Shane Ann Younts, Voice and Speech for Actors, NYC

First Rehearsal of “Newsies”

Shane Ann — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:09:04 +0000

I don’t think it gets any more exciting than this! First day of rehearsals for the Broadway bound production of “Newsies”. The creative team is the same as it was for the Paper Mill Playhouse last summer with the talented Jeff Calhoun directing again. Most of the actors are the same including Jeremy Jordan starring as Jack Kelly. The excitement level in the rehearsal room was electric. Everyone is thrilled to be part of this show and to have a chance to share it with a larger audience. I was sitting across from Alan Mencken (Music) who won his eleventh Grammy on Sunday night. Eleven! And later I talked to Jack Feldman (writer of the fantastic lyrics) and he said there are three new songs. I can’t wait to hear them. Setting the tone for the day, with his enthusiasm, excitement and genuine love for this project, was Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatricals. If you weren’t brimming with joy before he spoke to the company, you definitely were after he finished. I wanted to stand up and say “Seize the Day” but good sense prevailed, and I didn’t!

Charles Baker, Ethan Baum, Tamara Young, Tia James, Julie Kilzer liked this post

Private Classes

Shane Ann — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:27:56 +0000

Well my new private class is wonderful. The students started in October and already the difference in their voice/speech is quite amazing. I can’t remember having a class that picked up the material this quickly. They are so responsive to the work. I really have to stay on my toes. They ask great questions – I mean really great questions. It makes me stop and think because I want to be sure I answer in the best possible way. It is so exciting to see actors learning tools that will help them to get professional work and to see that they realize it’s value. I am, indeed, fortunate to get to teach them.

Henry IV (1)

Shane Ann — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:24:01 +0000

I saw the most interesting production of Henry IV (1) last night produced and directed by Jeff Wise with some of his talented classmates from NYU Grad Acting. It was a 90 minute version of the play and they succeeded in telling the story – which is no small feat considering it usually runs more like three hours plus. The cuts were not even noticeable and I’m saying this about one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The acting (only six actors) was excellent and I have to say their voice, speech, text work was FANTASTIC. And, oh yeah, loved those Techniques of Voice and Text!!!! Wish it had an extended run somewhere. Everyone should see/hear this production.

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First Preview of “Bonnie & Clyde”

Shane Ann — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:34:13 +0000

“Bonnie & Clyde” just gets better and better. Hearing the actors with the orchestra for the first time was a revelation. The music was amazing with just a piano but with a full orchestra, oh my gosh!!!! The first preview audience was hooked from the first moment. It was exciting to see their reaction to the events of the story and how the dialogue leads in to the songs. Two days later, I am still humming “How ‘bout a Dance?” and “Made in America” and – well I’m humming them all. Can NOT get the songs out of my head!! The cast received a well-deserved standing ovation. And this was only the first preview.

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First run-through of “Bonnie & Clyde”

Shane Ann — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:09:51 +0000

I was watching/listening to the first run-through of “Bonnie & Clyde” a few days ago and even in a rehearsal studio, with just a piano, the actors sounded wonderful. I think the songs (music and lyrics) are fantastic. I’ve been walking around my apartment humming them for a couple of weeks. One of the songs is so beautiful, and has such a powerful emotion behind it, that I found myself tearing up as it was sung at the run through! I thought, “this is silly, it’s a rehearsal, how can I be so moved by this song?” But I turned around and saw that others were also tearing up.

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“Newsies” may move to Broadway

Shane Ann — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:57:48 +0000

So the exciting news is that all of the New York papers are reporting that “Newsies” (currently at Paper Mill Playhouse) MAY (that’s the operative word here) be moving to Broadway. This does not surprise me as I love the story, the music, the lyrics, the dazzling choreography (when is the last time you saw a dance number that made you gasp in amazement at what the dancers were doing?) and the truly brilliant direction by Jeff Calhoun. I am so proud to be a part of this show!!

Read All About It Here…

First Rehearsal of “Newsies”

Shane Ann — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:09:33 +0000

Today was the first rehearsal of “Newsies” and I begin to understand why this movie, from 1992, was the favorite movie of so many young people. The music is amazing and the story grabs you – very timely topic for today. Interesting to be in the same room with the talented Harvey Fierstein (four Tonys), Alan Mencken (eight Oscars), and Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Group. This is going to be fun!

Why an actor wants to take my Voice/Speech class

Shane Ann — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:09:17 +0000

I was interviewing/auditioning an actor for my Voice and Speech Class, which begins this Fall, and I asked her why she wanted to take the class. She told me she had just finished the run of a play with a friend of hers who had completed my program a few years ago. My former student mentioned my class and her friend said, “When you are working on a role, what helps you the most – your acting training or your voice classes with Shane Ann?” Without a pause my student said, “What I learned in Shane Ann’s classes. I use her training all of the time from the beginning of the rehearsal process, through the run of the show.” It was an education for me to hear that. As a teacher and voice/dialect coach I know that having a resonant supported voice and understanding how to work on a text (anything from voice-over copy to Shakespeare) is very empowering for an actor but to hear that it helped even more than acting training made my mouth fall open!

Ray Yeates in “The Parting Glass”

Shane Ann — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:29:45 +0000

Last night I saw the amazing Irish actor Ray Yeates (an Abbey Theatre veteran) performing a solo play “The Parting Glass” by Dermot Bolger. He takes the audience on a fascinating journey and, with only the changes in his voice, portrays the different characters in one man’s life. American audiences may not be familiar with “football” (soccer) or the passion it evokes for the Irish, but we all relate to joy, sorrow, frustration, pride in a job well done, and a sense of home.

Preview of “Measure for Measure”

Shane Ann — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:35:10 +0000

Watching the preview performance of “Measure for Measure” I was again struck by the versatility, talent and stamina of the actors in this production. These are the same actors (with the exception of the beautiful Danai Gurira who is playing Isabella) who jump into their other roles for “All’s Well That Ends Well”. I was at the preview to take vocal notes but my pen stayed fairly still. The actors are doing all of the things we worked on in the rehearsal hall. I have seen many other productions of “Measure” and I also worked as Vocal/Text Coach on another production. This is far and away my favorite. The director, David Esbjornson, is telling the story in a way that is clear (no small thing with Shakespeare!!), powerful, emotional, funny, and sexy.

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