Experiencing Speech: A Skills-Based, Panlingual Approach to Actor Training: A Beginner's Guide to Knight-Thompson Speechwork(R)

Experiencing Speech: A Skills-Based, Panlingual Approach to Actor Training is a beginner's guide to Knight-Thompson Speechwork(R), a method that focuses on universal and inclusive speech training for actors from all language, racial, cultural, and gender backgrounds and identities.

This book provides a progression of playful, practical exercises designed to build a truly universal set of speech skills that any actor can use, such as the ability to identify, discern, and execute every sound found in every language on the planet. By observing different types of flow through the vocal tract, vocal tract anatomy, articulator actions, and how these components can be combined, readers will understand and recreate the process by which language is learned. They will then be introduced to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and will practice using the IPA for narrow transcription of speech sounds. The book also offers both an intellectual and physical understanding of oral posture and how it contributes to vocal characterization and accent work. This approach to speech training is descriptive, giving students a wide and diverse set of speech sounds and skills to utilize for any character in any project, and it establishes a foundation for future accent study and acquisition.

Experiencing Speech: A Skills-Based, Panlingual Approach to Actor Training is an excellent resource for teachers and students of speech and actor training, as well as aspiring actors looking to diversify their speech skills.

Andrea Caban is Co-Director of Knight-Thompson Speechwork(R), is Associate Professor and Head of Voice and Speech at CSU Long Beach and holds a research appointment at UC Irvine in the Department of Neurology. She is the accent expert on HowCast.com demonstrating over 35 accents, a regular speaker coach for TED, and a recipient of the Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship. For more information, visit www.andreacaban.com.

Julie Foh is Assistant Professor of Voice and Speech at the University of Connecticut, a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. She is a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork(R) and a professional voice and dialect coach.

Jeffrey Parker is Associate Professor of Theatre at Metropolitan State University of Denver and a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork(R). He is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association and the current Director of Voice and Text at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.