Aaron: So how did you first start working as a dialect coach?
Lynne: It's interesting, some people have a talent for music or dance, movement whatever, or sports, and so they fall into it because they connect to it. I was always like that, I always imitating dialects. I had a high school acting teacher who had me do a dialect role because he knew I could do it. And then when I got to advanced theatre training, actually I came out here to train at A.C.T. for graduate school and I just thrived in speech class, it was like I had come home. My speech teacher –because my hometown is New York City– she said, “When you go back there, you go study with my teachers and come back here and teach,” and the teaching led to coaching, and it just sort of evolved. I'm still a professional actor, but I actually do more dialect work and coaching than I do acting.
A: So just falling into what you love?
L: Yeah, and falling in love with a subject I hadn't had before.
A: For actors, what's something that's important for them to keep in mind when learning a new dialect?
L: When you are approaching a dialect– and life has gotten much easier! When I started, you had to hunt down real people and record them for actors. Everything's on the internet now, like YouTube, so you've got visuals as well as sound stuff. As you are learning a new dialect, don't just focus on the sound changes, focus on becoming. I say, like for example if you’re working on a French accent, find your "inner French person." It can't just be “Hi, I'm an American putting on this accent,” it has to be (in a French accent) “What are you talking about? I am from Paris, you know?” To find what that does to you, to incorporate as you learn the sounds, as you use your ear, you use your whole being, because that's what acting is. You know? It's when you're doing a voice over, a commercial or something, you believe in the product in that commercial, and you are that person. So same thing with a dialect. You dance with it and you find your harmony with it in addition to learning the sound changes.
A: Can you describe what people can expect from your American Accents class?
L: Well, it’s very ambitious. (laughs) We’re covering American Accents. We’re only covering two, really, because there’s only two sessions. One of the things I say to people is, “We are learning how to learn and accent.” So what we learn in this class, even though it's limited, it's something that you can apply as an actor to any dialect, and that's one of the things that we cover in the class. What do you do? Where do you go? How do you find this information? What do you listen for? And we focus on the fact that we're not trying to go behind enemy lines and not get caught and put up against the wall and shot by the firing squad. It doesn't have to be “perfection,” it is theater. You are convincing the people that they are hearing a real person. So in the class you learn how to dance with a dialect. We start with Southern, and we deal with a generalized white-collar Southern, and then how you adjust that for a blue-collar Southern. (Slips into a Southern accent) How you would take a refined thing and bring it down to where it might twang a little bit, or get some Rs back in. Then we talked about– “Oh, if you’re doing Texas, you listen to this on YouTube, and if you’re doing this…” –so I just teach people how you learn it, but you get a feel for it, what it feels like to be Southern. The next week, after we review that, we hit New York, which is like the flip side, (transitions from a Southern accent into New York) where we were melting, now we're poking people. New York is like “Yeah, what?! I’m not aggressive! What’re you talking about, here?” Once we worked on that, I mention how you can adjust that for Boston. So you're basically learning two dialects, a little touch of the third, but you're learning how to learn. It’s not two sessions, it’s “how do I take this into the rest of my work?” I believe in empowering actors, not just “do what I tell you.” It's like, how do we get you to be your richest, your best moving forward, and achieving what you want as an actor.
A: What is your favorite American accent and why?
L: That's like trying… you know, you have a large family and you go, “who's your favorite child?” It very often switches. I did finally find one dialect I didn't like in America, I'm not going to mention it because I don't want to prejudice people… it just was sounds I wasn't crazy about. I'm really in love with whatever I do. As a new native New Yorker (slips into a New York accent) “How could I not love New York, you know?” But, I’ve worked on New England (slips into New England accent) “I’m a Mainer, and you’re not.” I'm in love with that. It's hard not to be in love with all of them. One of the things I tell people… like I work out here a lot and people say “Oh, yeah, we’re Californians, we're sloppy, we’re lazy” and I'm like, “No no no, you're doing the good regional dialect.” It's the correct sound for California, for parts of California. So we should fall in love with all of them, and whatever is right for the character is the one we love the most. But yeah, no, I can't pick one over another, and there's nothing I love more than actors growing and adding things to their arsenal of talent and weaponry and stuff that they’ve got to use.
2 Wednesdays, 1/26 & 2/2/2022
6:30-9:30pm Pacific
Online
$225
Explore the role dubbing plays at Netflix, with interesting nuggets from the dubbing and subtitling team at Netflix themselves!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 16-22) and what's coming your way next week.
Seventeen's Leah Campano asks Rosalie Chiang questions about the VO industry, her career and more!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 9-15) and what's coming your way next week.
The students of Voice One show their appreciation for #Teacherappreciationweek.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (May 2-8) and what's coming your way next week.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 25-May 1) and what's coming your way next week.
Elley Ray Hennessy shares her wisdom regarding voicing animated characters.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 18-24) and what's coming your way next week.
Part four of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 11-17) and what's coming your way next week.
Let’s tackle big, old, ugly fear. Here are five ways to conquer your fear of trying improv, or anything new.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (April 4-10) and what's coming your way next week.
From Robin Williams to Tina Fey, here are 25 reasons why improv will not only make you a better actor, but will change your life!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 28-April 3) and what's coming your way next week.
Aaron sits down with Lori Alan to discuss a voice actor's role in animation and up coming class, Talk to the Booth Lady.
If you are a future VO superstar, join our youth Summer program coming up in June 2022! Classes available for students 4th-12th grade!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 21-27) and what's coming your way next week.
Video games have become a sophisticated and immensely popular form of entertainment and recreation, and the voice acting involved keeps evolving.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 14-20) and what's coming your way next week.
Five ways to mitigate the negative consequences that come along with time change.
Part three of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (March 7-13) and what's coming your way next week.
One of the most highly influential players in voice acting history
Exclusive interviews with 2K Games Casting Manager Tom Celia, E-Learning Entrepreneur Angeli Fitch, MoCap Legend Walt Gray IV, AND workshops starting this weekend!
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (February 28-March 6) and what's coming your way next week.
Part two of our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
A quick look at what's new, what's here this week (February 21-27,) and what's coming your way next week.
Our four part series of what you can do outside the booth to find greater success in voice over.
We've created a guide that you can print up and bring with you to your Super Bowl watching party. After the game, upload your answers and compare!
Why are explainer videos on the rise and what does it mean for voice actors?
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 24-30, plus a peek at next week.
In anticipation of her upcoming class on American Accents, Aaron sits down with renowned dialect coach of stage and screen, Lynne Soffer, for a brief interview.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 17-23, plus a peek at next week.
Get out of your own way and own your year in VO by applying this advice.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 10-16, plus a peek at next week.
Aaron meets with Walt Gray IV to discuss the why voice actors should know how to audition through self-tapes.
A quick look at what's coming your way. January 3-9, plus a peek at next week.
Sally shares an experience that shifted her perspective on perseverance in voice over.
Aaron finds out what Marika Casteel has to say about acting and voice over
Wishing you happiness and good company as we wind down the year
We felt so inspired after our Professional Invitational with Rowen Wagner from Moose Toys, we just had to write about it!
Aaron asks Gavin a few questions about Commercial VO and his new class at Voice One.
A Tech Tip clarification from our brilliant instructor Jim Edgar
Three steps to stop listening to yourself while performing commercial VO
Take a look at the awesome classes coming your way this month, and join us in-person in San Francisco or online via Zoom.
Many actors are affected by dyslexia, but it isn't talked about enough.
Check out what we have in store for you this month!
Voice Acting is more than just reading, no matter the sales pitch.
Interview and Q&A with Tom Celia - Recording Available!
How the pandemic changed dubbing and what that means for the future
Join us on September 8 and meet Cliff!
“I will quite often come out of the booth drenched in sweat, but those are the things that I live for.”
This weekend only! Save $50 on your class registration!
'Twelve Minutes' required much more time in the booth
A quick look at classes starting this weekend and next week!
Voice actor Kayleigh McKee discusses her experience in voiceover and progress in representation
Blizzard's Casting Director Wants You to Bring Truth to the Fantastic Worlds of Video Games
Join us this Thursday (8/5) for a *FREE* Webinar!
A Discussion of VO and Mocap in Video Games
Meet and perform for some of the best in the industry!
Making your audition stand out and connect to the listener is the route to success. Here are some great suggestions how.
Everything you need to know about why, how, and when to take the Voice One Core Curriculum this semester!
Standing out in a crowd is difficult, especially if you are consciously or unconsciously emulating what you've heard before.
What's up with the recent changes to Audacity?
Entire Core Curriculum is available from July 19th to August 8th in our Summer Fast Track!
Interview and Q&A with Tyler Rhoads on July 9
We now have fun and affordable offerings for you every Friday night!
Much has changed in Voice Over in the past few decades.
Tackling the issue of representation in the audiobooks industry comes with a number of unique concerns
An interview with a voice casting director on the state of the industry
Kelly Tran's seeming sudden prominence in the public eye is rooted in years of dedication to the craft.
Come meet our next guest talent agent!
Solid advice on being the voice actor that directors want in their projects.
Steve Pogatch – Lead Audio Producer – Pandora/Sirius XM/Stitcher (Studio Resonate)
Emi Lo, Apphiya Yu, and Shawn Gann discuss their perspectives on Asian-American representation in Anime and more
Knowing what works is great, but knowing what doesn't work can save you a lot of anguish.
What makes acting in animation believable and bookable?
Anjali shares realistic advice from what she has learned over the course of her amazing career.
Award season always brings up the question about recognition of voice acting by the Academy
We spoke with the legendary dialect coach on learning accents
Embracing your "imperfections" can make you a better creative collaborator.
It's not "one style fits all" in Character work.