Why choose to work with me as a voice coach? Because I’ve been there, because I believe in you, because it’s time. I’m shifting into 1st person to tell you a story about how I approach this work. I have been committed to telling certain kinds of stories all my life: stories that can break something open, that can shine a light, that reveal a truth, that make us more human. This particular story is not that, for me; it’s just a little about how I came to be here. But I hope it might be part of that journey for you.

I didn’t mean to become a teacher; I just wanted to act. But it didn’t take long to realize I only really wanted to act in good plays, surrounded by people better than me so that I could get better, too. Later I realized that it mattered to me that I could help choose which plays — which stories — got told, and that I could do that as a producer (you can read about Immediate Theatre Project here, if you like). Finally, I gave in to the inevitable, because I also cared a lot about how these stores were told, and the best way I had learned to tell them is rooted in the work of the great voice coach Patsy Rodenburg™. So after the experience I mentioned above, I sought her out, and after a few classes with her, it was clear that I needed to stop taking acting work for a while and focus on training with Patsy directly. (Patsy Rodenburg, OBE, is widely considered the foremost authority on voice in the English language. She has written numerous books on voice and successfully taught an incredible variety of people, from inmates to Prime Ministers, with a special emphasis on actors — both obscure and highly recognized.)

Under her tutelage, I learned more about identifying and releasing whatever tensions are restricting our ability to fully meet the words of the text. About freeing the breath and the body, moving and breathing efficiently, and engaging the imagination fully — again, because the impact of the story we are telling will change profoundly when we do. Turns out, once a person can get a little distance between themselves and their habits, they can discover what the text itself requires rather than limiting their choices to what they already know. This work liberates you by freeing you to care more about the words and the other people than about yourself, thus paradoxically making you much more interesting!

In 2023, I received certification as a Patsy Rodenburg Associate. So let’s connect and see if what I can offer might be the thing you’re looking for. Ultimately, I’m interested in helping you say what needs to be said.

Let’s get that story out in the world.