The Accent Handbook: A Practical Guide to Learning Accents

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Need to learn an accent for an audition Got the part but cant master all the sounds Fancy increasing your repertoire This practical handbook offers a digestible, flexible and contemporary way of learning a range of accents that have historically been overlooked within actor training but are vital and increasingly in demand in the industry. The authors bring their experience of conservatoire-teaching as well as working with the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Armie Hammer, Lily James and Kristen Scott-Thomas, to bring you closer to an extensive range of accents including those from across the UK (Geordie, Scouse, Cockney, for instance); throughout Europe, the Americas and Caribbean; and reaching into Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. Split into 4 clear sections, the book provides a plethora of visual, aural, physical and textual exercises to help investigate the facts, practise the sounds and rhythms and, crucially, get performance-ready. With the accents grouped into 'families' according to their common features, The Accent Handbook - while comprehensive - is designed to be easy to navigate. Its pick n mix format allows for a dip-in-and-out approach, while the underlying structure offers a cohesive progression to ensure no stone is left unturned. Without using phonetics as so many resources in this field do, this book encourages experimentation and freedom, asking you to become a detective of accent sounds, rather than viewing them as fixed entities. With audio and video resources integrated throughout, and a wealth of practical exercises suitable for all learning styles and needs, this book provides many ways in and encourages the reader to find out what works for them, thereby taking ownership of their own accent-learning process. The Accent Handbook is the most contemporary and inclusive guide to accents on the market.

Author Bio

Lottie Williams-Burrell is Joint Head of Voice at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Having trained as an actor, she completed her Masters in Voice at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She moved to Italy to set up an English-speaking theatre company where she taught English as a foreign language. A keen linguist, she is an expert on working with accents in English from foreign languages. She is an accent and dialect coach most recently working on Betrayal starring Tom Hiddleston at London's Harold Pinter Theatre before its transfer to Broadway. Jessica Hammett is Senior Voice Tutor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and an accent and dialect coach working across theatre, TV and film. She recently completed filming on Rebecca produced by Working Title and Netflix working with Armie Hammer, Lily James and Kristen Scott-Thomas, as well as His Dark Materials working with Terence Stamp. She read English at Oxford University and gained her Masters at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.