How To Do Accents. Jan Haydn Rowles

Collisions You and the New: Consonant Collisions Springing Consonants Spotlight on ‘Yoo’ You and the New: ‘Yoo’ 5: The Shapes Getting the Big Picture: Using a word list Inventories and Distribution You and the New: Inventories and Distribution Shape, Length and Movement Shape: Creating a Vowel Spectrum You and the New: Vowel Shapes Length: Long, Short or In Between? You and the New: Vowel Length Movement: Steady or Sliding? You and the New: Vowel Movement Getting more detailed: Environmental Issues You and the New: Enviromental Issues 6: The Groove The Big Picture How to identify the Default Tune Intonation You and the New: the Groove 7: Get Professional Get Practising Accent meets production Accent meets director Accent meets rehearsal Accent meets character Accent meets audition 8: Useful Stuff What Happens Next? Making a Resource Recording You and the New Charts Knowing your Equipment Space Exploration Appendix Recommended internet resources Recommended Reading Index of references to accents in the book Index of track lists in reference to accents MP₃ Full Track Listing

       ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS

      For their help with the making of this book we would like to thank: Arsher Ali, Laura Caroll, Kevin Coe, Steve Cooper, Trevor Cuthbertson (also one of our test readers), Sid Dixon, Louise Dolan, Katie Draper, Joanna Gaskell, Darren Halley, Wilbur Heynes, Donna Humphries, Dylan Kennedy, Martin Larmour, David Lyons, Jor’el Mitchell (also one of our test readers), Channelle Owen, Catrin Picand-Jones, Nora Ryan Taylor, for their accent samples; Matt Walters at Quince Studios; Rachel Williams, Mariele Runacre-Temple and Gill Sharpe for the drawings and illustrations; our test readers, including Richard Ryder and Julie Legrand, for their comments and input, and Professor Valerie Hazan (Professor of Speech Science and Head of the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics, University College London) for her input and advice.

      A huge thank you to all past and present students of ours, especially to those at East 15 Acting School, who have continually deepened our understanding of working with actors; to all those professional actors and directors who have fed our passion over the years; and finally to all at Oberon, especially our editor Stephen Watson.

      Jan would like to thank Lyn Darnley, Head of Voice at the RSC, Jeanette Nelson, Head of Voice at the National Theatre; good friends and colleagues, and other fellow voice teachers who have inspired and encouraged – Thanks also to friends and family for the regular ‘check-ins’.

      The biggest thanks to my very dear friend, colleague and fantastic co-writer Edda: thank you for the most fun-filled, laughter-led and inspirational times.

      Edda would like to thank Jackie Maxwell, Christopher Newton and Neil Munro, of the Shaw Festival Theatre, Canada; David Willis, Sarah Shippobotham, Christina Gutekunst and John Gillett for their friendship, professional support and integrity; my friends and family, and of course, an enormous thank you to my very special friend and professional soulmate, Jan.

      INTRODUCTION

       HOW THIS BOOK CAME ABOUT

      Acting with an accent can be a dream or a nightmare for an actor. The pressures to get it right – to sound authentic, honest and connected – grow as audiences become more demanding and the world gets smaller.

      In