Working as a dialect coach in NYC is interesting and challenging. With the actor, I go through the vowel and consonant changes, discuss the rhythm of the dialect, the duration of sounds and how the pitch (highness and lowness of the vocal range) is used.
My goal is to help the actor be as accurate as possible with the dialect and at the same time have a clarity that makes it possible for the audience to understand them. I remember I was called in to work on a production because the director said he could not understand one of the actors.
When we had our dialect session, I explained to the actor that he needed to make some changes to what he was doing and I made suggestions. He said he had been to the country (where the play was set) and made recordings of the people and listened to them for a week and he knew he was absolutely accurate. I said that it didn’t matter how accurate he was if no one could understand what he was saying!
That was an eye opener. It was an excellent play and he wanted the audience to understand the text. We made some changes and he was able to keep the authenticity but he could be understood. The director was grateful for the clarity.
Dialect Coach in NYC
Shane Ann Younts
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