Shane Ann Younts teaches a complete voice, and speech program in Manhattan, where she also does private coaching for theater, film and television.

In addition she is a Master Teacher (Associate Arts Professor) in the Graduate Acting Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she teaches voice and text classes.

She has served as Voice Consultant/Dialect Coach for Broadway:

(“Mary Poppins”, “MammaMia!”, “Spamalot”, “Tarzan”, and the Lincoln Center 3 production of “Stunning”) and Off-Broadway productions at The Public Theater (including the Shakespeare in the Park productions of “All’s Well”, “Measure for Measure”, “Hamlet” – starring Michael Stuhlbarg and “Macbeth” – starring Liev Schreiber) and “Timon of Athens” for the Public Lab, The Red Bull Theater, Second Stage Theatre, the Drama Department, TheVineyard Theatre, and The Pearl Theatre.

Backstage with former students: Mia Barron, Jason Butler Harner & Billy Crudup. Cast of the Lincoln Center Broadway production of “The Coast of Utopia”.

She has also served as Voice Consultant at regional theaters:

• Paper Mill Playhouse (“The Miracle Worker”, “Steel Magnolias” and “1776″)
• The Guthrie Theater (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Twelfth Night” – both directed by Joe Dowling, and “Antony and Cleopatra” – directed by Mark Lamos)
• The Shakespeare Theatre (“Cyrano” – directed by Michael Kahn)
• Ford’s Theatre (“The Matchmaker” – directed by Mark Lamos)
• The Acting Company (“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ” – directed by Doug Hughes)

She has taught at:

• The Public Theater’s Summer Shakespeare Lab
• The Guthrie Experience
• The Sedona Shakespeare Institute
• The Juilliard School (Drama Division),
• The American Academy of Dramatic Arts
• NYU’s Undergraduate Drama in The Classical Studio

Shane Ann received her voice and speech training from Robert Neff Williams including the Advanced work which used the texts of Shakespeare.  Additional voice training includes workshops with Cicely Berry, Andrew Wade, and Richard Armstrong.   She has studied the Michael Chekhov Technique with Joanna Merlin and Lenard Petit and the Alexander Technique with Kim Jessor and Mona Stiles.

She is co-author (with Louis Scheeder) of “All the Words on Stage, A Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the Plays of William Shakespeare”.

Shane Ann is included in the 2010 and 2011 editions for Marquis’ Who’s Who in America

Shane Ann has been teaching in New York City for over twenty-five years.

Her former students are currently appearing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theaters, film and television.  Some of her former students include: Deana Barone, Josh Barrett, Elisa Bocanegra, Billy Crudup, Tate Donovan, Cassandra Freeman, Wood Harris, Creighton James, Maggie Lacey, Dylan McDermott, Debra Messing, Danny Pino, Jeremy Shamos, Daniel Sunjata, Connie Nielsen and Jeff Whitty.

“Shane Ann’s presence in an actor’s 
training is a gift to open every time that actor sets foot on the professional stage.  Clarity and vocal presence through thought, breath, and action in large houses with minimal sound enhancement is one of the greater challenges to an actor. This was never more apparent to me than during my run in the Tony Award winning production of “Sideman” on Broadway and in London’s West End.” Jeff Binder

Shane Ann’s Photo by BluFace Photography

Site Design by Virtual Webster

The Purpose of This Program is to:

• Develop the actor’s voice so that it is sensitive to and has the ability to meet the demands of language – all types of language from voice-over copy to classical texts.  A monotone speech pattern or a voice that is nasal, tight, or unsupported does not allow the actor the flexibility to express the full range of what he or she is feeling

• To uncover the clear, resonant, and versatile voice, which everyone has, is one of the primary aims of the program

• Classes are structured so that each technical tool leads to the next step. All of the speech work is connected to the voice work and all of the exercises are applied to texts – poetry and prose.

The Program Includes:

• Speech (diction) exercises to learn the correct placement of all of the consonants and vowels in Standard American Speech, to eliminate regionalisms, and to give a clarity to the actor’s speech without sounding phony

• Voice work to develop a centered, supported voice by working on relaxation, breathing, resonance, stress, volume, and melody

• A variety of exercises applying the speech and voice work to prose passages and poetry. The poetry work begins with contemporary poems and ends with Restoration and Elizabethan poems and the sonnets of William Shakespeare.

When do classes meet?

The classes begin in October and continue through June.  Classes are held on Mondays and Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:30pm.    After a summer break, the program continues in the third week of September with the Advanced work and ends in February.  The Advanced Class meets from 5:30p.m. – 8:00p.m.

Advanced Class

In the Advanced Class, work continues on voice, and speech and also includes work on the texts of Shakespeare including the technical aspects of speaking the verse:

• scanning
• building a speech
• expressing contrasting ideas
• finding spines
• and much more…

All of the technical work is connected to acting the texts.

Voice and Monologue Master  Workshop

A Master Workshop will be available to students who have completed the program above, starting in March.   The Workshop meets on Mondays from 5:30 – 8:30pm.

Where do classes meet?

All classes and the workshop are taught at the Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue between 35th and 36th Street, New York, NY.

*Private Coaching is also available – a one on one session to work on an audition scene or monologue or for dialect coaching.

“Shane Ann is deeply invested in the growth of each one of her students which allows her to be tough when she needs to be but she is also one of the most encouraging and supportive people I have ever met.”
Shane Mcrae

“I am happy to have Shane Ann’s expertise in my memory and to have the privilege of counting her good taste, good notes and good spirit among my influences. I have employed her teachings for everything from voice-over work to Max Frisch to television sitcoms.”  Maggie Lacey

Shane Ann’s Photo by Blu Face Photography

Site Design by Virtual Webster

A few years ago, the students in my Studio Class gave me a book they made.  It was filled with these comments.

It is, without question, one of the most wonderful gifts I have ever received.

“Should a student have the good fortune to be taught by someone the caliber of Shane Ann, even once in their life, they ought to count themselves among the lucky few. She is in that very special class of teachers that makes something magical of their subject. Her passion and remarkable understanding of the material, the highly focused and individualized attention she pays to each student and her gift of making the most complex language of Shakespeare seem totally accessible is unparalleled. The program she has constructed is the most thorough and dynamic you will find, completely distinct in its source material and its approach to finding your voice and commanding the text. Shane Ann has taught me to always arrive prepared, to go the extra mile to find out the answers to the questions I don’t know, and to trust in the power of my own voice. If more actors studied with Shane Ann, the American theater would be a far more interesting place.”

Jenna Weinberg

“Shane Ann touched my life in such a profound way, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It is hard to put into words how amazing I feel when I think about our class and working with her. She helped me walk through walls that I never knew existed. I know that my voice and speech were always a source of insecurity. I thought I could get away with it or maybe people wouldn’t notice. The depth of knowledge she bestowed on my class is sublime. I get chills just thinking about it. A large part of my ability to create comes from the great mentors who have left an indelible imprint on my soul. I thank Shane Ann for being one of those mentors.”

Adam Feingold

“It’s hard for me to think of the right words to express how much Shane Ann has given me. Obviously, the biggest gift is a voice of range, strength and spirit – a voice that I am proud of and want to share with the world. She has instilled a confidence in me that I will forever be grateful for. She is an amazingly kind and generous teacher. And by that I mean I always felt like she was right there beside me – guiding me ever step of the way. Thank you for everything you have given me. I will cherish it!”

Kimberly Klein

“Shane Ann is my personal decoder ring that I luckily found in the pages of Backstage newspaper. She helped me break the code for my voice, for Shakespeare and my life. She always took the time to explain Shakespeare. Any time I’d struggle and feel lost, she’d scoop me up and make me feel safe again.”

Betsy Hoffman

“I am so grateful to you for being so dedicated, prepared, specific, encouraging and passionate. You have given me the gift of being able to speak the language of Shakespeare (as well as contemporary texts) and the courage and confidence to do so.”

Mary Catherine Donnelly

“Not only did Shane Ann improve my diction (I no longer have a sibilant “s”), but she also strengthened my self confidence as an actor. I feel ready to enter any audition with the confidence needed to make people stop and listen. Joining Shane Ann’s class was the best professional decision I’ve made.”

Bethany Winkels

“I have learned so much and grown so much from Shane Ann’s class. I have gotten more work since I’ve lost my accent – “Night over Taos” starring Estelle Parsons, and the “Sesame Street” new program pilot. The producers said my speech was “really clean”! Shane Ann is persistent and she teaches actors to become artists.”

Vivian Chu

“I would follow Shane Ann anywhere to work with her because she is a true master teacher. When she was looking for a new Studio where she could teach her classes, I told her: “Don’t worry, I will follow you into the bathroom if that’s where the class is meeting. I would go anywhere to train with you.”

Jai Catalano

Site Design by Virtual Webster

“Dear Shane Ann,
I just wanted to thank you for your inspiring automatic emails… I save and print them all! They really do get me practicing my voice more often . Thank you!”

Patti Lyons

Sign up today!

Site Design by Virtual Webster

Shane Ann is co-author of “All the Words on Stage, A Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the Plays of William Shakespeare”.

• “All the Words on Stage” makes the speaking of Shakespeare’s texts truly accessible to students, actors, and the general public. 

It is an indispensable tool for the rehearsal studio, the theatre, and the classroom.

• This book makes it possible for you to pronounce every character name, geographic location, mythological reference, and any unfamiliar word in all 37 plays.

• The pronunciation of each word is given in an easy to understand respelling system as well as with phonetics. Alternate pronunciations, based on the meter in Shakespeare’s verse, are also included.

• This reference book contains a chapter that discusses techniques of verse speaking and an appendix that alerts the reader to especially difficult words in each play.

This expansive dictionary also lists the pronunciation of every Latin word and phrase in Shakespeare.

“Anyone who has dedicated numerous rehearsal hours to explore and prepare for a production of Shakespeare will be delighted that this useful tool, painstakingly put together by Louis Scheeder and Shane Ann Younts, is available. Their comprehensive pronunciation dictionary blends thorough academic expertise with the practicalities of helping actors navigate the splendidly perilous ocean of Shakespeare’s language so that the actors can satisfy Hamlet’s request to speak their speeches ‘trippingly on the tongue’.”

Joe Dowling, Artistic Director of the Guthrie Theater

Phone: (212) 877-2567
E-mail: please use the form below

Please use “tab” key to navigate between form fields below and reveal the submit button.