Course Description

This course introduces two important accents used for stage, film, television, and video games. In the Fall the offering is Standard British (RP) and New York accents. Through Knight-Thompson Speechwork, a new standard-bearing approach to speech, students will acquire the skills to convincingly perform these accents. Areas of focus include developing the oral posture, learning how to create unique pronunciations, and analyzing the “music” (rhythm, tempo, and intonation) of the accent. Studies include native speakers of these accents, and dialogue from stage and screen scripts will be utilized to apply the work. This course is for actors with and without speech training and for people who would enjoy learning two interesting and well-used accents.