If you are curious about Fitzmaurice Voicework, or want to take a deep dive into your practice, this warm-up will focus on Destructuring, Restructuring and Tremorwork, the main components of FV. Come Shake your body, Roll on the floor, and Free your breath and voice!

This event provides a dedicated space for early career voice practitioners to explore and discuss the future of voice coaching, training, and research. Through a facilitated discussion, participants will engage with key questions about the evolution of the profession, the role of emerging technologies, and the shifting landscape of vocal training. The session will be structured to encourage active participation, allowing attendees to voice their aspirations, concerns, and innovative ideas for the future of the field. The discussion may also include a panel of experienced voice professionals who will provide insight, share their career trajectories, and answer questions from participants. If possible, this session will be co-hosted with the Mentorship Committee to enhance opportunities for networking and support.

This workshop will bring participants back to their childhood roots, both in body and voice. Beginning with a physical warm up in which participants will explore movement with child-like curiosity, reimagining the learning processes involved with rolling, sitting up, and crawling, we will then use the tools of Lessac Kinesensics to discover sounds of vowels and consonants in a pre-language state, all while encouraging imagination and fun as only children fully allow. Our aim is to dig through the king cake of our adult lives to discover the baby hidden inside.

In this interactive workshop, Scott Miller (founder, mVm Miller Voice Method), John Patrick (co-founder, mVm studio) and Kristi Dana (director, mVm Teacher Certification) will discuss what a “good” voice means according to the philosophies and principles of the Miller Voice Method. Descriptions, visual diagrams, and conversations about mVm’s “Breath Behaviors” will be explored and then Scott, JP, and Kristi will lead the group through a fun demonstration and embodiment of the behaviors.

Throughout, there will be a lively conversation about, and investigation into, how to redefine a “good” voice. We’ll share our hypothesis as it relates to awareness building and attempts in an investigatory approach and offer embodied tools that can help communicators build more opportunities to align their utterance with their intention, identify how or when they might be out of “flow”, and how this might impact their presence.

Let the creature voice roll! Stretch the possibilities of the voice to create beautiful, terrifying, other-worldly sounds.

This is a practical workshop for video game and voice over actors, motion capture professionals, film/tv, theatre artists, and educators using Creature Voices to improve performance and auditions. In this 60-minute workshop you stretch the possibilities of your voice to create non-human creature voices using Vocal Combat Technique. We will cover warming up, recovery, vocal mechanics exercises for intense sounds (growls, grunts, etc.), and apply the technique to video game style text.

Creatures include any character that is non-human. More and more often voice over, video games, film and even stage are asking actors for non-human sounds. This workshop is designed to help participants learn to stretch the possibilities of their vocal instrument to create intense sounds safely.

Vocal Combat Technique is a system proven to reduce fatigue for voice users during vocally intense activities. Vocal Combat Technique team works with industry professionals and voice therapists to develop a safe approach to achieving extreme sounds.

During this workshop we will cover warming up, recovery, vocal mechanics exercises for intense sounds (growls, grunts, shouts, etc.), and put the technique into practice using creature voices in video game style text (or barks). Using creature images for inspiration, we will discover the body and voice for their creature by analyzing the images imagining how they would move, articulate, and breathe. We encourage full range of expression for each creature while making repeatable, and sustainable choices. We will use physical and vocal explorations prompt a wide range of emotional responses to ensure the character is not “one note.” Participants will actively participate, receive feedback, and coaching opportunities throughout the workshop. They will leave with a step-by-step approach to intense sounds applied to creature voices.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) understand that the voice is more than just sound—it is identity, artistry, and connection. But what happens when an SLP’s own passion for performance, pedagogy, and vocal expression merges with their clinical expertise? This panel brings together an SLP professor, a former student who attended a performing arts high school, and a vocal performer, author and all around voice advocate explore how their unique backgrounds shape their work in the field of voice.

Through engaging discussion, panelists will share how their love for performance and vocal artistry informs their clinical decisions, therapy approaches, and teaching philosophies. Topics will include the intersection of voice science and performance, navigating cultural attitudes toward “good” versus “authentic” voices, and how personal artistic experiences can create a more empathetic and innovative approach to voice therapy. This discussion will highlight the fluidity of voice across artistic and clinical spaces by questioning traditional definitions of a “good voice”, celebrating diverse vocal journeys, and how we can blend our profession and our passions to truly embrace the spirit of “Laissez Les Bons Voix Rouler”. This session fosters conversations about resilience, identity, and the evolving landscape of the professional voice and therapy.

Speaking expletives aloud is known to trigger “taboo” centers in the brain, which has a physiological effect can that lead to more vocal energy and variety.  By encouraging an actor to add swears to their text as a rehearsal technique, actors can be drawn into an immediate, personalized, visceral way of speaking, and away from a more rehearsed or practiced style.  This is particularly useful when working with classical material, leading actors away from adopting a “Shakespeare Voice” and playing the poetry, and instead finding the urgency that exists in their text. I will work with a few participants on pieces of classical text, coaching them to add swear words, and seeing how their voices change in response.

The cognitive sciences are primarily concerned with the nature and function of the mind and how it organises or categorises the world. These organisational components are often referred to as concepts. Cognitive linguistics, and phonology in particular, is interested in the process of how phonological concepts are acquired and, in the context of learning pronunciation, the difficulties usually encountered by students, what teaching methods best enable these processes to occur, and for that learning to be sustained outside of the classroom environment. These aims are well-aligned with the aims of the dialect pedagogue.

Critical Listening is a tool well-researched and supported in teaching pronunciation in the second language learning environment, involving live recording and playback of the student’s voice. By viewing phonemes as cognitive concepts, and dialect acquisition as acquiring phonology, this tool can be usefully applied to assist students in forming and concreting the boundaries between dialect sounds at the cognitive level. This short session will demonstrate this simple pedagogical tool in action via PowerPoint presentation and audio examples from research. If time allows, a live demonstration can be attempted!

This workshop will offer distilled versions of two kinds of text work: Cicely Berry on punctuation and Arthur Lessac on consonants. While the intention is not to minimize these highly helpful practices, it must be acknowledged that, in their full form, they can’t always serve non-actors for various reasons: time constraints, lack of context or former training, not needing to understand a character, etc. I will offer a simplified version of these two forms of text analysis that can be more quickly and easily applied. This workshop is for those who work with non-actors on a short-term basis or with those preparing to deliver a speech.

What makes a good voice for film or television acting? Can the voice or accent actually influence an audition, get you a job? Or is it just “the look?”

In this workshop, we will address these questions using the following guidelines: How to reconcile the infinite process of Fitzmaurice (or any voice methodology) and the much faster pace of film and television? Is speed ever your friend?

How do we integrate our imagination/imaginary circumstances and this present moment of our physiology in a way that ALSO responds to the person in front of us and what we are getting from them?

Learn to warm up your interior and exterior and load the gun for the best take when the director shouts, “Action.” An experiential workshop of Fitzmaurice restructuring with found text.

After a brief warm up of the participants, we will find a piece of text we could have/would have/should have said in the previous few days, then using the elements of Fitzmaurice Restructuring, we will do partner work. Then we move to scripted material provided by the workshop leader and text sourced from the group.

The session will be based upon the research that began in my Graduate studies. Described in the following abstract: Utilizing a qualitative grounded theory research approach, this dissertation explores the experience of the male-identifying drama school student in the voice classroom. It investigates the construction and interpretation of the male-identifying students’ ‘self’ and how the social constraints imposed by hegemonic masculinity affect the expression and voicing of the student. This study grounds itself in the literature surrounding critical consciousness, the construction of masculinity, gender as performance, feminist theory of natural voice, somatic theory of emotion, and the ‘self’ through self-awareness. Data from the collection methods nonparticipant observation, participant observation, interviews of colleagues and students, and critical self-reflection illuminated conscientization as the core category. The subsequent cross-comparison allowed for the emergence of various sub-categories and themes defined in the discovery chapter as the uses of the Linklater progression, the pedagogy and teaching of the Linklater progression, and the teaching environment. From the discovery that the progression aids male-identifying drama school students in a process of conscientization toward healthy masculinity, the dissertation concludes with the limitations of the study and the recommendations for future study. Following, the session will include moments of practical application through various exercises that I have collated to experience aspects of a proposed method.

In K-12 classrooms, a teacher’s voice plays a crucial role in student engagement and comprehension. However, vocal dysfunction—common among educators—can hinder students’ ability to process spoken language. Despite high rates of dysphonia among teachers, vocal training and hygiene are rarely included in U.S. teacher preparation programs. Additionally, a teacher’s ability to convey emotion through voice can directly impact student learning, yet vocal emotional communication is largely absent from pre-service training.

This presentation examines the potential benefits of incorporating the Linklater Voice Method into K-12 teacher education. Participants in this study, all previously trained in the Linklater Voice Method, self-reported increased awareness of their voices. They recognized that this awareness enhanced their ability to use voice as a teaching tool, improving classroom management and fostering stronger emotional connections with students. These effects were also observed in the classroom, highlighting the potential value of voice training in teacher development.

This interactive workshop will explore the intersection of physical awareness and vocal transformation, focusing on the integration of the Alexander Technique and dialect coaching. Taught by a Certified Fitzmaurice Voice Teacher (Ashleigh Reade) and a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher (Harry Hobbs), this workshop will guide two student-actors through the process of using mindful posture to achieve a more authentic and natural-sounding dialect, while also enhancing their ability to embody a character both vocally and physically. This workshop will offer a holistic approach to acting that supports vocal and physical freedom, empowering actors to deliver more dynamic, authentic, and effortless performance.

Participants will leave the workshop with a clearer understanding of how dialect coaching and the Alexander Technique can complement each other to enhance both vocal and physical performance.

Based in the Knight-Thompson Speechwork approach, we will lead participants through an exploration of prosody. Prosody is the musicality of speech. Knight-Thompson Speechwork calls prosody one of the four Ps of accent work along with people, posture, and pronunciation. We’ll begin by introducing the attributes of prosody: pitch, loudness, length, vocal quality, and silence. We will play audio samples for the participants to strengthen our skill of identifying and describing those attributes and how they work together. We will then explore strategies to embody and describe prosody, like drawing or dancing.

The presentation is designed to allow attendees to experience playing with voice while employing an absurdist performance technique. Playing with the idea of absurdism and beauty we explore how our voice and breath, along with technique can awaken and discover beautiful and inspired performance.

This workshop will introduce and practice the techniques of Rodenburg’s Circles of Energy™ using partner work, storytelling, breath and vocal techniques. Facilitators will lead participants through a series of exercises and practice scenarios that address the ways in which presence is gained and/or lost and ways to re-connect to the energy of full presence with your partners or audience using the concept of Circles of Energy™. Participants will physically engage their mind, body, breath and voice in ways that will allow them to powerfully and truthfully connect to the text and the listener with profound presence. An active, movement-filled workshop, this is a full-participation kind of event that is sure to connect you with your co-conference peers in a “GOOD” way!

La voz es un proceso en presente, que sucede en un constante diálogo entre la voz interior y el mundo exterior, siempre en un plano físico. Un proceso que demanda la presencia de aquel que suena. La presencia como Nancy la evoca, cuando habla del “presente viviente”, ese “presente que es el ahora de un sujeto…”
Lo corpóreo de la voz es la presencia de un pensamiento que se corporeiza y se mueve en un espacio.

La presente ponencia propone repensar la idea de voz sin cuerpo, deshumanizada, impersonal, dominada e instrumentalizada por el logocentrismo patriarcal para apuntar hacia una poética de la vocalidad que nutra la pedagogía y la práctica vocal, y contrarrestar los efectos de la descorporización de la voz, a la que ha estado sometida por siglos.

A partir de una lectura de la filósofa feminista Adriana Cavarero, esta ponencia está enmarcada en el diálogo de la pedagogía vocal con el pensamiento
de la obra de Cavarero, y el análisis de algunas ideas de autores provenientes del pensamiento crítico, para entender el proceso del cuerpo y la voz como como fenómeno de vocalidad, para el acontecimiento teatral. Retomaré también las voces de Linklater, Le Bretón, Zumthor, Lenkersdorf, Nancy, y Freire para imaginaruna vía posible para devolverle a la voz su cuerpo, en el sonido de la vibración de una garganta de carne y hueso.

Voice is a process in the present, occurring in a constant dialogue between the inner voice and the outside world, always on a physical level. A process that demands the presence of the one who sounds or speaks. Presence, as Nancy evokes it when he speaks of the “living present,” that “present that is the now of a subject…”
The corporeal nature of the voice is the presence of a thought that becomes embodied and moves in a space.

This presentation proposes rethinking the idea of a disembodied, dehumanized, impersonal voice, dominated and instrumentalized by patriarchal logocentrism, in order to point toward a poetics of vocality that nourishes vocal pedagogy and practice and counteracts the effects of the disembodiment of the voice, to which it has been subjected for centuries. Based on a reading of feminist philosopher Adriana Cavarero, this presentation is framed within the dialogue of vocal pedagogy with Cavarero’s work and the analysis of some ideas from authors from critical thought, in order to understand the process of the body and voice as a phenomenon of vocality for the theatrical performance. I will also revisit the voices of Linklater, Le Bretón, Zumthor, Lenkersdorf, Nancy, and Freire to present a possible way to return the voice to its body, in the sound of the vibration of a flesh-and-blood throat.

In Freeing the Natural Voice, Kristin Linklater writes “…as you…pay attention to your habits of communication, you will find the same pleasurable state of self-awareness that actors develop as an essential part of their craft.”

She implies that – as actors – we have developed a pleasurable state of self-awareness. Not only that, but we are apparently in this state even when paying attention to our dreaded habits. Yet, for many of us, as soon as we become self-aware, judgment begins. “Am I doing it right? Is my voice ‘good’ enough?” We – and our students – begin to focus not on what we are doing, but on what we want (to be “good”).
But, as Moshe Feldenkrais was fond of saying, “you can’t get what you want until you know what you are doing.”

The Feldenkrais Method offers useful strategies for shifting out of judgement into awareness. Gentle movements, explored with curiosity, become a pattern for whole-self action. By treating habits as key components of practical, felt self-knowledge, we create a situation in which the focus shifts from what should be to what is. These ideas from Feldenkrais link closely to Linklater’s examination of the difference between what is “natural” and what is “familiar”. Learning becomes enjoyable puzzle-solving, as we focus away from what’s “wrong” toward identifying potential and possibilities. Furthermore, Kristin’s invitation to “a pleasurable state of self awareness”, reminds us of the importance of pleasure in voice work – a free and healthy voice is experienced as a pleasurable sensation.

In this workshop we’ll share a Linklater Voice Method exploration on free (and pleasurable) breathing and a related Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson on ribs and breathing anatomy. We invite you to spend some time with us exploring and playing in a space where “good” equals “pleasurably self-aware”.

Inspired by New Orleans’ motto, Laissez Les Bons Voix Rouler! this workshop emphasizes proactive approaches to vocal health, empowering performing arts students to maintain strong, resilient voices throughout their careers. A “good voice” is not just beautiful or powerful—it is a sustainable, cared-for instrument that performers can rely on day after day.

This session introduces evidence-based preventative programs tailored to the unique demands of performing artists. Attendees will explore strategies to promote vocal conservation, address harmful habits, and integrate voice care seamlessly into training regimens. By fostering a love for movement and self-awareness, these programs equip performers with the tools to protect their most valuable asset—their voice—before issues arise.

Being asked to locate your breath in your body provokes a myriad of student responses: curiosity, bravery, and diligence as well as boredom, fear, and criticism. Responses of resistance to the work may be what keeps students of voice and speech work from experiencing progress in our classrooms. Often, these adverse responses to the work are rooted in past experiences of trauma that have nothing to do with us or what we aim to teach. While we are likely not therapists, we do wish to see our students succeed. This presentation seeks to inform teachers of voice and other practice-based theatre courses how to recognize adverse student responses as potential resistance to the work, what these responses might be rooted in, and how we can put aside our egos and inner imposters to serve as a guide through moments of resistance. Through trauma-informed methods, we as teachers can make good on our commitment to “letting good voices roll.”

As part of earning my Laban CMA, I explored combining and comparing breathing exercises from my vocal training against two of the Laban Scales, and found that the two groups of students (the voice work group and the Laban group) ended up with very different relationships to space. This had an impact on their final performances. I would like to invite the audience to bring a short piece of text and lead them in the Laban Dimensional and Diagonal Scale paired with guided breathing and movement to see how their relationship to the text is impacted after changing their relationship to space — both internal and external space. I would offer the scales as a potential tool for opening up possibility to a different path to breath awareness that connects the speaker to the external world rather than focusing primarily on internal awareness. The diagonal scale in particular requires a sense of risk-taking and expansion of the self, which can hopefully overcome the inner critic and help create more of a genuine connection to the audience or an illusion of the first time. In a shorter session, I would focus only on a seated version of the diagonal scale. In a longer session, I would explore a dimensional scale, a seated diagonal scale, and a standing diagonal scale, along with partnered work for reflection and feedback.

I’d like to tell my story in 15 minutes, as a source of inspiration for others.
Although I’ve been in singing lessons for 2 decades and have worked as a dialect coach for over a decade, I was never able to access the voice I suspected lived within me. It was trapped in layers of fear, stress, and body dysmorphia. After my divorce several years ago, it was the first time in my life I wasn’t afraid of myself. I experienced a source of power and sexiness that I had never given myself permission to feel. When I had my child the year before that, I got very bad diastasis recti. My abs never grew back together. So I had a surgery to sew them back (they call it a tummy tuck unfortunately!). Due to complications and 4 surgeries later, my abdominal walls were so tight that I could fully push out and my tummy still wouldn’t stick out. I was able to access breath differently than I’d ever been able to in my life. After this release, I realized I the severe extent of the body issues I had since I was a kid. Exploring this newfound breath and space, I began recording myself daily to get to know my voice. It was a whole new frontier. I was so inspired to understand this better from a visceral level I became a professional jazz singer in New Orleans and now do that as my moonlighting job.

A professional actor for two decades, often described as having “a great voice,” I realized two years ago …that I’ve been breathing wrong my whole career! OK, not “wrong,” just inefficiently. Inspired by Catherine Fitzmaurice’s concept of Structured Breath, I created a physical key to better support my outward flow of breath in performance. It has transformed the way I work! Maybe coincidentally, I have booked several excellent acting jobs since I created this key, The Bellybutton Tug …

My daily vocal warm-up revolves around the Kristin Linklater training I received as an undergraduate. That pedagogy has always served me in terms of full-range resonation and emotional accessibility. However, it does not emphasize support, or at least not in a way I find useful.

I know Fitzmaurice and Linklater disagreed about certain aspects of each other’s approach, and I’m not here to get in the middle of that pedagogical fight. Like any artist who has made a livelihood out of their craft, I have grafted together various technical influences. In the area of voice, I have found that Linklater’s resonance can live alongside Fitzmaurice’s Structured Breath in harmony.

The Tug has ended a long history of “gulping,” sucking in huge breaths and praying I don’t run out of air before the end of the line (or my thought). It allows for economy of flow, only taking in the breath required for the next thought. That paves the way for less emotional stress, clarity of storytelling, and more focused performance.

After a warm up, we’ll be trying on different positions of the vocal folds and different shapes of the larynx to create a range of stylized voices.

The workshop will deal with improvisation and devising scenes based on intention, play and vocal production. Attendees will create devised works where we will explore what “beautiful sounds” with “ugly intentions” and “Ugly” sounds driven by “beautiful” intentions demystify our standards of beautiful and ugly in the world of performance.

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore the world of props and tools used by voice practitioners to promote “Good Voices”. We will focus on how specific tools like yoga balls, foot wakers, meditation pillows, foam rollers, and many other props can enhance awareness, provide support, and facilitate relaxation in vocal musculature.

This workshop is not a comprehensive overview of every prop on the market. Instead, it offers a practical introduction to a selection of effective tools, empowering participants to incorporate them into their own voice practice or teaching. By the end of the session, attendees will have gained firsthand experience with multiple tools and a deeper understanding of how they can support a more embodied and kinesthetically aware vocal practice.

In our research, we propose viewing the voice not merely as an expression of the inner self but as fundamentally responsive to others. From an interactional linguistics perspective, the voice serves a crucial role in social interaction, with prosody—the rhythm, pitch, and musicality of speech—being a key component of effective or “good” communication.

Prosody has the power to transform the outcome of a conversation, yet it often presents a unique challenge for actors. In natural conversation, prosody emerges spontaneously, shaped by the ebb and flow of real-time interaction. Actors, however, navigate a scripted world where both their lines and their scene partner’s responses are predetermined. This contrast between natural responsiveness and the structured environment of performance can create barriers to vocal authenticity.

In this workshop, we explore ways to bridge that gap. Drawing from real-life conversational examples curated by Beatrice Szczepek Reed, we will analyze how prosody functions in spontaneous speech. Through guided discussion and practical exercises led by Anne Whitaker, participants will engage in techniques designed to unlock their natural responsiveness, helping them cultivate voices that are not only expressive but deeply attuned to the dynamics of interaction.

This 60-minute workshop invites participants to reconsider what it means to have a “good” voice—one that is not simply beautiful, powerful, or well-trained, but one that listens, adapts, and responds in the moment.

This interactive workshop honors American poet Nikki Giovanni’s legacy through an exploration of embodied poetry, image, and applied theatre techniques. Participants will step into her words, experiencing poetry not just as text but as movement, breath, and collective expression. What do her words do in your body? How does her voice move us through space? Together, we will let her poetry settle within us, shaping our physical and vocal landscapes as we celebrate her enduring impact.

By centering Giovanni’s voice through her poetry, we create a space for catharsis, empathy, and artistic activism. This workshop is both a tribute and a participatory act of resistance, honoring poetry as a vessel for cultural expression and political narrative. We will examine the intersection of voice, identity, and resilience, exploring the nuances between an “authentic” and a “performed” voice, particularly for marginalized communities. This distinction is neither fixed nor binary. How do we reclaim the full range of our voices, resisting the pressure to conform while embracing performance as a tool for agency?

As Giovanni states, “If you don’t understand yourself, you don’t understand anybody else.” Open to all who wish to explore the power of poetry beyond the page, this session invites participants to celebrate the spirit of individual and collective voice.

Through a dynamic blend of performance techniques, we will explore:

• Voice Pedagogy: Drawing from diverse voice performance pedagogies, we will explore how vocal expressivity enhances the emotional depth and resonance of spoken poetry, both individually and within a group..
• Time and Spatial Awareness: How can we use tempo, levels, and shape to create a “living embodiment” of Giovanni’s poetry?
• Image Theatre: Using still images to explore the relationships, emotions, and social narratives embedded in her work

My presentation takes the film The Brutalist as a case study of the state of the art and science of accent modification and voice synthesis that is possible with AI speech tools. The paper will:

Summarize and contextualize the use of AI for language in the film
Contextualize AI for accent modification historically and within the current landscape of digital technology in film more broadly
Demonstrate how accent modification technology works and its current commercial applications
Advocate for both acceptance of the new possibilities and make arguments for “the old way”
Point to research from other fields and new research opportunities
Most importantly, raise questions for our field
At this point in the evolution of the paper, I do argue that we need to remain objective about the artistic positives of the technology even as we use our voices as experts to advocate for performers engaging in traditional research and skill acquisition for accent roles.

I anticipate the questions for the field appealing to ArtsCore, Bizcore, and EduCore. The presentation will allow time for discussion of questions such as:

Research studies: McGurk effect with AI accent conversion
Pedagogical research: How to integrate AI tools in training
Industry surveys: Producer/director attitudes toward AI accent work
Comparative studies: “Old way” vs. AI-assisted outcomes
Ethical frameworks: Professional standards for AI use

This is a question we ask and workshop in the Knight-Thompson Speechwork Teacher Certification Program, and we feel it’s a useful conversation for our larger community of voice and speech trainers. KTS Master Teachers Andrea Caban (UCSD), Nathan Crocker (Old Globe), and Julie Foh (Yale) are joined by recent KTS Certified Teacher Natalie Blackman (UNC Greensboro), to discuss perspectives on this pedagogical problem, how it was born out in our most recent KTS cert, and how we personally approach this challenge at our respective institutions. We will discuss consent-based techniques that allow the actor to define the form of their ideal coaching support.

Is there a healthy, repeatable way to create emotionally-rich, vocally-vibrant performances without relying on psychological techniques (aka “Let the Good Voices Roll”)? This question led me to pursue training in the Alba Method and research on emotion-targeted rituals over two decades ago.

The Alba Method is a somatic approach that helps individuals recognize, induce, express, and regulate emotions through breathing, postural, and facial patterns—without relying on emotion memory or psychological techniques. While not an acting methodology or therapy, it offers valuable skills for actors, coaches, teachers, therapists, body workers, and many other professionals, complementing a wide variety of acting methods and psychotherapeutic practices.

This workshop offers introductory exercises and information about the Alba Method, my research on rituals, and my integration of voice work, such as Fitzmaurice Voicework Destructuring, into emotion-targeted training. I will demonstrate how rituals can be developed and applied in classroom and studio settings, and participants will engage in a physical ritual designed to help individuals transition in and out of emotionally-charged creative processes at will.

No previous exposure to the Alba Method is required, and all are welcome.

This uplifting and interactive workshop offers attendees real life, immediate actionable tools to help their female and female identifying clients step into their voices with confidence, clarity, and joy. Full of engaging discussions, practical exercises, and inspiring storytelling we’ll uncover the unique challenges women face when speaking, personally and professionally, as well as how gender affects both how we speak (to ourselves and others) and how we’re heard. Then we’ll explore ways to support clients in finding their authentic voice, recognizing that voice as ‘good’, and using that voice fearlessly.

Since 2017, our team members have worked together to chart new paths in quantitatively measuring cultural and community attitudes toward dementia by positioning performance as a vehicle for social change. The team’s work resulted in the development of a project that used live performance (original dance, scripted theatre based on interviews with dementia patients and their caretakers, and short form comedy improvisation) as a mechanism to facilitate awareness of and reduce sociocultural stigma about marginalized populations.

The project’s success is evidenced in the analysis of survey data gathered from two groups: individual audience members who have viewed the performance model and control groups made up of individuals who have not. Survey results (based on over 600 individual responses) indicate potentially significant findings from the live performance.

Should the film present the same or similar findings, this would be a potentially exciting pathway for future exploration in using applied performance as a vehicle used to convey risks of diseases in a way that mitigates the typical increases in stigma that can occur with greater awareness. This could also be uniquely informative as to how myriad and multi-tiered creative voices (audience and professionals, alike) are necessary to further health knowledge and manageability. The project was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

In the context of the conference theme of ‘good voice’, the idea of the ‘free voice’ will be discussed in terms of voice work. The effect of different voice qualities will be explored, and the way that words themselves can affect reader, speaker or listener. The talk will include research and references from psychology, neuroscience, literature and poetry, and will suggest how as voice practitioners, we harness the benevolent power of voice and words in different ways. A workshop, linked to these themes, offers the opportunity for participants to explore some of the ideas in practice.

Building on the success of the Early Career Sundowner at the Melbourne Symposium, this event offers early career members a relaxed and welcoming opportunity to connect, share knowledge, and build professional relationships. The event will feature an informal social setting with drinks and light snacks, creating a space for emerging voice professionals to meet and mingle with a quiz and prizes (previously we had books donated by VASTA authors and will attempt this again). We will be applying for a Networking grant to support a bar tab and some prizes for this event.