Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Monday, May 28, 2018.         

 

In Attendance (in alphabetical order): Jerry Etienne, Sherry Smith (note taker) and Susan Stackhouse.

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(Susan Stackhouse hosting: at the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University for herself and Sherry Smith. Jerry Etienne attending via FaceTime from Grenfell Campus of Memorial University in Newfoundland)

  

1. History of voice and speech teaching & coaching in our region.

• Faith Ward, Dorothy Ward, Judy Leigh-Johnson, Susan Stackhouse (Voice and Speech at Dalhousie)

• Morris Good, Jerry Etienne (MUN)

• New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island - no voice and speech teachers

 

2.( a.& b.) Sherry: Dialect coaching for plays and films / Vocal workshops for public speaking and oral                                              communication / seminars with student lawyers on oral advocacy and trying to incorporate this training                          into the law program at Dalhousie University / some teaching opportunities but very limited

 

Jerry: Developed his own curriculum / teaches acting & voice together / through text work

 

Susan: I have developed my own curriculum and teach voice, speech and dialects to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th acting students in the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University.

 

   c.) So few of us to choose from for coaching - no one in New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island / number of              actors willing and financially able to hire a private coach are few in numbers / have to focus on marketing in          areas outside of the theatre

 

Jerry: wishes there was more time / 2 classes a week makes it tough to develop the

student’s skills / volunteers every year to do a workshop on Oral Communication with the faculty at

Grenfell / Stagehead Academy-2 week intensive on Voice and Speech

 

Susan: Does Oral Communication with faculty and graduate students / some private coaching / films for dialect and voice coaching / very little coaching for local theatres, including Neptune / Theatre New Brunswick (TNB) workshop once a year in Voice and Speech for the community / New Brunswick Drama Festival used to seek workshops in Voice and Speech

 

Nova Scotia Dramafest has hired Sherry to do Voice and Speech workshops.

 

Accent reduction:

Susan: has worked with some clients 

 

Jerry: some students need help reducing their Newfoundland accent for clarity; often done in class and through individual coaching

 

Pay Scale:     

• University is separate and under Union rates

• Freelance is a sliding scale and everyone charges differently

• Mostly under-charging / very valuable to converse on this / setting a standard scale would be

              helpful / concern that it could cancel us out of theatre work / Newfoundland does mostly homegrown

              theatre work and budgets are so low that often times they can barely afford to pay their actors

• What are the rates for conferences for lawyers, etc?

• Perhaps look at how publishers determine royalties-depends on the size of the theatre, the budget of company or show, etc.

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    d.) Lack of funding / Lack of space (Sherry: I coach in my living room and when that is not available, I go to

         the client’s house) / Lack of time with rehearsals being cut down to two weeks / Vocal coaching is not seen           as a useful addition to production-there is a need for education in this regard

 

    e.) Sherry: I have never had anyone approach me to mentor them

        Susan: I have had a few students that have taken an interest in becoming Voice teachers and I have                       suggested schools that they should look in to

 

3.         a.) Canadian listing by region using VASTA as a template / Flexibility of rates and services / travelling seminars                    for professional development / paid mentorship opportunities

 

            b.) National Association of Voice Teachers is good / Proof of training / each member can identify their skills,                        like Equity (actor, host, circus, singer, etc.)

 

            c.) Look at VASTA - volunteer based right now

 

            d.) Volunteers that have a connection to website designers / membership fee would cover

         maintenance and updates / many online do it yourself web design

 

            e.) Yes to membership fee

 

 

Question of Equity:

• Stepping outside the box can be a problem

• Paperwork and questions for new young companies can make it very difficult

• Own representation: what kind of power will it have?

• Useful to have one National voice

• Was there a Canadian Association of Voice and Speech teachers?

                                   

4.        (a.) Mentorship and Advocacy are essential to raise the profile of the importance of voice training in Canada.                     Especially in Oral Communication, which is lacking with the digital age. However, it is far too time                                   consuming to replace the formal education that was in University programs. Lack of voice training in acting                   programs is ridiculous and lessens the credibility of the university and their promotion of higher education.

 

            b.) Sherry: Oral storytelling has been a long tradition of First Nations and East Coasters and worth exploring

                  Susan:  It is time and long overdue

 

            c.) A resource for all that information would be helpful, especially for newcomers.

 

Questions:

 

What training would be deemed acceptable? Masters, private mentorship, Linklater certification, Rodenburg workshops, etc.?

 

Lack of representation in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island

 

We have to be more careful with being physically hands on, and this is both challenging and terrifying as we see more students who are fragile emotionally or physically. Is there sensitivity and how to set boundaries training for voice teachers?

 

More graduates with no place to work other than freelancing. How do we help?

 

Paid mentorship after graduating would be helpful. Shadowing experienced teachers / coaches, both in theatre and film. There is a high demand for dialect coaching in film and not a lot of opportunity to learn the ropes.

 

Freelancers point of view - what do they want / need that would make their lives easier? - standardized working conditions, pay scale, marketing, education, etc.