the VASTA Voice - eNewsletter of the Voice & Speech Trainers Association, Inc.

Dear VASTAns:
There are some people who deserve special recognition for launching the VASTA VOICE e-letter. Thank you Michael Barnes for sharing your tech talent, for your willingness to take on the job of Director of Technology, and for saying '"sure we can do that"' to the e-letter. Thank you Eric Armstrong, for forging the way when many of us around the board table were still stumbling on e-mail, for patiently answering lots of technical questions, and for advice and support in launching this venture. Thank you Rocco Dal Vera for sitting in on an impromptu '"let's launch this now" committee' and for offering great ideas.

Most especially -Thank you Editor Chris Morris and Incoming Editor Erica Tobolski for not shooting the president when you received the post retreat message launching the plan for the VASTA VOICE e-letter. I appreciate your restraint, humor and grace in facilitating this quick transition from the job you signed on for to this brand new venture. Thanks to Rena Cook for getting so much of the report together for this special first edition. And thanks to the board for supporting this effort.

The unity of thought and purpose during the VASTA VISIONing was astounding. You will find an account of the planning retreat in this e-letter, as well as the mission statement and 3 year action goals developed there. The past and present board members and officers hope when you read the goals, you will be as excited as we are.

Member Spotlight

Greetings fellow VASTAns,
Welcome to the first e-Newsletter for VASTA! Developing the VASTA Voice has been an interesting and exciting journey. This started out as an idea to supplement our former printed Newsletter, but became a way that we could get information to the membership even faster and more efficiently. While designing the format of the Voice, it hit upon me that it would be nice to spotlight one member in every issue. However, I think it would be nice to learn things about people that we might never learn in our normal interactions. We have the Professional Index on VASTA.org that tells our membership's qualifications. This is about seeing the person behind the credentials--what is the last book s/he read? What type of music does s/he prefer? This is your chance to see one another's inner workings. Write to me and tell me what interesting things you would like to know about our VASTA family members.

VASTA PHILADELPHIA 04: DIVERSITY GENERATES CONTROVERSY

The VASTA Board of Directors' decision to host the Philadelphia 04 Conference on diversity was spawned by prolonged interest and requests from members both when surveyed on conference topics and during hot topics discussions. During the San Diego and NYC conferences, 'Burning Issues' sessions expressed overwhelming interest in an opportunity to explore this area in a longer format, heightened awareness of VASTA's own lack of diversity in trainers and membership, and yearning for expertise and training to increase awareness in teaching students of diverse backgrounds, needs and voice.

Seeking a way to address these issues, (while acknowledging this would be a departure from any conference presented in the past,) the board decided to take make a one-time leap into a totally different type of conference. Thus, the diversity conference was born. The board charged conference planner Judylee Vivier to identify and finalize our diversity presenters and while she had some suggestions, her efforts in following our charge were nothing less than herculean. Thanks again, Judylee, for having organized two very difficult conferences with such grace. Attendees included groups from our ongoing membership as well as first-time guests from other areas of academia, the corporate world, and from several countries. New friendships were begun, alliances made and as always old friendships celebrated.

The board knew it would be 'stirring the pot' as it were; issues would not be neatly tied up. This was going to be a difficult path to tread. The format would be very different; the presenters requested an all attendee format one room format, as opposed to our usual smaller groups. And as we anticipated, it was. Responses received in the follow-up e-survey varied from 'this was fabulous, it raised all the right issues, to 'I was frustrated with the lack of organization.' Awarenesses were raised, even as emotional exchanges occurred. Perhaps some of the best conversations occurred over lunch, dinner or drinks. Some resonances will go on for years.

Without a doubt, the newest and most successful jewel in the conference was the initiation of member presentations. It is now a goal to continue to provide these conference opportunities to share our ideas, expertise, teaching strategies, and research with our colleagues. The benefit of developing vita credits for tenure and promotion dossiers is another perk. VASTA is happy to provide an opportunity for presenting faculty who request to have a peer review of their presentation which can be included in a promotion dossier.

Those of us who have been through a cycle of VASTA Conferences know that not all have been major 'hits', but we always cherish the opportunity to interact with our colleagues. In response to ongoing input and discussions we plan a series of conferences focusing on of the foundations of voice and speech work, each will provide a diversity of approaches to work on that 'fundamental' element. We also promise to remain open to the membership, its interests and burning issues. When the occasion arises we will continue to address issues that may not always be comfortable, but that serve to deepen our sense of humanity and foster our growth.

VASTA serves its members. We are only as strong as your input; if you have a special need, area of interest, or strand of the work you want to investigate – any board member is only an e-mail away.

SCOTLAND: VASTA Conference 2005

SCOTLAND. Home of Rob Roy,the Highlands, Charles Rennie Macintosh, the Edinburgh Festival, drams of whiskey... AND the venue for the 2005 VASTA CONFERENCE!

Rich in architecture, museums and galleries, Glasgow is a sparking jewel— a city of great style & warmth. Glasgow, more specifically, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in the centre of the city, plays host to VASTA's first overseas Conference. BREAKING BOUNDARIES: Crossing the Cultural Divide is August 9-13, 2005 and gives us the opportunity to share experiences with voice professional worldwide.

The Main Event will be workshops from international practitioners Kevin Crawford, Barbara Houseman and Donna Soto-Morettini. Kevin was in Roy Hart's original company, but his work is also based on the many movement disciplines of dance, contact improvisation, Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method. Barbara, a director, voice and text coach (most notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Young Vic) is the author of Finding Your Voice and the soon- to- be published the Actor's Toolkit and Enabling Actors. Donna is Head of the Musical Theatre at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama who will be bringing us a panopoly of musical styles. All three are inspirational teachers.

A highlight of this Conference will be VASTA DAY—Saturday, the 13th of August will host over 35 different papers and presentations from VASTA members worldwide. You will be spoiled for choice, with so many different techniques and topics to choose from. A listing will be available in the Conference Program (available at registration in Glasgow) so you'll be able to peruse the offerings in advance!

We have left the evenings free so delegates can explore the many wonders of Glasgow or take the quick 45 minute train journey to the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe Festival (as well as the Book Festival and Television Festival) which are all happening in Glasgow's sister city at Conference time.

Your Conference Team are busy planning a Conference to remember. There will be more information and the conference brochure with registration information will be available in February on the website—stay tuned to VASTAVOX for further announcements.

LATE BREAKING CONFERENCE NEWS!
Cicely Berry is delivering the keynote address at Breaking Boundaries and will be with us for much of the Conference.

I look forward to welcoming VASTA members worldwide to BREAKING BOUNDARIES ! See you all in Glasgow!

VASTA LOOKS BACK TO MOVE FORWARD

A ten-year VASTA goal-setting retreat was held in Las Vegas on November 12 and 13. A group of twenty-four current and past VASTA board members met to chart the organizations next decade; they included Lisa Wilson, Craig Ferre, Phil Thompson, Mandy Rees, Ginny Kopf, Dorothy Mennen, Rocco Dal Vera, Eric Armstrong, Marya Lowry, Rena Cook, Betty Anne Leeseberg-Lange, Carol Pendergrast, Marion Hampton, Kate DeVore, Barry Kur, Kate Burke, Deena Burke, Karen Ryker, and Judylee Vivier. Unfortunately Kate Ufema was ill and could not attend; Mary Corrigan had to leave early due to illness.

Though we were tucked away from the razzle-dazzle of the strip, we hit the jackpot with our facilitator Julia McBride whose well planned and skillfully conducted activities stirred our imaginations and focused us on our task.

Activities began with a collective re-telling of VASTA's 19-year history. The 'Mother of us all' Dorothy Mennen was asked to tell the story of the beginning of VASTA when the hat was passed at an ATA meeting. A review of nine presidents from Dorothy to Lisa Wilson was followed by a travel log of VASTA conference locations beginning in New York in 1986 to Scotland 2005. We were surprised to see that VASTA has been in New York five times, Chicago four times, as far west as Seattle and San Diego, and as far east as Philadelphia and DC, north to Toronto and south to San Antonio and Atlanta. In August of 2005, VASTA will host its first truly international conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The high points and firsts in VASTA's history were charted on the wall. These included the first newsletter in 1987, the establishment of the Clyde Vinson scholarship, the publication of tenure and promotion guidelines, the creation of the website and bibliography, the publication of Vocal Vision and The Voice and Speech Review.

The highlight of the planning retreat was 'Envisioning VASTA's Brightest Future,' an activity in which small groups, armed with butcher paper and magic markers fantasized the best of all possible VASTA worlds. We imagined magazine covers depicting VASTA's successes, headlines, feature stories, pictures, and quotations. Each group, though working in isolation, discovered common themes, dreams, and hopes. The status of our profession was elevated with such headlines as 'Razing the Tower of Babble,' 'The Voice Eclectic,' and 'VASTA Wins Tony for Service to the Theatre.' Themes revolved around inclusion of methodologies, diverse teachers and practitioners, abundance of financial support and professional recognition. This exercise generated excitement, energy and opened our imaginations for the tasks yet to come.

Bringing us back down to earth, facilitator Julia McBride then asked us to 'get the big picture of the VASTA's environment.' Where do we work and what is the nature of each setting? We are 85% academic voice trainers, 15% private practitioners. We work in professional theatre, in film, in clinical settings and in the corporate world. We acknowledge the decline of the American theatre and language-based writing, and that sound amplification is here to stay. Health, behavior and diversity issues are moving to the fore. Many of our members are middle-aged and our face reflects an older model. Our partners include ATHE, SAG/AFTRA, ASHA, NATS, BVA, and Voice Foundation, among others.

Even as we were applauding the many VASTA successes, we turned our attention to the future in terms of organizational needs, membership needs and the balance between the two. A wider, more diverse membership is not only needed but also desired. A deeper leadership pool must be developed if VASTA is to thrive into its next decade. VASTA needs a better mentoring structure to encourage and foster new leadership, a more diverse membership, and to provide training for both entry level and senior membership.

Our next step was to agree on goals & objectives, a detailed account of which is contained in 'The VASTA Vision.'

Finally the group reviewed attitudes and behaviors to make success possible: communicating, staying positive, continuing to check in with and seek feedback from membership, creating ad hoc committees with manageable goals and finally, prioritizing – all of which can not happen now.

The joy of coming together to share what was for many of us 19 years of history, of nurturing new relationships, of exploring where we have been and where we are going was universal for all of us. We departed with a heightened sense of pride and dedication to the organization and the profession. We all feel a renewed commitment to keep VASTA strong and vital in the coming decade.

YOUR BOARD AT WORK

The VASTA Board of Directors met November 10-14 in Las Vegas for the fall board meeting. The overarching theme focused on serving more VASTA members in more inclusive and efficient ways. Specific topics discussed ranged from the creation of an electronic newsletter, the Scotland conference, membership expansion, profession advocacy, to nurturing VASTA's future leadership. What follows is an outline of topics, discussions and decisions.

I. VASTA Voice: The board agreed to institute an e-newsletter called the VASTA Voice; the Fall 04 printed issue will be our last hard copy issue. The cost saving is substantial and will allow publication as many as nine times a year rather than the two currently sent through snail mail. There will be an 'Opt Out' feature for VASTA members who don't have access to email. Ideas for content were generated but it is hoped that as members discover ways that that VASTA Voice can help spread the news, they will contact Christine Morris, Editor, cmorris@duke.edu or Erica Tobolski, Associate Editor, tobolski@sc.edu.

II. The Mentoring Program: Under Ginny Kopf's continued guidance, is growing. Lots of requests for mentors come from the NY and LA hubs. Voice trainers in these areas who wish to serve as mentors can contact Ginny at gkvoice@cfl.rr.com.

III. Service to VASTA: As a growing organization, VASTA needs a large active membership base willing to serve in order to keep the organization healthy. The board nominated several members to fill jobs / offices and to run for the board.
The following jobs will be soon be available: webliographer, assistant ATHE conference planner, archivist, membership chairperson, assistant VASTA conference planner, assistant & associate editors for the journal We need help in the following areas of interest as well: computer technology, printing services, bibliography title & citation gathering, grant writing, article writing for newsletter & Voice & Speech Review. Check the web site www.vasta.org where we are updating our complete list of jobs and offices.
Judylee Vivier, new board member, has taken over the area of Human Resources. She is the person to contact if you wish to volunteer, jvivier@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

IV. Scotland Conference, August 10-13 in Glasgow: Conference Planner Lise Olson is hard at work on plans for the VASTA's First International Conference. The list of potential keynote presenters is exciting. Many members have also applied to present. Fees will be in the $220 range. Information will be posted on VASTA.org and in the VASTA Voice.

V. Director of Technical Services: Michael Barnes will take over in this position. He will build upon the great work that Eric Armstrong has done to bring us into the 21st Century electronically. Welcome, Michael.

VI. Building VASTA Membership: VASTA serves more people than
those who are currently members. How can we bring them into our ranks? If you have suggestions, email any board member with your thoughts. Know any past VASTA members who have let their membership lapse? Give them a call, invite them back.

VII. Follow up on Diversity Conference: The board received strong reactions, some loved it, some hated it, there was no middle ground. We were very glad to have heard from each of you. Look for a letter in the VASTA Voice that specifically addresses this topic. The VASTA board remains dedicated to responding to member suggestions and to serving our diverse populations, as well as increasing our member diversity.

VIII. Financial Outlook: Thanks to the diligence and fiscal responsibility of the VASTA board, we are on sound financial ground.

IX. Voice & Speech Review: The next issue Shakespeare Around the Globe is progressing nicely with many quality submissions. Work from five countries is featured and an article, 'Glimpses Around the Globe,' will highlight work from several more parts of the theatrical world. Look to ATHE 2005 in San Francisco for the official unveiling of the 2005 VSR.

X. ATHE: The board re-committed to maintaining a strong relationship to ATHE and is looking to schedule a one-day post conference following the ATHE in San Francisco, look for our info in an upcoming e-letter. The VASTA conference will again be back with ATHE in Chicago 2006.

XI. Regional Outreach/Regional Outreach Grants (' ROGs'): Several regional outreach get-togethers have been hosted in various locations. The board discussed the idea of expanding regional events to include future regional mini-conferences, promoting the educational mission of VASTA. If you have an idea, contact a board member for more details.

VASTA VISION: 2005-2014 - with action steps for the first three years

MISSION
To improve the ways in which our culture values voice and spoken language, and the ways it recognizes the skills required for effective communication, such that:
1) Voice and Speech trainers are recognized and remunerated as valued professionals;
2) Voice & Speech training becomes part of the core curriculum from Kindergarten through Higher Education;
3) International alliances among trainers foster an exchange of learning and organizational growth;
4) VASTA advances a point of view about voice training that celebrates common goals and diverse ways of achieving those goals;
5) VASTA's membership and leadership is as diverse as the communities that we serve;
6) Voice and Speech trainers are able to employ technology in support of our mission;
7) VASTA has the power and financial backing to support and implement its mission.

TARGETS, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR YEARS 05-07
Membership and Diversity
1) Be different: Increase diversity among membership and leadership.

A) Sponsor a non-member from an under-represented group to attend the '06 conference — current board members will nominate this person from a slate of possibilities at the August '05 board meeting.
B) Create a " How to" web document on Self-marketing for individual practitioners — first draft to be submitted by 5/05 from Ginny Kopf.
C) Outreach to communities — appoint an ad hoc committee with Chair to create a list of whom we currently serve, and whom we might potentially serve, by the summer of '05, then create a plan to expand service to those we might serve.
D) Include a presentation by a member of an under-represented group at every conference, starting in '06.
E) Initiate a scholarship for potential members/trainers from under-represented groups. Create a committee to draft guidelines in '05.
F) Foster success and alliance among regional and international voice groups beginning with a meeting at the conference in Scotland '05 to connect with UK and international voice groups.

2) Encourage VASTA members and Board members to connect by travel to other countries (e.g. Lisa Wilson & Kate Ufema's trip to South Africa in '04).

Advocacy and Awareness
1) We will work to raise the profile of VASTA and what we do as an organization.

C) Maintain website, current publications.
D) Evolve E-newsletter in '05.
E) Expand ACTF Vocal Excellence Awards to Regional ACTF in '06.
F) Increase student awareness by requiring our students to access and report on the benefits of vasta.org as a research tool for voice classes, '05.
G) Establish a committee and create a National Award for Voice, Speech, and Text Excellence in Performance. Committee to form in '05, 1st award in '06. In '07 place a profile article about the recipient in the Voice and Speech Review.

A) Continue to make available: Training guidelines, Tenure and Promotion guidelines, the Ethics Standards and Practices section of journal.
B) Exemplify through conferences and presenters.
C) Establish dialogue with the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) with a report by August '06, regarding accreditation of:

C) Encourage members to self-identify their VASTA association on papers, presentations, workshops — immediately.
D) Solicit VASTA members to do outreach to High School Teacher In-Service Programs; in '05 identify a Resource Person to:

1) Solicit this action.
2) Act as resource for volunteers.
3) Follow through and report to the Board.

E) Produce DVD(s) on Vocal Health for Teachers. Additional Titles (i.e. vocal effectiveness, speaking to teach, presentation skills for lectures, enlivening text) identify a home base for program; BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange has volunteered to research these questions now, and to report on the feasibility in '06.
F) Workshop challenge: challenge issued by VASTA VISION retreat for every VASTA member to present a workshop to a "new group" or presenting a new topic, with a follow-up report of the experience for publication in the e-letter "trailblazing column" — '05.

A) Engage new and ongoing members via a self-identifying checklist of interests and strengths (this will be accomplished through an e-survey correlating our jobs with members' skills, asking if members are interested in a follow-up contact, asking what simultaneous on-line conversations the members are interested in, and allowing for responses like 'no interest now, contact me later'); Spring '05.
B) Create online simultaneous conversation opportunities for subgroups like freelancing, burnout, and other topics that might arise on vastavox; Spring 06.
C) Create and fund two VASTA originated regional mini-conferences by '06 to serve the membership.
D) Create guidelines by which any member can propose a VASTA mini-conference in their region by '07.
E) Continue ROG (Regional Outreach Grants) that build member contact; report in the e-letter, identify possible hosts, (BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange report on the success of the Washington DC regional group Spring '05).
F) Encourage Faculty to apply for institutional grants that support VASTA goals (use web, newsletter, box to publicize, create a list of such projects, create a list of members with interests in such projects as Curriculum for High Schools, then follow-through by contacting them, create an ad hoc committee by '06.
G) Corporate sponsorship of projects like: scholarships, ACTF awards, and diversity membership — ad hoc committee to be formed in '05, first scholarship in '07.
H) Manual of Operations

1) Examine current terms and alternative terms of office to move members into the leadership in a shorter time, and decrease the daunting term of service and family impact at the leadership level.
2) Review current job descriptions for possible redistribution of some assignments for the board meeting in '05.

Professional Development
Goals: Mentor early, mid and advanced career voice professionals in teaching, research, and leadership

A) Include mentoring invitation in every new member packet, forward new member names to Mentoring Director — immediate.
B) Create a "Big Sister/Big Brother" program for all new members to connect with a current member

1) retroactive for past year,
2) with an attendee at the Scotland '05 and Chicago '06 conferences

C) Add interest and strengths survey to all new member information and all renewal information update; distribute the collected information to named area leaders for immediate follow-up — '05.
D) ATHE Conference planner '06 will establish 2 four-member panels on pedagogy; continue future conferences.
E) Conference in Chicago '06 on Pedagogy and Learning (first in a series).
F) Create a Voice Consult Index on vasta.org with weblink on e-letter: a list of those willing to be consulted on area specialties, i.e. undergraduate voice courses, dialects etc. on vasta.org 06.
G) Create the VASTA Fellows Program: Create a program of visiting teaching Fellows from among VASTA's membership. These Fellows would be available for exchange or visitation during their term of service at a reduced fee or in receipt of expenses, housing etc. to exchange teaching specialties or present workshops. Appoint an ad hoc committee with Chair to devise guidelines, and an implementation plan for review at August '05 Board meeting.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Inner Voices and Tsunamis

I have always been told to listen to my inner voice. My mother told me, “If you feel uneasy about taking a certain road, then turn around and go the other way. You may never know what awaited you on the other path, but if you made it home safe by going the other way…who cares.” My theatre training told me " to keep the channel open and aware to the urges that motivate me". My Yoga training told me" let your intuition guide you and be willing to follow that guidance fearlessly and directly". I believe that is why I am still alive. The current numbers are 285,993 confirmed dead and thousands more missing. In Thailand, there are 5,393 dead and 3,071 missing. These numbers are staggering.

I began my Asian trip with a three week trek in Nepal over all the best trails through the Mt. Everest region–in winter. We slept in tea houses where the temperature in the room was minus four and had our drinking water freeze in our backpacks while hiking from campsite to campsite. This was not my idea of a vacation. I was tired and my entire body ached. The Mt. Everest trek was further enhanced by my altitude sickness which meant we had to go back down and acclimatize. Finally, there was the tourist’s revenge which struck me with a vengeance in a area where the only bathroom was a hole in the ground–past the yaks, and the outdoor temperature was minus, minus, minus. My husband, who thrives on adventure treks was hale, hardy, and even good natured, while I was in the worst of it. The vistas were beautiful and I learned quite a lot about breathing while at 18, 500 feet. When the air is thin, you must use your back muscles and sleeping upright is preferable to sleeping flat. I was looking forward to thawing out.

Christmas on Phi Phi Island, Thailand (the island where the movie “The Beach" was filmed) was my cure and it felt good to soak in the sun. I wanted a Thai massage for my sore body and I wanted to lie on the beach with my frilly cocktail. We had made friends with three young women from Australia who had the cabin next to us, a young man from Mexico, and Victor from London We were snorkeling, sunning, dining, and singing Christmas carols. All was well.

Boxing Day was beautiful and it was to be devoted to fishing. Except, I got this feeling–for which I had no reasonable explanation–that we should leave Phi Phi Island as soon as possible. My husband, the fisherman, protested but eventually I won. We invited our friends to join us, but only Victor decided to come along. We weren’t even sure where we were going. We needed to be in Phuket the next day for a diving trip, but again my inner voice said " Dont go there!" Two ferries left at 9:00 am, one to Phuket and one to Krabi. Krabi was out of our way by at least an hour and forty five minutes, but instinct told me that we should spend the day rock-climbing and go to Phuket later in the afternoon or next morning.

We made it to the dock on time and the ferry left on time. This was surprising, as ferries in Thailand are always late and always slow; leaving on time was a minor miracle in itself. We arrived at the port of Krabi about 10:05 am and were disembarking when people started to panic. “Tsunami, Tsunami,” we looked behind the boat and saw a white line across the horizon; the people on the ferry were trampling each other. We were being hit with luggage and children were crying. I did not stop to look at the wave; I kept moving forward into the building.

Inside there was murmur of an earthquake and the Thai people had a terrified look in their eyes. We immediately hopped into a cab and drove inland. There was no radio and no TV, but nothing had happened.

We asked our driver to take us to the beach where there was rock -climbing. May be it had been an isolated incident? As we approached the beach, we began to see police cars and scores of tourists wandering aimlessly. The time was now 10:25 am. The wave had hit about 10:15 am while my husband and I had been in the cab.

We found a hotel up on a hill about ten minutes from the beach, climbed up to the top floor, and waited for another wave. It never came. The beautiful day was jarringly juxtaposed against the cuts and bruises of the survivors and there were many people missing from our hotel. Later that afternoon, a group of us finally got up the nerve to walk down to the beach. Once there, the police were pulling bodies out of the water. There were boats in trees, splintered boats and glass everywhere, and the sea was calm as glass.

The scope of the disaster did not reach us for many days when we found out that our Christmas pals who had stayed snorkeling and sunning on Phi Phi did not survive, and that the Ferry to Phuket was taken away to sea with no one surviving.

Looking back, I realize how incredibly lucky we were. I cannot help but wonder if it was just luck, or divine guidance… “Why us?” I may never know the answers, but we made it home safely.

When I returned to class, I asked my students to release onto the floor, to scan their bodies–looking for distinctions, to listen to their impulses, to move the breath and, thus, their bodies. Watching, these words took on new meaning for me. As I watch the life force of my students move, as I help them experience vibration, I am reminded of how moment-to-moment life really is! I have always thought that my training in theatre was more than just training; it became a way to live my life. It is to be willing to take chances, to listen to my instincts, and to be ready to move!

ATHE POST-CONFERENCE

VASTA presents a post conference "Experiencing Speech;" a one-day intensive in the Knight Speechwork approach

This one-day intensive workshop will use the techniques developed by Dudley Knight and Philip Thompson to free actors and other professional speakers from dependence on habituated accent patterns and to enlarge their articulations skills to encompass all the sounds in the world's languages. In this way, actors gain muscularity, precision, and flexibility of speech, while retaining—when needed—their own accent identity.

The Knight Speechwork approach is used successfully in a rapidly growing number of professional acting training programs as well as in clinical and corporate settings.
VASTA member fee $60.00 non member fee $125.00

PHILIP THOMPSON taught at the Ohio State University where he was an Associate Professor and served as the head of the MFA in Acting program. Since 2001 he has taught voice and speech with Dudley Knight at UC Irvine. He works as a voice and dialect coach for professional and university productions. As a master teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, he teaches in training workshops across the country. For the past five seasons he has coached for the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He has coached at Madison Rep, Weathervane Playhouse among others, including numerous productions at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He appeared as an actor at the Grove and Illinois Shakespeare Festivals. Phil serves on the boards of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and the University Regional Theatre Association(U/RTA).

Regional News

In adopting the new E-format of the newsletter, the Regional News is taking a break. It will return in future issues.

Get Involved!

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT