Acting in Accent: British Isles Edition

This course is full and no longer accepting applications.

Session

7/11/2023 - 8/1/2023

Location

London, England

Discipline

Theatre

Description

In London, we will be in the nexus of British Isles accents! Learn accents of the British Isles from a multi-cultural team of professional accents coaches working on the West End, on Oscar-winning films and on TV.

Who Should Take This Class

This course is for actors at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and in the profession. A beginning voice and speech class or equivalent professional experience will be required.

Required Application Materials (please submit materials in a single document)

1) Personal Statement: Why is this course right for you at this time? Describe any relevant experience with acting in accents.

2) Resumé/Headshot (snapshot is also fine).

3) Contact information for two people who will provide references for you.

4) Include a link to a brief video introducing yourself (so we can hear your amazing accent!) and then one to two minutes of an audition monologue in any accent other than your own (does not have to be a British Isles accent).

Course Coordinator

Andrea Caban is an Associate Professor and Head of Voice and Speech at CSULB. She is a speech and accents specialist recognized world-wide within her field of teacher training for accent coaches. She co-authored the seminal text Experiencing Speech: A Skills-Based, Panlingual Approach to Actor Training, and is currently working on the sequel, Experiencing Accents. Acting in Accent marks her fourth time coordinating a course for CSU Summer Arts.

Important Course Information

Students will need to bring

Two monologues to rehearse in many different accents

The text should not be set to any specific accent
Shakespeare works best, but other text is also fine

A paper notebook
Movement clothing for acting classes
Comfortable shoes for walking and standing-room-only plays
Laptop or tablet. If you do not have one, your phone with web access will work.

Passport/Visa

All participants will need a valid and current passport for travel to England.
You must provide your passport number to Summer Arts by June 30, 2023. If you do not have a current passport, you should apply for one immediately.
United States citizens do not need a visa to enter England. However, citizens of other countries may.

Travel/Arrival date

Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements. You will need to provide Summer Arts with your travel information.
Students must arrive in London by July 10.
Class will start on Tuesday, July 11 at a time to be determined.

Lodging

Summer Arts will offer group lodging arrangements from Monday July 10 to Tuesday, August 1 (22 nights). Housing is provided by Britannia Students Services at the International Hall. https://britanniastudents.com/accommodation/international-hall/

Daily breakfast and linens are included.
All rooms are single bedrooms with a shared bath.
Cost is $1550 per person.

When you are notified of your acceptance to the class you will receive information on how to book your lodging.

You may also make your own reservation and payment arrangements with any hotel, vacation rental, or hostel you like in London.

Common expenses

The following information is for estimates only. Your individual expenses may differ.

Airfare (from LAX or SFO to London): $1100-$1500
Other transportation: $200
Lodging (if booked through Summer Arts): $1550
Insurance: $75
Cell phone: $100
Food/spending money: $1100

Click here for course fees

Scholarships

Scholarship awards range from $100 to $2000 and about 80% of students receive scholarship assistance. Scholarship funds are only available towards tuition costs.

To apply for aid, complete the application when you apply online for admission to the course. Click here for more information.

Deadlines

Application: May 22, 2023
Acceptance notification: May 29, 2023
Housing reservation and payment (if reserving housing through Summer Arts): June 19, 2023
Insurance payment June 19, 2023
Course fees: July 7, 2023

For additional information about the course, passports and visas, or any other questions, contact [email protected].

Guest Artists

Hazel Holder

Hazel Holder is a performer and voice coach. She has worked with pioneering companies including the National Theatre as an associate artiste, Clod Ensemble as a performing medicine associate artist, The Mono Box, Clean Break, Marginal Voices (working with trafficked women), and CAST Women’s Charity - "helping to transform vulnerable women’s lives through creative holistic education."

Jude McSpadden

Jude is a Belfast-based voice and dialect coach. She has over 25 years of experience teaching and training actors in voice, speech, and accent nationally and internationally. She has taught and coached in several settings: drama school, theatre, film and TV, in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Philip Thompson

Philip Thompson is a professor of Drama at UC Irvine, a senior teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, and co-founder of Knight-Thompson Speechwork. His credits as a voice/text/accent director in professional theatres span 25 years. He frequently works with Cincinnati Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, and Utah Shakespearean Festival.

Kay Welch

Kay is lead tutor in Voice at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and works with all aspects of the voice- technique, text and accent. She spent many years as a freelance practitioner, including work at the National Theatre, Almeida, Nottingham Playhouse, and various tours across Britain.

Salvatore Sorce

Salvatore Sorce is a voice, accent, and text coach, and is an associate voice teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His theatre credits include The Two Popes (UK Tour), First Touch (Nottingham Playhouse) Persuasion (UK tour), and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe). Sorce’s film credits include Silver and A Bit of Light.