouth movement as well as sound length

• Feedback on your speech and accent habits and techniques on how to improve your long-term goals

• An understanding of how to apply this work to a script

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ACCENT SOFTENING FOR BUSINESS:

Ideal for non-native English speaking business professionals who wish to neutralise or modify their accent for professional or personal reasons.

 

If you feel that your accent is holding you back and that you frequently get asked to repeat yourself or worry that people haven’t fully understood you, then then I can provide you with a comprehensive, step-by-step plan to help you gain a natural and flexible pronunciation of English. You will focus on the vowel and consonant sounds of Received Pronunciation (RP) as well as training your mouth muscles to master the sounds you need with freedom and ease.

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Topics Covered Include:

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• Rigorous articulation exercises designed to strengthen your speech muscles; in order to achieve clear, flexible RP sounds more easily

• A practical understanding of the placement and facial movements of the accent

• A detailed breakdown of the sounds of RP; giving you a solid foundation of the tongue and mouth movement, as well as sound length

• Feedback on your speech and accent habits and techniques on how to improve your long-term goals

• Working with a variety of texts to apply the techniques

• An understanding of how to apply the new sounds to everyday speech and text

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ELOCUTION:

If you are a native, or fluent International English speaker, yet feel the quality of your speech production lets you down (you've been given feedback that you are inaudible, mumble, your intonation patterns are monotonous, for instance), then I can help you maximise your accuracy, clarity, projection and muscularity in spoken English and enable you to eliminate any minor-to-moderate speech faults you currently have.

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We will train your speech muscles in order to develop more precise and flexible diction and work through a series of practical, transferable exercises that thoroughly warm up and shape your articulators.

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Topics Covered Include:

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• Precision: to produce clear speech

• Placement: maximise clarity and tone

• Accuracy: in order to avoid consonants sounds becoming muffled or mumbled

• Sound placement/resonant focus: focusing sound forward

• Mirror work to ensure the correct facial setting

• Sound recording analysis: analysing your sound in a group setting

• Key vowel and consonant changes to look out for

• Confidence, release and freeing work

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