Sixth formers enjoy dialect workshop with RSC vocal coach

At the end of the Michaelmas Term, a group of Upper Sixth actors were treated to a dialect workshop with Kate Godfrey, previously Head of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Kate joined us online, during a break from technical rehearsals for the UK tour of Neil Gaiman’s An Ocean at the End of the Lane, produced by the National Theatre, where she has acted as Dialect Coach on a long list of productions including The History Boys, 13, The Comedy of Errors and His Girl Friday. 

Tom B (Ch), Matthew D (SH), Laurie M (Rb), Jack S (R) and Rufus T (Ch) are currently rehearsing an excerpt from Jez Butterworth’s Mojo for the performance module of their A-level Drama exam. The black comedy is set in 1950’s Soho and requires a very specific East London accent.

Kate began by teaching the students how to analyse their native accents before encouraging them to experiment with vocal placement and vowel shapes that would replicate the tight, nasal sounds that we typically associate with a Cockney accent. The students were fascinated by the immediate effect of subtle changes and were eager to try out their improved accents in the context of the scene.

“I hadn’t previously considered that an accent could be affected by where you physically place the vowels.”, said Laurie. "Kate taught us that a Cockney accent should be formed at the back of the mouth and is made up of wide vowels rather than long ones”. 

Drama teacher Ceri-Lyn Cissone-Hunter, who trained as an actor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, is a former pupil of Kate’s She added: “It was such a lovely experience watching my students learn from my teacher.”

Kate was highly impressed with the students’ progress throughout the session and hopes to visit the school to watch the students’ work in action when they perform their extract in February.