I have had a lifelong passion for language, voice and communication. I became acutely aware of language and voice from an early age: brought up in a bi-lingual household speaking German and English, I soaked up the differences in nuance between the two languages, their accents and the attitudes they embody.
My love of language and literature took me to Magdalene College, Cambridge, where I studied English Literature and acted in as many theatre productions as possible. I then trained as an actor at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where I received my voice training under Patsy Rodenburg. It was at Guildhall that I began to understand what voicework actually was, how the body and breath are intrinsic to safe, creative and authentic voice production, and how voicework can both liberate the actor in a role and also liberate the individual in their day to day life. This training has underpinned every aspect of voicework I have since studied and taught.
I worked as an actor for the next 10 years in theatre, radio, film, voiceovers and TV. Highlights were playing Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, appearing as a social worker bearing bad news in EastEnders, and being privileged to appear alongside Lyndsay Duncan, Michael Pennington, and Hugh Bonneville in a Radio 3 production of Antony and Cleopatra.
After 10 years of performing I shifted my focus to teaching and coaching and embarked on the MA Voice Studies at The Royal Central School of Drama to become a voice coach. I graduated in 2008 with Distinction and have taught at various drama schools including RADA, LAMDA, Rutgers Conservatoire at Shakespeare’s Globe, ALRA, Central, Mountview, Fourth Monkey and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
From 2019-2022 I have worked as Assistant Voice Coach at the National Theatre, assisting the Head of Voice, Jeannette Nelson. As Assistant Voice Coach productions include: Small Island, The Normal Heart, Manor, The Visit, My Brilliant Friend, Three Sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity, Peter Gynt; as Voice Coach productions include Hamlet (Primary Schools Tour), Jekyll & Hyde. Other theatre work includes: children’s voice coach Leopoldstadt, Young Marx (The Bridge). From 2016-2019 I was part of the voice team on the RSC’s Matilda The Musical and have also worked as a language consultant on the National Theatre’s West End production of Warhorse, and for Tiger Aspect as a voice and dialect coach on Beehive.
I especially enjoy bringing the focus on communication to people who do not consider themselves to be performers. My corporate communication work includes devising and delivering training programmes for Fluxx Consulting, Accenture Interactive, Fjord, The Brunswick Group as well as The Association for Author’s Agents. I have worked as a corporate trainer for CMT as well as with Caroline Goyder. My interest in communication has also spurred me to complete the NLP with Neuroscience Coaching certificate with ITS.