Received Pronunciation (R.P)
Received Pronunciation (R.P) is still an industry standard, and an essential tool for any actor. It’s the accent often thought of as ‘neutral’, and is often asked for when a character needs to be unplaceable, either geographically, or terms of period. Learn how to form the precise, muscular consonants, and discover how to balance those with open, and varied vowels. Although it has one label, ‘R.P.’ can actually refer to a wide variety of different sounds, from Contemporary to Heightened. Working with a coach, you can find the RP that is perfectly suited to your project.
General American
General American. In many ways this can be thought of as the R.P. of the United States, in that it is an industry standard, and isn’t immediately placeable. This accent doesn’t belong to any particular State or region of the States, and is fairly socially neutral. Our coaches will help you to differentiate the ‘General American’ sound from more distinctive regional American accents to keep you out of New York City, and away from the Deep South! You will learn how to pronounce the strong American ‘R’ sound, and show you the characteristic vowel sounds that often give British actors away.
London
London. The traditional Cockney sound of London’s East End is one of our most popular accents. Master the punchy rhythms, that reflect traditional life in England’s biggest, busiest city. Learn when to drop your ‘t’s, and your ‘h’s, and when a ‘th’ shouldn’t become an ‘f’, so that your accent is more Danny Dyer than Dick Van Dyke! Your coach can also teach you the new accent- Multicultural London English that is the sound used by younger speakers in urban London. This is a very current, contemporary accent being used for lots of new films and plays.
South Wales
South Wales. Discover the lilting melodies of the Welsh Valleys. With your coach, you will discover the way that sentences rise and fall, like the rolling hills and valleys of the area. Discover the vowel and consonant sounds that will give you the perfect soft Welsh accent to capture the language of Dylan Thomas. Your coach can also guide you out of the countryside, and towards the more urban sounds found in the cities of South Wales. You will discover how both the tune and vowel sounds flatten, as you move out of the Valleys towards the streets of Cardiff City Centre.
Newcastle
Newcastle. The accent found in Newcastle is known as Geordie. It’s an accent that uses a lot of pitch range, to add colour and variety to speech. It’s an unusual and characterful accent, very different from the sounds that exist further South in Yorkshire, and further North in Scotland. It’s an accent that is alive with dialect words, that your coach will introduce you to, so that you can start to fully inhabit the rhythmic, charming speech of Tyneside.
