Beth McGee Dear Vastans,
Your VASTA Board of Directors met in November and made some exciting decisions while continuing long-range planning for the organization. VASTA Secretary Anne Schilling will be sending a more complete set of minutes for the next VOICE, but in a nutshell, here are a few exciting things that the Board has been working on:

The VASTA Board of directors wishes to publically thank member and former VASTA President Kate Ufema, who has been our Endowment Manager since 2002. At that time, VASTA invested $25,000 in an endowment for the future of the Association. The endowment was managed by Kate.
As the endowment grew, the Board of Directors voted that no funds could be accessed from the Endowment until its principal reached $50,000, and any withdrawal by the Board could be no more than 4% of the principal balance.
In 2007 it was announced at the VASTA conference in Ashland, Oregon that the Board had voted to name the Endowment the Cathryn F. Ufema Endowment.
As of 2009, the Endowment had exceeded the $100,000 dollar mark. Monies from the Endowment are used for scholarships, grants, and special projects at the Board’s discretion.
In 2002, Kate agreed to a seven-year service as Endowment Manager. At VASTA’s November 2009 Board meeting, (and with Kate’s consent) your Board voted to re-invest the current Endowment monies with a professional investment firm.

Please join the Board in thanking Kate for her stellar leadership of the endowment!

VASTA’s Board voted to investigate and hire an outside service to re-design and manage our website, professional index, and conference application and housing details. We hope this will be accomplished in time to make your application and fees for our 2010 international conference in Mexico City as easy as possible!

I am very excited to announce that VASTA’s 2010 Conference will be held in Mexico City, Mexico, August 2-6, 2010, co-hosted by VASTA and CEUVOZ, the national center of studies for voice usage in Mexico! This years’ primary conference presenters will be members of VASTA and CEUVOZ, so please check details on the website, as presentation proposals have a non-negotiable deadline of January 15, 2010. The call for proposals has been announced on the VASTAvox and can also be found on www.vasta.org

We are negotiating prices with some beautiful hotels in the historic city center and I can’t wait to meet you all in beautiful Mexico City!

Beth McGee
president@vasta.org
Associate Professor of Voice
Case Western Reserve University

FROM THE EDITOR

Guy William Molnar

Dear Fellow VASTANs,

Welcome to an even longer VASTA Voice! This is our semi-annual Member News issue, and it would be pretty substantial for that reason alone. But also in this issue...

...VASTA President Beth McGee and Secretary Anne Schilling bring us exciting reports from the recent Board of Directors' meeting in Cleveland. Our Board is hard at work, and I am grateful to Beth and Anne for sharing some of that work with us here.

...Teaching and Learning Committee Chair Julia Guichard shares a summary of assessment from a discussion held by the Committee at this past summer's VASTA Conference. As one who teaches in the area of performing arts, I am usually cowed by such aspects of academia and often simply try to ignore what I see as a problem in hopes that it will go away. Well, it doesn't (to my chagrin), and Julia's article is a lucid and helpful resource.

...Rena Cook introduces us to Ruthie Tutterow, a North Carolina high school teacher who won a trip to the VASTA Conference in New York City. Ruthie's tale of her experiences at the Conference is a delight.

...VASTA's Tech Director and Board of Directors Member Michael J. Barnes, at the none-too-subtle prompting of President Beth McGee and myself, has generously agreed to begin answering your questions about matters technical: a "Dear Techie" column in which Michael will help those of us who struggle with such things. I'm especially grateful to Michael, who has patiently guided me through laying out and sending our newsletter online, and I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to learn from his expertise. (I consider myself fairly computer-savvy, and after three tries I still can't get an IPA font installed on my Mac, so I'll be sending at least one question to Michael myself.)

...we share, as we did last month, some exciting creative research being done by this year's recipients of the Dorothy Mennen grants. D'Arcy Smith shares some of his experiences exploring the Estill Technique, and Debra Hale discusses incorporating her recent Viniyoga work into the BFA actor training program at Florida State University.

...VASTA members from around the country and around the world share some of what they've been up to. I am not exaggerating when I say I am in awe of the industry, energy, and creativity of the VASTA membership as they seek to explore and expand the possible reaches of our work.

Sharing the Member News would not be possible without the enthusiastic work done by Voice Regional Editors, and I'd like to thank them once again here: Peter-Jack Tkatch, Tracey Moore, Daydrie Hague, Vivian Majkowski, Mandy Fox, Evelyn Case, Dawn McCaugherty, and Linda Cartwright have all solicited, collated, and formatted member submissions. We especially want to welcome new Regional Editor Wendy Mortimer of Ball State University in the East Central Region. We will also say "thank you" and goodbye to Linda Cartwright, who will no longer be serving as International Editor. Kirstie O'Sullivan, who took over Linda's old job at the drama school in Auckland, will be serving in that capacity.

And last (but definitely, not, as the saying goes, least), it is my pleasure to introduce any of you who don't already know him to Joe Alberti, who has been approved by the Board as the Voice's new Associate Editor. Joe is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher on the faculty at Syracuse University and brings significant experience as an author and an editor to the Voice. Please join me in welcoming Joe.

Wishing all of you wonderful new challenges and growth in 2010.

Your Board At Work

Anne Schilling

Anne Schilling The VASTA Board of Directors met August 3rd and 6th during the VASTA Conference in New York City and then again November 5th through the 8th in Cleveland, OH, for our 2009 biannual Board meetings. The overarching theme for both meetings was how to aptly address and encourage VASTA’s growing membership. With the 2009 Conference being one of VASTA’s largest to date and the 2010 Conference going international, there was much discussion on how to maintain inspirational, effective conferences while continuing to promote healthy and productive development within the organization. Other related topics addressing our growth included technological advancements and challenges, an examination of VASTA’s identity, the progression of the Voice and Speech Review, the diversity within our increasing membership, and how our finances reflect and support our evolution.

The following outline reflects highlights from those meetings and where VASTA stands as we near the end of 2009.

Summer Conference 2009: The conference in New York City was a great success and attendance was high – as were the spirits of those attending. The VASTA membership experienced the teaching methods of voice greats, Catherine Fitzmaurice, Arthur Lessac, Kristin Linklater and Patsy Rodenburg. We thank them for generously sharing their wisdom and expertise, as well as Michele Cuomo who successfully tackled the enormous job of planning the conference. Members of the Center for Voice Studies in Mexico City (CEUVOZ) joined us in New York and laid the foundation for a relationship the Board wishes to continue fostering. The feedback has been incredibly positive, and has provided the Board with valuable information as we plan for 2010. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Summer Conference 2010: The Board has selected Mexico City for the Summer 2010 Conference, scheduled for August 2nd-6th. Having thoroughly enjoyed their experience, the CEUVOZ members who attended in New York encouraged VASTA to collaborate in this joint conference for 2010. Antonio Ocampo-Guzman and current Conference Planner, Micha Espinosa, have been instrumental in providing the membership this opportunity. Please see the May 2009 issue of the VASTAVoice for more information on CEUVOZ (go to www.vasta.org).Further details about the conference, such as, the application, prices and lodging will soon appear on the website. All presenters this year are being asked to submit proposals and will be chosen by the Selection Committee. First time presenters are encouraged to apply, as well as those who might offer bilingual/cross-cultural training & communication presentations. Translators will be available. If you are interested in presenting, please go to the website link “2010 Conference Page” for the application, deadlines and scheduling details.
Technological Advancements and Challenges: Michael Barnes continues to persistently maintain and update the electronic side of VASTA and keep it running as smoothly as possible. In August, the Board discussed the swift technological changes that have happened since VASTA first appeared online. Questions arose about how the organization should be presented online and in publications. The conversation resulted in a November Board decision to focus on and revamp three areas of “identity design” for VASTA: the logo, the website and the journal. Michael Barnes will serve as the Chair for the “Identity Design Committee” and sub-committees are currently being formed for each of the three objectives. The intention is to create a modernized version of VASTA’s logo, to achieve greater maneuverability around the website, and to develop an updated template for journal production.
The Voice and Speech Review: Congratulations to Rena Cook, former Editor of The Voice and Speech Review for delivering another fantastic journal titled, The Moving Voice. Thank you to Mark Ingram, who served as Production Editor. Like the conference, the 2009 Journal was larger than ever this year, and producing the Journal is no small task. The Board must continue to investigate ways to accommodate the growth of the VSR. We welcome Dudley Knight as the new Editor and Chief of VSR. At the August meeting, Dudley presented the Board with possible journal topics, thoughts on how to vet non-juried article contributions, and ideas about how to ease the enormous responsibilities placed upon the Production Editor. If you are interested in submitting an article or have questions about the VSR, please refer to vasta.org or contact Dudley Knight at vsr.editor@vasta.org.
Board and Officers Position Openings and Replacements: There were a number of position shifts and changes in 2009. Thank you to Craig Ferre, Christine Morris and Patty Raun who completed their Board member terms in August. We welcome Lynn Watson, Krista Scott and Jeff Morrison, who are stepping into those positions. Other changes the membership might want to note include: Micha Espinosa as the new Conference Planner; Guy Molnar as Editor for the newsletter; and Hilary Blair as Director of Membership. In 2010, we will undergo a shift in the Presidential positions, currently being served by Beth McGee as President, Phil Thompson as Past President and Patty Raun as President Elect. For a listing of who is serving in all Board and Officer positions please go to www.vasta.org. Thank you to all past and present Board members, Officers and committee members, who volunteer(ed) their time and energy to serve. For those who are new to VASTA, these positions are in a constant state of deliberate fluctuation, and individuals within the membership are always encouraged to participate. If you are interested, the best way to begin is simply to start volunteering. Go to the VASTA website for contact information and/or email hr@vasta.org.
Committee Report Highlights:

Diversity – The Board felt having a discussion about diversity as a main event during the New York conference was an important step forward for VASTA, as diversity is recognized as a key factor in the VASTA mission. However, after the conference, there was acknowledgment that the committee needs to investigate different ways of broaching the topic with the membership. Fran Bennett, Committee Chair, and Phil Timberlake, Board liaison, continue to lead the committee in discussions about how to integrate the subject of diversity into future conferences and VASTA’s overall vision. The Board wishes to gather membership thoughts and opinions, and diversity surveys will be distributed to the membership soon.
Teaching and Learning (TLC) – Julia Guichard, Chair of the committee, is currently researching the benefits of online learning communities, with thoughts of introducing one to the membership in 2010. TLC is also in discussion about creating pedagogy awards for publication. The Board brainstormed about ways to encourage new writers to take courses or workshops on writing and editing. One thought was to offer a regional mini-conference on writing. As for presentations, the peer-review process is under examination, and guidelines are currently being constructed to help guide both presenters and peer-reviewers through the procedure.
Endowment and Awards – Congratulations to D’Arcy Smith, whose proposal for a Membership Enrichment Grant was accepted in August. The Mennen Award went to Deborah Hale and the Clyde Vinson to John Debore. These awards are a great way for new members to get involved with the organization, while also supporting and rewarding active members who need financial assistance to host conferences, pursue their professional development and/or expand their research opportunities. Please see vasta.org for more information, details and deadlines.
Membership – As of November, the current membership has grown to over 500 members. A warm welcome to the new VASTA members. The Board would like to provide more regional conferences to keep all members actively engaged throughout the year. The VASTA website offers a wealth of information for members, but if you have any questions please contact Hilary Blair, the Director of Membership, at dir.membership@vasta.org.
Fellows – Lynn Watson stepped in as the new Board liaison for the Fellows Committee, with Kristin Loree as the new Chair. With the national economy in such a fragile state of affairs, the Board discussed how the Fellows program should proceed. One suggestion currently being tested is for individuals to pursue their own Fellows opportunities and report their experiences back to the Board. The Board plans to revisit the issue in August 2010 and discuss any reports that have been submitted.

Financial Outlook: VASTA continues to be on financially sound ground, thanks to membership support and the careful consideration, work and guidance demonstrated by the Board and Treasurer, Krista Scott. The journal and membership dues continue to be an important source of revenue for the organization. And while the expenses in New York this year were higher than the norm, our conferences have become another dependable source of revenue as well. All of the funds generated for VASTA are crucial for the organization’s ability to function effectively and productively. Thank you for your continued support and involvement.

Respectfully submitted,
Anne Schilling
VASTA Secretary

FROM THE TEACHING & LEARNING COMMITTEE

Julia Guichard

Assessment as a Good Word

Julia Guichard So why does the very mention of the word “assessment” cause eye-rolling, heavy sighs, or outright hostility among teachers in the arts? Perhaps it’s the feeling that writing and implementing an assessment plan is just busy work to make administrators and bureaucrats happy. Perhaps it’s fear that someone else is going to try and tell us how to teach. Perhaps it’s a concern that artistry will be lost amidst the flurry of rubrics and learning outcomes. All of these valid concerns were voiced at this summer’s VASTA conference in NYC during a lively discussion at the Teaching and Learning roundtable.

Let me suggest a different way of thinking about assessment…..it’s something we already do. Assessment is nothing more nor less than a systematic process for determining what students have learned. You are assigning grades and giving feedback and, in some cases, making decisions about whether students can continue in professional programs – that’s assessment.

The difference is that when we formalize (write down) our criteria for grades, and specify how we'll assess students, we—as well as the students—become accountable for what we've set out to do. That's WHY assessment plans make administrators happy. They also can make students happy (because they know more clearly what is expected). Most surprisingly, however, it may make you happy—because you'll clarify for yourself what's happening in the classroom, what works or doesn't, and how your teaching can continue to improve.

Here are some related definitions (from the University of Texas at Dallas http://sacs.utdallas.edu/sacs_glossary):

Learning objectives: Statements about what a student will gain from a course or activity. These are specific statements about exactly what a student should know, be able to do, or value as a result of accomplishing a learning goal. Learning objectives form the basis for curriculum and course development as well as testing.

Learning outcome: A concrete action that a student demonstrates as a result of learning. A learning outcome can be a demonstration of knowledge, a skill, or a value. Generally, learning outcomes are assessed at the course and/or program levels.

Think about this as though you are an actor approaching a role.

What do you want [objective]
What are you going to do to get what you want [tactics or actions]
How will you know when you achieve it [you’ll get the response you want]

Now translate this to teaching your course.

What do you want your students to know, be able to do, or value [learning objectives]
What are you going to do to get what you want [projects, assignments, lectures, studio work]
How will you know when you achieve it [student learning outcomes]

You probably already think about teaching this way, so what’s the big deal? Ask yourself, “am I as specific in thinking about my teaching as I would expect an actor to be in analyzing a role?”

Allow me to share my experience as one dragged kicking and screaming into the jargon-filled world of the scholarship of teaching and learning. I resisted the outcomes-based assessment model for my studio courses, convinced that it would be too restrictive a method for teaching artists. However, I also teach a general education course on script analysis, and here I was struggling to assign and assess the large amount of writing that this course generates.

I attended a workshop at my university on using writing effectively in the classroom and was introduced to the structure of learning objectives, learning outcomes and specific methods for assessment, such as rubrics [a rubric is a detailed description of what is expected in an assignment, often broken down into categories with criteria for poor to excellent work in each category.] These principles transformed my teaching when I then applied them to designing performance projects and classroom activities.

Key to an improved learning environment for students was building in methods of assessment from the very beginning [“How will I know when I’ve achieved my objective”]. Finding answers to that question improved the specificity and transparency of my expectations, both in my own mind and in the understanding of my students. Students learned more quickly with less angst, and with no loss of creativity. This is not “teaching to the test” but ‘teaching so students learn.” This same model can be applied to assessing outcomes for a program, division or university.

Assessment is a tool. You CAN wield this tool to improve your teaching and, more importantly, your students’ learning. Or you can let it rust in the shed. Or, worse still, you can let it be used against you by someone else. In this climate of accountability, outcomes-based assessment is here to stay in higher education. I would argue that’s not such a bad thing….let’s master the art of assessment!

I thank everyone who participated in the conference roundtable on Teaching and Learning, especially my co-facilitator, Barbara Adrian. While the discussion didn’t magically dissolve anyone’s frustration or lack of faith in assessment, the dialogue was rich and thought provoking. I look forward to continuing the conversation. Please contact me with any thoughts, questions or ideas you have for the committee—we are all about “TLC”—you can do great work AND keep the administrators happy.

The VASTA Teaching and Learning Committee is working on a bibliography of resources that address meta-principles of teaching and learning. To get started, here are a few of my favorites – all of which I mentioned at the conference roundtable.

Richlin, Laurie. Blueprint for Learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2006.

An excellent workbook that leads the reader through an active, clear process for developing a course using learning objectives, learning outcomes and appropriate assessment methods.

Bean, John. Engaging Ideas. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Although this book is specifically designed to help instructors integrate writing and critical thinking into the classroom, there are some wonderful ideas that can be adapted for a performance studio.

Cross, Patricia and Thomas Angelo. Classroom Assessment Techniques. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, 1988.

This fabulous book contains hundreds of ideas for assessing student learning, some of which can be done in just a few minutes at the end of class.

HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA TEACHER ATTENDS VASTA CONFERENCE

Rena Cook

Rena Cook Ruthie Tutterow, Drama Department Chair and Upper School Drama Teacher at Greensboro Day School, NC, won a VASTA sponsored essay contest and received a trip to the VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association) Conference in New York City, August 3-7, 2009.

Under the goal of outreach, the contest was conceived by the VASTA Board as a way to reach out to the many high school drama teachers who are hungry to bring comprehensive voice work back to their students. A call for applications was sent out through the Educational Theatre Association. The prize included transportation to NYC and the conference fee.

What follows is an open letter from Ruthie about her the experience:

The VASTA Experience—Unlocking the Power of the Human Voice
By Ruthie Tutterow

Since I am the sponsor/director for International Thespian Society Troupe 6570, I get frequent e-mails from the Educational Theatre Association (EDTA) which supports ITS and educational theatre in general. I received an e-mail that VASTA was making a special opportunity available to high school teachers associated with EDTA—write an essay explaining why you would like to go to the VASTA conference, and they would cover the expenses for one high school teacher to go this year. When I saw who the presenters were, I couldn’t write in fast enough. Anyone who has ever studied acting in college has certainly heard of all four of these illustrious voice coaches: Patsy Rodenburg (British voice and acting coach whose students include Judy Dench, Ian McKellen, Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes,) Arthur Lessac (creator of Lessac Kinesensic Training for voice and body,) Kristin Linklater (author of Freeing the Natural Voice and head of the acting program at Columbia University,) and Catherine Fitzmaurice (creator of Fitzmaurice Voicework, which is used in actor training at Yale, Harvard, and NYU as well as other universities.) I was already using a video featuring Patsy Rodenburg with my public speaking and Drama II classes. However, I never felt completely comfortable guiding the students through the exercises. In fact, I only did the most basic voice work with the students (tongue twisters and vocal warm-ups) as I had never done any in-depth voice work. I was anxious to learn more, and this conference sounded like an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Imagine how excited I was to learn that I had won the trip!

The actual experience did NOT disappoint. After arriving in Newark, I stayed with my brother in New Jersey and learned the joys of being a NYC commuter. Each day, I took the train from New Jersey to Penn Station, then the subway to lower Manhattan and Pace University (near the site of the World Trade Center.) Whew! But all the traveling was worth it. Nearly 300 very collegial voice teachers from across the U.S. and around the world were in attendance, all of them enthusiastic about the craft of acting and dedicated to helping others find and train their voices. Ruthie Tutterow at VASTA

The keynote speaker was 99-soon to be 100-year old Arthur Lessac, a pioneer in integrating voice and movement. Wow! What an inspiration! He set the tone for all of our studies, which is how each of us is unique and how our soul and humanity expresses itself in the voice. I was in tears at the end of his talk, struck by how important and central to our psyches our voices are. I also marveled at his insights and how truthful he was—the wisdom of a century of life!

We were able to attend workshops and a question and answer session as well as a master class with all the presenters (especially the ladies.) Kristin Linklater is a no-nonsense-let’s-get-to-the-heart-of-the-matter teacher who works wonders in getting students to relax and find their vocal power. Catherine Fitzmaurice had many devotees at the conference, who swear by her destructuring and restructuring work. She helps students lose conscious control of their breath by getting them to “tremor”—a common reflexive state comparable to shivering when you’re cold. She then finds their tensions and helps them to find stronger, but more relaxed speech. I am now even an even more enamored fan of Patsy Rodenburg. Patsy works not only with the great directors and actors of the day, but also prisoners, women in poverty and other disenfranchised groups to help them gain power by developing their voices. She believes in the primacy of the text (especially Shakespeare) and encourages students to truly understand, communicate, and support their speech. She was a magnificent teacher—keeping us hanging on her every word, which were alternately humorous and profound.

Other teachers at the conference shared their work in various workshops. I learned about how dancers and athletes should be trained to preserve their voices, a great warm-up which exercises different areas of resonance, accents across the U.S., how to use specialized technology for acting and speech classes, how to go from speaking to singing, how to get acting and voice students to practice, new ways to teach the International Phonetic Alphabet, and many other topics. I now have an arsenal of lesson plan ideas, tips, tricks, and inspiration to share with my students. I was so excited; I completely rewrote one of my courses (Arts Survey) to include some of these experiences for all GDS Upper School students.

Not only did I greatly expand my understanding and knowledge of vocal teaching at the conference, but I was able to make connections with some exceptional teachers and colleagues. I actually knew a few people from graduate school and theatre work. I met several college teachers and talked with them about their acting programs. I now feel (a little) more qualified to discuss some new programs and colleges that I didn’t know about before.

I especially want to thank Rena Cook and Michele Cuomo for their work at VASTA which made this opportunity possible. The fires have been lit! Many, many thanks!

DEAR TECHIE...

Michael J. Barnes

Michael J. Barnes Greetings Fellow VASTAns!
I’ll admit it it. I have a problem. I’m a technoholic. I am addicted to technology. I love electronic gadgets of all sorts I can finally say I do not always rush out and buy the newest and coolest gadget, though the temptations still exist; I am now able to focus down on ones that will really make my life easier. Here is the thing though…my addiction can be your gain.

When Guy, our new Editor, approached me to do a tech column for the VASTA Voice, my initial thought was, “Can I really come up with new, interesting tech ideas for a regular column in the Voice?” Then, I thought, “There have been tons of questions when I, along with Eric Armstrong & Phil Thompson, have had a session for using technology in voice and speech training at the VASTA conferences.” We’re never able to answer everyone’s questions. We have really only covered three topics at the last few conferences, because we knew there was still an interest and questions on those topics. In fact, we simply repeated information from previous conferences last year—hoping to strengthen people’s understanding.

Because of high demand, the plan is to keep a technology session for the conferences. However, this is a great place for me to find out exactly what you might want covered in those sessions or to pass on information in order to make those sessions more efficient.

Here is the plan for this column: Write me! Ask me your tech questions! I’ve always had a secret desire to write an advice column. This will be the first step toward my odd little dream. I can be VASTA’s Dear Abby for technology. I’m going to be Dear Techie! Yes, I know it is a bit silly—so I challenge all of you to come up with a better name for this column.

I want us to have a jumping off point, so I figured I could always answer any questions that people may have had from previous sessions. Since some of you may not have been at those VASTA conferences, these are the topics we have discussed:

Recording spoken voice directly into your computer and creating a CD for training purposes.

There are some great programs that are simple to use and free that can get you through this process on both PCs and Macs. Personally, I think the most dummy-proof one for recording is Audacity. It has buttons set up much like a tape recorder—with a big red one to start recording. Even my mother could figure this one out. I know I can help all of you through it.
Getting the recordings turned into an Audio CD is also a pretty easy process. Both Mac & PC have programs built into them to create a CD. Also, there are some great purchasable and free programs that can make the procedure easier or give you added options.

Including characters of the International Phonetic Alphabet in your word processing by using phonetics fonts.

There is a newish font technology called Unicode that has really made this much easier than it used to be. Now, you can use one font set for all your word processing. Even better, these Open Type fonts are not specific to a particular Operating System (OS-the programs that run the computer—Mac, Windows, Linux)
Since there are more characters—or glyphs—in the IPA than a normal keyboard, we have to use something called a keyboard manager. There are a couple options as to how this can be done on both Win and Mac, some free (a brand new free one for Windows) and some very inexpensive.

Using your computer for taking notes in rehearsals.

There are a number of great shortcuts that a computer can really simplify your life. Using macros and autotext can automate many of the things you type repetitively.
For scripts that are available in an electronic format, setting the script up in document–especially using a table—and inserting your notes can really ease possible confusion by the actors.

Those—my breathing, intoning, and articulating cohorts—are topics that I am throwing before you to use as a jumping off point to ask questions. I know that every once in a while someone will mention, “You know, I still can’t figure out how to use phonetics on my computer.” If that is you (I guarantee you are not the only one), then write me and tell me what the problem is. Let’s see if we can get you up and running. If you have really interesting and odd questions, throw those at me too. It would be great if I’m challenged. I will hunt for all answers. Believe me; I’m not so proud I won’t beg friends for a bit of help.

Until the next Voice,
Michael
Director of Technology & Internet Services & frequent gawker at too many gadget sites

MENNEN GRANT RESEARCH: ESTILL VOICE TRAINING

D'arcy Smith

D'arcy Smith The following is a reflection of my personal experience of a 5 Day Level One and Two Estill Workshop I attended at The University of Waikato Hamilton, New Zealand in January 2009. I successfully completed the course and received Estill Certification for both Level One and Level Two.

Receiving this award was a great honor for me and one which was also a relief! When I accepted the position of here at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School I was concerned that I might become isolated in my practice and professional development. It was exciting to know that this would not be the case.

Part of my teaching philosophy is the inclusion of ideas and methods between a variety of teachers, coaches and trainers. My primary training as an actor and voice teacher has come from the excellent guidance of a Master Linklater Teacher (David Smukler) but I have also studied with master teachers in different voice pedagogies. I had until this point only had the opportunity to study the Estill Technique during a 1-day workshop. I was eager to study with a master Estill teacher (Paul Farrington) and the Dorothy Mennen grant helped to make this possible.

The workshop assisted my teaching by giving me additional vocabulary to describe the sounds we make, work towards flexibility and give some insight how to further individualize the training I provide. Much like Laban notation for movement, there is a clear categorization of sound which can be useful in understanding the voice in a technical way. Of particular importance is the emphasis that no sound is necessarily “bad” provided it is healthy. The focus instead is placed on flexibility and understanding which qualities can assist the performer for a given style or artistic demand. Exercises to measure vocal effort and attractor states provide a system to individualize training and allows the participant to express and analyze their own experience. This workshop has enhanced and confirmed the vocal production and voice-over training I have been giving for actors.

As I had recently arrived in NZ the workshop also presented an opportunity to get to know some of the voice/singing teachers here in NZ. In particular I made a number of connections with tutors at NZ School of Music and the NZ Opera School. I believe these connections may open the door to future collaborations and the sharing of ideas across disciplines. This workshop has also assisted me with finding a common vocabulary between voice therapists and researchers here in NZ. It has feed current plans for research with Dr. Helen Rigby and Dr. Tika Ormond as we seek to find areas of convergence between voice science and the art of performance and training.

Thank you to VASTA for supporting this project.

DOROTHY MENNEN GRANT: Viniyoga

Debra Hale

Debra Hale Having been one of the fortunate recipients of the Dorothy Mennen Grant for 2008, I would like to share my experience of training in Viniyoga. Being a Linklater voice teacher, one of the first explorations in the work is the connection of the voice to the spine. In Viniyoga, one of the first teachings is that the linking of awareness to your spine occurs through the breath. Upon discovering this connection to my own work with this type of yoga, I had wanted to study with Gary Kraftsow for a long time, and with the help of Florida State University and VASTA was able to complete teacher-training certification this past August. The Mennen grant covered my final training session, where I created yoga practices for actors incorporating voice and text work for my final project. I am currently putting the work into our BFA curriculum, (along with my colleague, Jean Lickson, who also did the training) and refining these projects for a training video.

Viniyoga is the approach of Gary Kraftsow, who was trained in India by a pioneer of yoga, Sri T.K.V. Desikachar. Desikachar’s father, Krishnamacharya, taught many gifted students who eventually brought yoga to this country as teachers and emphasized different aspects of it, such as Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. Gary has written two books Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation – he is a scholar as well as a teacher of yoga for 30 years, and is the head of the American Viniyoga Institute, where I received certification. His teacher-training is the foundation of yoga therapy, and there are further certifications to actually become yoga therapists. My training included a two-year course of study in asana (postures), pranayama (breathwork), chanting and meditation, as well as yoga philosophy and psychology.

The four sessions of intense training during the two years are asana, or physical posture, breathwork or pranayama, chanting, or the use of vibration, and meditation. The asanas prepare one for the breath work, the pranayama prepares one for the use of sound, or chant, and all of this previous work is preparation for meditation.

There are differences in emphases of this approach to yoga from most other popular forms. The purpose of postures is developmental – to increase mastery in the body, to prevent injury, and to rehabilitate after injury. This yoga is breath-based, so with every movement there is an incoming and an outgoing breath being expressed in a particular part of the body – it is the essence of the practice. What also makes this yoga different from most I have experienced is that the emphasis is not on the form but on the function. Everyone has a different structural makeup; some postures do not work for everyone. Individuals are given a wide choice of adaptation in physical postures so they can get the benefits of a particularly challenging pose without doing injury to their body. .

Because the emphasis on the flow of breath is continuous and varied, my first year students feel that their breath capacity is increasing. The difference in the breath in Viniyoga is that when voice is added to the practice, it is easier to feel expansion and release, instead of tension and control. This is also because there is inherent physical work to release tension around the vocal musculature. There is more emphasis on finding inner resources through deep relaxation rather than straining and creating physical tension, both in gentle and vigorous practice.

Chanting, where the energy becomes more external and extroverted, is done not only as a spiritual practice, but as a way of awakening vibration to completely enliven and involve the whole body. Sound is used as a memory tool and focus as well. It is this stage of the work that prepares and translates well to work on an actor’s voice. I’ve been blessed with many fantastic experiences with vibration in my voice explorations over the years, and this experience was yet another unique one. It has to do with the totality of the movement, sound, mental focus, and emotional experience. The measurement of these differences is something that is part of our ongoing research with our students.

One of the benefits I have seen by taking this training into our BFA program is that it energizes young actors but focuses them at the same time, so they are able to find the ease they need while in high energy situations. The students express a shift in clarity of thought after having completed a practice; which is more a goal of true yoga than even the physical benefits. I now understand more, and am continuing to learn from my students, about the benefits to the breath, the voice, the emotions, and the capacity of the mind in these ancient teachings. This is not only a great gift to actors in training, but to human beings in enhancing their lives.

MEMBER NEWS

NORTHEAST – Peter-Jack Tkatch, Regional Editor

Lynn Kremer (College of the Holy Cross) is librettist and director of Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen, a multi-media chamber opera composed by Shirish Korde, based on real events in the life of this iconic figure—born into poverty, sold as a child bride, abducted by bandits, abused and victimized, imprisoned, elected to India’s Parliament—then tragically assassinated in 2001 at the age of 37. Kremer and Korde have assembled an international cast of singers and actors to join The Boston Musica Viva for performances at Holy Cross (April 14, 15, 16, 17, 2010) and the Tsai Performance Center in Boston (April 23 & 24, 2010). For additional information contact: lkremer@holycross.edu

Bonnie Engel Lee, Ph. D. just initiated an audio podcast for parents. Talking Kidz: What Parents Want To Know is a resource for parents who have questions about their child’s speech and language development, want to know how to help their children improve their skills, and know where they can go for help. The podcast can be heard by going to speechdoc.podbean.com

Marya Lowry (Brandeis U., Actor’s Shakespeare Project) is on leave from Brandeis for the spring semester 2010 to develop the next stage of her solo show, Medea ~ myths, mothers & madness (working title). She received a grant to return to the Roy Hart Centre, Malerargue, France for collaborative development on her Medea piece. She is currently studying traditional Balkan singing technique.

Natalie McManus (Designated Linklater Voice Teacher/Speech-Language Pathologist/Certified Forensics Coach), Adjunct Professor at George Mason University’s Theater Department, this spring will celebrate the tenth anniversary of her company, Puck’s Pals, LLC, teaching Shakespeare workshops in middle schools. She has launched her new company, Professionally Speaking, teaching speech presentation skills to professionals, and will return to the American Heart Association’s March Conference to lead a workshop. She directed and produced a production of the Dr. Seuss stories Green Eggs and Ham and The Sneetches. Contact information: Natvoice@aol.com . Natalie resides in Potomac, Maryland.

Guy William Molnar (Kutztown University of Pennsylvania) acted in three BFA thesis films at Florida State before relocating to Pennsylvania to start his first tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Acting, Voice, and Directing at Kutztown University; next semester he will introduce Kutztown’s theatre students to their first Linklater Voice Work.. This semester he served as dialect coach for the department’s production of Company, then directed and was vocal/dialect coach for Crimes of the Heart.

Antonio Ocampo-Guzman (Northeastern University) is delighted to take over from the indefatigable Krista Scott as VASTA’s Treasurer this coming January, while continuing to serve on the Diversity Committee and as a VASTA Fellow. His Spanish adaptation of Kristin Linklater’s Freeing the Natural Voice will be published next year. He continues his adventures in Mexico, training a group of young teachers as the first Linklater Designated Teachers in Spanish through the CEUVOZ. He is also serving as liaison between CEUVOZ and VASTA in preparation for the joint conference in Mexico City next August. In Boston, he continues to teach at Northeastern University where he will be directing his own adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding in February and recently served as voice & text coach for Actor’s Shakespeare’s Project production of The Taming of the Shrew. The chapter he co-wrote with Micha Espinosa entitled “Identity Politics and the Training of Latino Actors” appears in The Politics of American Actor Training, co-edited by Lissa Tyler-Renaud and Ellen Margolis, recently published by Routledge.

Ruth Rootberg (Private Practice): Review of “How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live” by Missy Vineyard published in VSR; presented information on unpublished pilot study: “The Alexander Technique as an asset to vocal therapy,” at the Voice Foundation, June, 2009, and at the VASTA conference, August, 2009 (partial funding from VASTA’s Dorothy Mennen Grant). Gave Alexander workshops in theatre, dance, and music departments at Plymouth State College, Westfield State College and Mt. Holyoke College fall, 2009. Received a VASTA grant to host an Alexander Technique workshop for voice teachers to be held Spring, 2010. For more information, please e-mail RRootberg@comcast.net.

Karen Ryker (University of Connecticut-Storrs) recently coached The Exonerated and Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party for Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Narrated a documentary film, Pride Honor and Courage, produced by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. Directed voiceovers for Henry and Fred Talk about Lead, which won 2nd prize in the EPA-sponsored video competition. Please help us locate individuals who might be interested in an opening for a Department Head in Dramatic Arts/Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre at the University of Connecticut. For a complete job description, contact Deborah.trahan@uconn.edu, or write to karen.ryker@uconn.edu for further information.

Peter Jack Tkatch (University of Vermont) directed and vocal coached Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre last spring. At St. Michael’s Playhouse in July 2009 he dialect coached Alan Aykbourn’s How the Other Half Loves directed by John Going, and in September he directed and vocal coached George Bernard Shaw’s Arms & the Man at UVM.

Elizabeth van den Berg (Associate Professor, Theatre Arts, McDaniel College) served as dialect coach for Moonlight by Harold Pinter at the Studio Theatre in Washington DC, and The Millionairess by G.B. Shaw at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts in Olney, MD. She presented her paper “The Japanese Takarazuka: Female Fantasy in a Male Centered Society” at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference in August 2009. She continues as Vice Chair for Region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival www.kcactf2.org.

NEW YORK – Tracey Moore, Regional Editor

Mary Baird (Freelance Linklater Voice Practitioner) worked for NYSSA this past summer doing Linklater Voice, Coaching Three Shakespeare scenes and doing a final voice performance. She continues working with teens, this time for Sacramento Theatre Company in CA – more Linklater Voice work. In Portland she worked on a new script, Extremophiles, and continuing to work as an actor for PlayGround in San Francisco.

Liz Caplan is currently the production coach for Rock of Ages on Broadway and American Idiot, the new Green Day punk rock opera, presently in a pre-Broadway run at Berkeley Rep. Recently, Liz was the production vocal coach for Jason Robert Brown's 13 on Broadway. She is the vocal consultant on many Broadway and off-Broadway shows including Wicked (U.S. company) and Vanities the musical, and she is represented on Broadway by students/clients including Neil Patrick Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Kerry Butler, Ana Gasteyer, Allison Janney, and Megan Hilty. For more information, please visit lizcaplan.com.

Lucille S. Rubin,Ph. D. (Pres., Professionally Speaking, NYC): Coached actors appearing on & Off Broadway in: Ordinary Days, The Next Room or the Vibrator Play, The Understudy, Twelfth Night (Delacorte Theatre & Founders Theatre), Savage in Limbo; in films such as Looking for Palladin, Blind Date, The Special Relationship, My One and Only, Children of Invention, Astro Boy (voice) & What Goes Up; on TV, Raising the Bar, The New Adventures of Old Christine. Has coached numerous corporate clients on voice, articulation, communication, self-presentation, public speaking, media, court room, telepresence and presentation skills. Email is profspeak@aol.com

Amy Stoller (Freelance, New York City): Dialect Coach for Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy (Second Stage); Dialect Designer for Is Life Worth Living? (Mint Theater). Coached Justin Bartha in Austrian accent for his VO as Jack Werner in WW II HD (History Channel); Paul Pecorino in Rosalind Russell/Bette Davis-based idiolect for Devil Boys from Beyond (FringeNYC); Annie McGreevey in Yiddish accent for Rose (Schoolhouse Theater, Croton Falls, NY).

Kara Tsiaperas relocated from New York city to London. She is now working at Rose Bruford College teaching Accents and Dialects and at East 15 teaching Vocal Production. This winter she will be part of a team coaching the Cherry Orchard at Rose Bruford, directed by Pat O'Toole. Kara is also doing some work at the Central School of Speech and Drama with their “Bespoke” classes, which are aimed at attaining skills for personal voice power. Lastly, Kara will be returning to New York this winter, in order to get married and then back to the new home in London.

SOUTHEAST – Daydrie Hague, Regional Editor

Jennifer Burke (University of Miami) is accent coach for Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida. Directed by Michael Bloom, starring Rosemary Prinz as Grandma Kurnitz, the production travels to the Cleveland Play House in January and to the Paper Mill Playhouse in mid-February.

Joe Falocco, Ph. D. (Lecturer, English, Communication, and Integrative Arts, Penn State, Erie, the Behrend College): In 2010, Boydell, Brewer Ltd. will publish Joe Falocco’s first book, Reimagining Shakespeare’s Playhouse: Early Modern Staging Conventions in the Twentieth Century.

Evelyn Lerner Grossman (The Speech Studio) has been expanding her private speech and voice training practice to include dialect coaching. So far this season, coaching has included private classes with actors in South Florida productions of Doubt and Steel Magnolias. Also, The Parkinson’s Education Network of Palm Beach County has written a grant proposal for Evelyn’s project named “Parkinson’s Onstage Workshop” (P.O.W) where those with Parkinson’s Disease will improve their voice, speech, inflection, and facial expression through the use of monologues, theater games, scene work, improvisation, and commercial scripts. Evelyn has been attending acting workshops and plans to rekindle her passion for acting in the coming year.

Debra Hale (Associate Professor, Performance, Florida State University, Designated Linklater Teacher) was the recipient of a Dorothy Mennen 2008 Grant to complete her Viniyoga certification with Gary Kraftsow. She finished the two-year training in August and is now integrating the work into the voice and acting curriculum at Florida State and working on a training video for actors. She directed Crimes of the Heart this past summer in Tallahassee, and coached The Violet Hour, On The Town, and Waiting for Godot this fall. She is beginning rehearsal for Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee, playing the role of Barbara Armory.

Christine Morris (University of North Carolina Greensboro) was recently awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. Coaching so far this season has included Angels in America at UNCG, and Picnic at Triad Stage, where she is also currently preparing a multitude of dialects for Around the World in 80 Days, going into rehearsal in January.
Bonnie Raphael (University of North Carolina) has spent the fall coaching Playmakers’ Repertory Company’s production of Nicholas Nickleby (both parts, playing in rotating repertory, from 11/21 through 12/20/09). This has involved coaching twenty-five actors playing ninety-seven speaking roles in six different English dialects plus songs and narration—great fun and challenges, but bringing thoughts of retirement to mind.

Janet B. Rodgers (Virginia Commonwealth University): Acting and Singing with Archetypes, co-authored with Frankie Armstrong, will be in the bookstores in January 2010. It can be ordered now through Amazon.com. Frankie will be teaching a “Voices of the Archetypes and Myths” workshop on Cape Cod during the last week of July 2011. If you are interested, please contact Janet at jrodgers@vcu.edu.

Erica Tobolski (University of South Carolina) co-authored the featured article “The Greek Messenger Speech as Training Paradigm” that appeared in the recent Voice and Speech Review: The Moving Voice. In September, she read several roles in a staged reading of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later that took place simultaneously around the country and in the UK.

Elizabeth Wiley (College of William and Mary) released a music CD over the summer: "Voice of the Goddess" - one of four female vocalists (see www.coyoterun.com for CD and mp3 samples). She dialect coached The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Fall 2009, and is directing Eurydice Winter 2010. She is once again narrating "A Kilted Christmas" live Celtic concert this season. A DVD of the live concert has just been released and can also be found at the Coyote Run website. She has been providing voiceover and on-camera narrations for Colonial Williamsburg's upcoming secondary school e-textbook on American History.

SOUTHERN – Vivian Majkowski, Regional Editor

Robin Carr (University of Southern Mississippi) recently won a KCACTF Regional Teaching Artist Award in Performance Studies. She just finished writing a musical theatre chapter for the book Interactive Introduction to Musical Theatre: Improving Life One Act at a Time. Robin is the president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference Voice and Speech Committee and is the event planner for the 2010 Lessac Training and Research Institute's Annual Conference. Ms Carr is currently directing Ragtime for the Centennial Celebration at Southern Miss.

Daydrie Hague (Auburn University) presented a panel on transgender voice at the VASTA Conference in New York this summer: “Sharing the Wealth- Speech Language Pathologists and Actor- Voice Trainers Serving the Transgendered Population.” She was joined by Dr. Richard K. Adler, Doug Mac Arthur and Joanna Cazden. This fall she coached Intimate Apparel and Brighton Beach Memoirs, and will be directing The 25th Annual lPutnam County Spelling Bee this spring. This March she will be collaborating with the Nobel Prize winning chemist Roald Hoffman on his play Should’ve.

Vivian Majkowski (Savannah College of Art and Design) spent the summer teaching the incoming MFA Class at the ART/Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard Voice and Speech. She presented “When Deep Release is Needed: Massage Techniques for Vocal Tension” at the VASTA Conference in NYC. She coached actors in Diane Paulis’ remounting of The Donkey Show at The American Repertory Theater. And at SCAD she coached Dead Man’s Cell Phone and A New Brain.

Jeffrey Parker is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts in the Professional Actor Training Program at Chattanooga State Community College, where he teaches Voice, Speech, Musical Theatre, and Intro to the Theatre. This past year, he served as musical director and dialect coach for The Secret Garden and Godspell. He was seen onstage in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Pacific Coast Performing Arts, and in The Nutcracker Christmas Carol with Chattanooga State Repertory Theatre. Jeffrey is proud to hold an MFA from UC Irvine, a certification in Fitzmaurice Voicework, and his Equity Card.

Artemis Preeshl , Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and Dance at Loyola University New Orleans, teaches Voice, Dialects, Movement, Directing and Acting. She directed A Christmas Carol, coaching Cockney and British Dialects in November. In April, she premieres a new dance They Are Afraid of Her, by New York Composer Eric Starr and performed by Loyola Symphony Orchestra. In May 2010, she direct The Ascension, the 19th play of the Chester Cycle, for the Medieval and Renaissance Players of Toronto. An Actors Equity Association member, Artemis is a Candidate for Certification as an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

Krista Scott is delighted to have joined faculty of Texas Christian University’s Department of Theatre in Fort Worth, TX, where she is teaching courses in voice & speech, dialects, period styles and various others. Prior to moving to Texas, Krista spent her second summer as the Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s Voice & Text Director for the productions of Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Scapin. She recently coached the dialects for Casa Mañana Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd in Fort Worth. She will be directing Beauty Queen of Leenane this winter at TCU, while enjoying much warmer weather.

Lisa Wilson and Crone Theatre ( Lisa and Curt) performed her new one person show Birthing the Crone: the Crone Chronicles Part II in Brattleboro VT, at The Edinburgh Fringe, and at the NIghtingale Theatre in Tulsa to good reviews and responsive houses. She and husband Curt celebrated 25 years of marriage; her youngest son just got accepted into University of Tulsa. She is still chairing the Dept of Theatre at the University of Tulsa, teaching and has just finished directing and doing dialects for North Shore Fish.

EAST CENRAL – Wendy Mortiomer, Regional Editor

Claudia Anderson (DePaul University) serves The Theatre School as the Head of Voice and Speech. This past spring she coached Theatre School productions of Dancing at Lughnasa and Flow My Tears. She received departmental grants to develop a web blog as a resource for performance students, and to develop quarterly guided journals for her Linklater voice classes. Over the past year, she has been developing her songwriting at The Old Town School of Folk Music. She recorded Hazel Dickens' “Pretty Bird,” for a CD benefitting Multiple Sclerosis. Titled in my room, it will be released in March 2010 at a CD release concert in NYC. This summer, she coached dialects for Cabaret at Drury Lane Oakbrook, and this fall, she coached Oh, Coward! for Writers’ Theatre.

Michael J. Barnes is currently on sabbatical doing research and working on a book (title to be announced later). In addition, he is in the midst of directing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit and coaching Faye Dunaway in the film adaptation of Master Class. He also directed Ragtime at the Bonstelle Theatre and co-presented the Technology workshop at the VASTA Conference alongside Phil Thompson and Eric Armstrong. He suggests everyone take a scuba diving trip when on sabbatical.

Kate DeVore presented workshops at the Voice Foundation and VASTA conferences this summer, and at the Midwest Voice Conference and the Chicago Chapter of the Voice Foundation this fall. Her book, The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice (Chicago Review Press), co-authored with Starr Cookman, was released in July. She also served as dialect coach for The Hostage and The Sugar Syndrome in Chicago.

Dana McConnell is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre and Music Theatre at Viterbo University for the academic year ’09-10. In that capacity, she recently directed a production of Assassins; in January she will direct the Opera Studio production of The Old Maid and the Thief. Her investigation into Bartenieff-based training for the singing actor is on-going.

Beth McGee (Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio) had a fantastic time at the New York VASTA conference, and hopes you did too! In between, she co-taught voice workshops with VASTA member Rena Cook for the KC/ACTF Irene Ryan award nominees at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; co-taught a voice workshop at the Roy Hart Centre Internationale, Chateau d'Malerargues, France; taught a class at the CEUVOZ National Center for the Voice in Mexico City, Mexico; dialect coached Peter Pan in Cleveland, and voice coached the children in the 2008 and 2009 Cleveland Play House productions of A Christmas Story. In the new year, she will be voice coaching for the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland.

Dana McConnell is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre and Music Theatre at Viterbo University for the academic year ’09-10. In that capacity, she recently directed a production of Assassins; in January she will direct the Opera Studio production of The Old Maid and the Thief. Her investigation into Bartenieff-based training for the singing actor is on-going.

Wendy Mortimer (Ball State University) received a College Creative Endeavor Award which funded her involvement in Patsy Rodenburg’s “Shakespeare’s Heightened Language” workshop in NY. She served as both dialect coach and understudy of Blanche for the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire. At BSU, she played Woman #1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change over the summer months; was an ensemble member in the department reading of The Laramie Project, Revisited; and served as dialect coach for productions of Noises Off and Little Women. She and her husband and colleague, Dr. Harold Mortimer, are in the midst of planning a field studies program for performance students to travel to South Africa to collaborate with Tshwane University of Technology students on a performance project. In the spring she will travel to Wales to participate in a workshop with Frankie Armstrong.

Jan Potter Reed (Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago) joined laryngologist Dr. Lee Akst, one of the handful of specialized ENT's in the country, to aid in focusing his practice on vocal cord problems. As a speech pathologist, she is available to see patients with him in clinic, as well as seeing ongoing patients for voice therapy. They have established what appears to be the only voice clinic in the Chicago area, offering patients the ability to receive both medical & functional/perceptual evaluations in one visit. Their approach is one that melds traditional theatrical voice training with the evidence base of the medical world. In addition, they established a local voice group in July, loosely affiliated with The Voice Foundation. Members from academia, theater, general voice coaching, and medicine have joined this group. Their web page can be accessed under Google Groups by searching "CCVF".

Phil Timberlake (DePaul University): Last spring and summer, Phil appeared as Bunter in Lifeline Theatre's adapation of Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers. The production ran for 13 weeks, a total of 60 performances. Fun! He then co-hosted Catherine Fitzmaurice in a 5-day Fitzmaurice workshop in Chicago. Next up, Phil will assist in the Fitzmaurice Voicework Certification program in L.A. in January, followed by portraying multiple roles in Lifeline Theatre's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. He is playing an angel in that show, and so is growing his blond locks until next June. Phil is currently on VASTA's Board of Directors.

Diane Timmerman (Professor of Theatre at Butler University, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher) played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing for the Heartland Actors' Repertory Theatre and appeared as Susan in the feature film Amanda. Her book, Spare Scenes: 60 Skeletal Scenes for Acting and Directing, is being utilized by acting studios, university programs, and film festivals in the US and UK. Diane is a faculty member on the Spring 2010 Semester at Sea voyage, teaching voice and world theatre courses and seeing theatre performances all over the world.

Barbara Zahora (Roosevelt University/Speak By Design - Chicago, IL USA) recently completed work as dialect coach for a production of Jeffrey Hatcher's Smash at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, IL. As an actor she worked with ShawChicago this fall, playing Jean Dunbarton in Elizabeth Robin's play, Votes for Women! She's currently teaching Theatre History I at Roosevelt University, and continues to coach corporate clients such as Price Waterhouse Cooper and McKinsey through Speak By Design [www.speakbydesign.com].

WEST CENTRAL – Holly Rocke, Regional Editor

Michael Cobb over the summer performed, co-directed, and self-produced a "Working Staging/Reading" of Daniel MacIvor's one-person show, Cul de Sac, and taught Beginning Acting in the Adult classes at the Denver Center Theatre Academy. In September and October, he served as text coach for The Winter's Tale at the National Theatre Conservatory and dialect coach for Absurd Person Singular at the Denver Center Theatre Company, both directed by Sabin Epstein. He continues to teach voice, speech, text, and occasional acting classes as Head of Voice and Speech at the N.T.C.

Sue Klemp (University of Nevada, Reno) coached Irish dialect for a production of The Cripple of Inishmaan with Reno Little Theater and, while directing Die Fledermaus, developed Russian accented speech (and singing) for our actress playing “Prince Orlofsky” with the Nevada Chamber Opera of the Music Department at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Kristen Loree has been studying the Lugering Method with Michael Lugering at UNLV and spreading the word at UT Knoxville where she performed her one person a capella opera VIXIN and taught from the Expressive Actor for a fabulous week!

Michael Lugering presented a workshop in the Lugering Method at the Voice Foundation in Philadelphia and at the ATHE Conference in New York City. Kristen Loree presented a workshop in the Lugering Method at the VASTA Conference. In November, a small but growing group of teachers in training assembled in Las Vegas for discussion and exploration of the Principles of Expression with a special emphasis on "hands-on" training focusing on the guiding and directing role touch can play in learning and teaching the technique. Looking ahead, Michael Lugering will be teaching a three-day intensive at Act One Studios in Chicago July 18-20, 2010 and a five-day training intensive will be held in Las Vegas in mid-June 2010. A second teacher training workshop is planned for the summer as well. Interested persons should contact him directly at michael@expressiveactor.org. Finally, Michael Lugering will direct The Little Dog Laughed for the Nevada Conservatory Theatre this spring.

Paul Meier (University of Kansas) reports a very enjoyable sabbatical leave devoted to research on Early Modern English, a.k.a. Original Pronunciation (OP) as applied to Shakespeare production. His interview with Catherine Fitzmaurice will be published in American Theatre. He also coached the feature film What’s Wrong With Virginia, directed by Oscar winner Lance Black, starring Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly. He continues his blogs, podcasts, and video lessons with Englishcafe, a Global English company; see http://www.englishcafe.com/Paulmeier/blog, which features his audiobook reading of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) continues to keep him busy with new additions all the time. His Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen now ranks number one for dialects on Amazon.

Tommie St. Cyr (University of Utah): In his Feldenkrais class at the U. of Utah (Dept. of Theatre) he’s been teaching BONES FOR LIFE as a direct course towards posture improvement. He reports, “It is interesting that my singing teacher tells me to ‘keep the ribs expanded’ which makes me feel stiff and tense. Yet when I employ the strategies developed by Ruthy Alon in her BONES course, the sternum is lifted, the back of the neck and low back are lengthened without tension and the ribs expand as a consequence. Much more organic. After a few sessions I experienced my vibrato perhaps for the first time ever.”

WESTERN – Evelyn Case, Regional Editor
Joanna Cazden offers voice therapy at three offices in greater Los Angeles. She gave talks to public school SLPs (kids & vocal overuse); VASTA (transgender voice feminization); ATHE (culture clash in vocal art vs. science); and a poster on patterns of breath use at the "Physiology & Acoustics of Singing" conference in San Antonio. Arranged, co-directed and solo'd with 20-pc choral/instrumental ensemble on Yom Kippur. Finished mastering & artwork for Visualizations for Singers CD, to be available on Amazon by year-end. Spent too much time online, an affliction which Facebook membership will now exacerbate. See you there?

Jan Gist (Old Globe Theatre/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program): On sabbatical, she worked on Shakespeare's Shapely Language, adding chapters and organizing text samples. For American Players Theatre she coached Comedy of Errors outdoors, and helped open their new indoor theatre with the company's first Pinter, Old Times. For Mo'olelo Theatre: The Zoo Keeper's Wife (Polish), Dog and Wolf (Bosnian), Nine Parts of Desire (Iraqi). For The Old Globe: Sammy, a new musical about Sammy Davis Jr., and Savannah Disputations. With her MFA students she is coaching Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Country Wife. AtThomas Jefferson School of Law, she's preparing students for Moot Court national competitions.

Joel Goldes (Freelance) coached Indian actor Anil Kapoor (“Slumdog Millionaire”) on 15 episodes of the Fox series 24, as well as coaching several Russian characters. He coached Liberian accents for Eclipsed at CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre (about which Variety wrote, “Kudos to dialect coach Joel Goldes”), Croatian and Somali accents for Furious Theatre’s The Pain and the Itch and Boston and Brazilian dialects for The Night is a Child at the Pasadena Playhouse. Joel also coached Kevin Costner in a Boston accent for the feature film The Company Men and taught the Serbian language for an episode of CBS’ Criminal Minds. He enjoyed seeing Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow in this summer’s hit film The Hangover, a role for which Joel prepped him.

Heather Lyle was featured teaching singing this month on The E Channel's new reality show "Leave it to Lamas." She has recently released two new instructional CDs: "Vocal Yoga Singing Exercises" and "Vocal Yoga Breathing Exercises."

David Nevell (Head of Voice/Movement, MFA Program Coordinator, California State University, Fullerton) recently served as Voice/Text/Dialect Coach for Noises Off at South Coast Repertory, Miss Saigon and As You Like It at CSUF; and with colleague Anne James, continues work toward instituting a Vocal Health and Safety Program at Disney Resorts Entertainment. David continues to serve as Associate Editor of the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA), performs and teaches as a founding member of The Gravity Project. For more info: www.davidnevell.com

Lisa Anne Porter has spent the last six months teaching on the faculties of the American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, University of California-Davis, California Shakespeare Theatre, San Francisco State University, the Academy of Art University, Mendocino College, Studio Magnetic and privately. She has coached many productions for voice and dialect including the world premiere of The Kite Runner at San Jose Repertory Theatre and the Arizona Theatre Company and the premiere of Crowded Fire’s production of Christina Anderson’s new play Drip. In June, she joined twenty other designated teachers from around the world in Lenox, MA at the Linklater Voice and Text Intensive.

Lissa Tyler Renaud (Actors’ Training Project) returned from Asia to Bay Area private teaching, and was Performance Coach for “Twyla’s Kitchen,” PBS-TV. On a Korean cultural grant, she traveled to the Grotowski Institute, Poland. She attended the N.Y. VASTA conference, and delivered a paper on actor training at ATHE. Renaud’s co-edited book, The Politics of American Actor Training (Routledge) and two articles for Voice and Speech Review appeared in August; her piece on Chinese Shakespeare will appear in Gramma Theatre Journal, Greece, January 2010. Renaud is Co-Editor for Critical Stages, new bilingual webjournal of the International Association of Theatre Critics.

Joan Schirle (Director, Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre) performed in the Dell'Arte Company's season opener, Inverted Alba: Fable & Rondelay, After Images of Garcia Lorca, the culminating activity for her TCG/Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship for Distinguished Achievement, which supported voice study over the last 3 years with Patsy Rodenburg, Richard Armstrong, Knight/Thompson Speechwork, Estill Voice Training and Fitzmaurice Voicework. She'll lead a group to study Balinese performing arts in January, and direct her Year 2 MFA students in April in a tragedy project exploring the sounds of lamentation. www.dellarte.com

Sharon Winegar performed in Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter at Sonoma County Repertory Theater in spring, 2009. Then, over the summer, she served as Voice and Speech Coach for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder, CO.

CANADA – Dawn McCaugherty, Regional Editor
Eric Armstrong (York University, Toronto) continues as chair of VASTA's Endowment Grant and Awards Committee, VEGAC, who are in the midst of deciding the next Mennen award recipient. As Acting Area Coordinator for the Dept. of Theatre at York, he's busy trying to cut from the budget without ruining what is a fantastic program. He's taking great joy in teaching speech to the Graduate Voice Teacher Diploma students these days. He continues to do small gigs for film and television, notably doing some coaching on Resident Evil: Afterlife and Beat the World.

Heather Chetwynd (Voice to Word Consulting Inc., Sheridan College) is Director and Founder of Voice to Word Consulting (since 2003), helping non-native speakers of English refine their communication skills. Much of her time is spent coaching clients one-on-one to improve pronunciation and understand culturally appropriate behaviour. In addition, she teaches Canadian Workplace Culture at Sheridan College, including a focus on clear speech. Over the last year, Voice to Word has expanded to include several associate trainers who specialize in various aspects of English communications training. Heather is also a singer and performs regularly with Marcelo Puente, singing an eclectic selection of Spanish and English songs.

Mark Ingram (Seneca College) continues to be busy writing a new Acting Program for Seneca College – our first class started this past September. Along with educating a new batch of students, Mark has ended up assuming the task of educating the administration on the finer points of how an Acting Program differs from a computer skills class – especially in terms of space requirements. It’s been a steep learning curve but we’re getting there. He’s so grateful to be back in the studio! Mark has also been busier than anticipated doing follow-up on this year’s VSR, for which he was Production Editor.

Sylvia Larrass (Ottawa Theatre School) is a classically trained singer, as well as a voice and presentation skills coach, specializing in bringing out the success in the spoken voice. Sylvia teaches the course “Finding your Voice” at the Ottawa Theatre School, designed to help people express their innate vocal abilities. She is looking forward to her performance of Ariel Ramirez’ “Misa Criolla” in December. More information can be found at www.sylvialarrass.com.

Betty Moulton (University of Alberta) will again teach and coach in the Citadel/Banff professional training program in Feb 2010. Skiing anyone? The work will centre on As You Like it and the production will complete the Citadel’s mainstage season in April. She directed a CD of mostly Canadian poetry that used the talents of local professional actors as part of an ongoing professional development initiative. Please note! She is now recruiting for the MFA in Theatre Voice Pedagogy at the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama: upcoming class enters in September 2010. Email her for info and visit the department website: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/drama/mfatheatrevoice.cfm

Craig Tompkins (Capilano University, Burnaby) recently completed level 3 in Somatic Voicework© the Lovetri Method at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, and is using those skills in the Music Theatre Diploma program at Capilano University as well as in his busy private studio.

Ruth Toner Murdoch (Mount Royal University) is the coordinator of Speech with the Department of Theatre, Speech and Music Performance at MRU. This year she has completed a proposal for a Speech Minor degree to offer at the university. She also continues her annual work in South America where she conducts examinations in voice and delivery, for the International Schools Association. These examinations were developed by her and a colleague in 1994, upon the request of the ISA, and have run successfully ever since in Argentina and Uruguay.

David Smukler (York University) was deeply honoured to be recognized as a “Distinguished Member” at the VASTA conference in New York. He was also very pleased to see the large Canadian contingent at the conference and enjoyed socializing together. As Director of Canada's National Voice Intensive, he is busy coordinating festivities as the Intensive celebrates its 25th year in May 2010, and is looking forward to celebrating with colleagues and the alumni.

INTERNATIONAL – Linda Cartwright, Regional Editor

Dr. Melissa Agnew (Australia): For Queensland Theatre Company: consulted on Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Michael Gow’s Toy Symphony and David Brown’s Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed. Other theatre: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and High School Musical 2. On-going training for television and radio journalists and presenters, especially with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Guest lectures for university journalism programs drawing from my book, “Here is the [Australian] News”: A Voice Training Handbook for the Australian Newscaster. Private practice: consultations with business executives, politicians and professional actors. Year-long training with young actors and broadcasters. Research / writing: Screening the Voice (working title).

Betsy Allen is taking some time off this year to be with her sweet baby daughter, Roxy, born this past July. Come spring time, she will be teaching Fitzmaurice Voicework and extended vocal techniques at The Actors’ Centre in London and speech and voice in West London.

Flloyd Kennedy (Australia) is inaugural Festival Coordinator for the bitsFestival (Brisbane Independent Theatre Sampler Festival) on Saturday 28th November, designed to give Brisbane a taste of genuine non-curated Fringe Theatre, presented in a number of exciting new performance spaces across Brisbane. Flloyd is also directing The Sonneteers in a short improvisation involving Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and she will appear in Ira Seidenstein’s troupe of Quantum Clowns. Preparations are in hand to present Flloyd’s play, and agit prop for the voice, The Fall of June Bloom: a modern invocation at The Cement Box, St Lucia, in June 2010.

Kirstie O’Sullivan (Head of Voice, Unitec Performing & Screen Arts, Auckland, New Zealand) is currently the voice and dialect coach for the graduating students’ production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, directed by Milton Justice. Recently, Kirstie has thoroughly enjoyed hosting Rowena Balos and coordinating her “Standard American Accent for NZ Actors” workshop; presenting a two-day voice workshop for the Court Theatre in Christchurch, NZ, and offering dialogue coaching services for NZ film and television. She’s looking forward to attending Jane Boston’s workshop on 5 December in Wellington, which is sponsored by VASTA and hosted by D’Arcy Smith at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.

Enrique Pardo and Linda Wise (Paris & Malérargues, PanTheatre and the Roy Hart Centre / Southern France) are announcing a variety of workshops in 2010, including a joint workshop with Catherine Fitzmaurice June 11-17 in Malérargues. For a complete schedule, go to www.pantheatre.com .

Rebecca Root (London) is working with Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, as it prepares to re-launch the International Centre for Voice (ICV). At the same time, she is a guest personal academic tutor on the MA Voice Studies course at Central. She continues her work with private clients, mainly working on accent and transgender voice modification, as well as teaching voice, speech and accents at Performers College, Essex.

Christinea Shewell (Voice teacher/speech pathologist) in September heralded a four-week/five-city tour of Australia as the invited guest of the Australian Voice Association. She worked with enthusiastic mixed groups of voice teachers, singing teachers and speech pathologists, and her Voice Skills Perceptual Profile (see VASTA’s The Moving Voice pp 171-184) is now being used extensively in Australia. The teaching on the links that neuroscience shows exist between imagination, the brain, the autonomic nervous system and voice stimulated valuable discussion around the validity of both technical and imaginative voice exercises. Her book Voice Work: Art and Science in Changing Voices has had great success.

D’Arcy Smith (Wellington, New Zealand) continues to be busy working as the Senior Tutor of Voice and Speech at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. Since the last update he has, in addition to teaching core classes, provided voice coaching for A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Josette Bushell Mingo, Bedlam (a new musical), Go Solo (a series of 19 devised solo performances), Caucasian Chalk Circle, directed scenes from Ibsen for Combat Metaphor, as well as produced and coached workshop productions of As You Like It and King Lear. In December he plans on attending a 5-day workshop lead by Catherine Fitzmaurice in LA.

Marina Tyndall and Helen Ashton, Dialect Coaches at Central School of Speech and Drama, are hosting a series of accent workshops in Central London over 2009-2010. American Accent Thanksgiving Intensive will be held on Sunday 29th November 2009. This event is sold out, and will be followed by Mad Hatter's RP Party on Sunday 13th December 2009 and American Accent Boot Camp on Sunday 10th January 2010. Forthcoming accent workshops for 2010 include RP for American Actors, RP for International Actors, RP for Northern Actors and IPA Intensive. Dates and booking details will be announced shortly.