“Voice work is a precarious endeavor. It’s absolutely essential in pursuing a career in acting, however, a common pitfall of voice training is creating an actor who is preoccupied with the technical aspects of perfect speech, clarity, projection – thus forgetting that we must sound like human beings at the end of the day. We must sound like people and …
“The techniques that I learned studying with Shane Ann have been pivotal in my ability to navigate and relish not only classical texts, but any text that I have or will come across in my career as a professional actor. Shane Ann provided me with a solid foundation so that I can use my voice as an instrument. She also …
“Before meeting Shane Ann, I had a great fear of using anything “technical” (like voice and speech) because I thought it would cut off my impulses, making me sound phony and appear inauthentic. Shane Ann helped me to quickly realize that my fear was actually fear of the work, and that fear was limiting my range of possibilities, my true …
“With German as my first language, I realized soon after coming to the US that my casting opportunities were very limited. Everyone asked me if I could sound American. Since I always wanted to study with the best, I asked around. And all roads led to Shane Ann. She has made it possible for me to work as an American …
“Without Shane Ann how can anyone tell what my intention is? Without Shane Ann how can anyone believe I’m from anywhere but the South? Her classes are necessary in every actor’s arsenal to have a step ahead in auditions and in performances. Her spirit is wonderful and she makes the written text on a page leap off and become organically …
I want to make others laugh. However, I was skeptical about how some exercises were supposed to make me funnier on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or before an unforgiving NYC comedy club crowd? Well, I didn’t know the answer to these questions before working with Shane-Ann or before going on to appear over 50 times on …
“The walls of the theatres around the country reverberate with the exercises I learned in Shane Ann’s classes because at around 6:30pm I retreat to some dark corner of the house and do my Younts exercises. Without this warm-up I would be lost. But it goes beyond preparing myself to do the best job I can do on any given …
“Shane Ann has given me a wonderful gift: a fully loaded tool kit to help me unlock and explore any kind of text while keeping my instrument strong and supported. Whether I am working my way through a Shakespeare soliloquy or a dialect farce or quickly scanning voiceover copy in a casting office waiting room, I constantly find myself drawing …
“Before taking Shane Ann’s class, I only knew the basics of approaching Shakespeare’s texts. Furthermore, I wasn’t too excited about dealing with my phobia of Shakespeare’s assumed loftiness. I was most surprised at how much fun her classes could be because of her ‘road map’ through the curriculum, her patient, positive attitude, and her timely organization! Now I am enjoying …
“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. The success of my performance was due, in no …