This is an advanced workshop for actors who want to take their dialect work to the next level and explore the particular challenges of acting with an accent. Rather than an instructional class that focuses on a specific dialect’s placement, signature sounds, and intonation, this workshop invites actors who are already proficient in an accent or dialect of their choice to start to bridge the gap to scene study.
Topics explored include research and rehearsal techniques, how to avoid stereotypes, finding freedom and flexibility, the issue of authenticity vs. intelligibility, and the challenge of accessing emotional life while speaking in an unfamiliar way. Rather than seeing the dialect as a mask the actor wears, we will consider whether it’s possible to use it as a portal to new parts of ourselves, to bring our characters to fuller life.