When it comes to accents, actors are in a rather unique position. They may need to reduce their native accent pattern and speak with Standard American English when they are auditioning for specific parts. They may also need to learn an accent, which is different from their native accent, to play a part.
To Land Your Dream Role:
- Be certain that your accent is not interfering with your ability to create a character who is believable and understandable.
- Identify which sounds are causing you to sound accented and learn how to articulate them clearly.
- Improve your speech by making Standard American English your language of choice so that when you audition, nobody is distracted by your non-native accent.
- Review your sides with a trained Speech Pathologist/Dialect Coach. Record the Standard American English production of the sides so that you can practice on your own prior to the audition.
- Familiarity with the new accent pattern and repetition will allow you to become comfortable prior to the audition.
Example Of Character Accent For Actors
Perhaps you’re from England but you need to play a character from New York or the South. Conversely, you may speak Standard American English, but you may need a British accent.
To create an accent:
- Work with a Dialect Coach to fully create the dialect patterns of the character you are attempting to develop.
- Make sure that the accent you create is believable and authentic.
- During the session with your dialect coach, practice using the targeted accent and intonation pattern while rehearsing your lines.
- Record the new dialect so that you can practice it over and over prior to the audition and feel confident that you have created an authentic sounding character.
Let your practice be the dress rehearsal and your audition be the performance. A speech pathologist can help.
Contact us at susan@sankinspeechimprovement.com to set up a FREE evaluation so that you can be sure that when you audition, your speech is not interfering with your performance.
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