BEHIND THE SCENES

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RECENT PRODUCTIONS

2024: SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY
"Julia" - Australian national tour
Theatres: Melbourne Theatre Company, Canberra Theatre Centre, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Sydney Opera House

It's such a pleasure to return as the Dialect & Voice Coach for Sydney Theatre Company's play Julia by Joanna Murray Smith.

Starring wonderful Justine Clarke in this iconic story and role, it delves into the events that lead up and fuelled to former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's now famous "misogyny speech".

A show like this asks Justine to master Julia's highly recognisable voice and accent, and voice multiple other characters including Julia's Welsh parents, a Welsh coal miner, her Adelaide neighbours, varying journalists, radio shock jocks and three former Australian Prime Ministers.

It's an athletic feat in a play where Justine is onstage for 90 minutes, shapeshifting vocally and physically before the audience's eyes with little more than her voice, body and some simple costume changes. It's a true joy to watch and leaves audiences giving her an immediate standing ovation at the end.

Our tour is 5 months and this year we have understudy extraordinaire Caroline Craig as part of the team, training with me to be match fit ready at any moment.

Catch a glimpse of the trailer below from Melbourne Theatre Company's YouTube channel:

FROM THE ARCHIVES

BEHIND THE SCENES: STATELESS
Co-produced/created by Cate Blanchett

READ BLOG POST

THE ARCHIVES

MARCH 2024: THEATRE COACHING - WEST SIDE STORY

Date: 16 March 2024

It's lovely to return as Dialect Coach for Opera Australia's 2024 season of West Side Story being performed on Sydney Harbour.

It's my sixth time coaching this gorgeous classic musical ... and my third coaching it for Opera Australia. I worked on their 2019 season on Sydney Harbour, as well as their international touring production.

Enjoy the spectacular trailer below!

AUG 2023: THEATRE COACHING - ON THE BEACH (SYDNEY THEATRE CO.)

Date: 15 August 2023

I've just wrapped up as the Voice & Dialect Coach for Sydney Theatre Company's epic play On The Beach directed by STC's Artistic Director Kip Williams and adapted for the stage by Tommy Murphy, after Nevil Shute's classic novel.

A joy to work with Kip again on our 4th production together, and such a delight to work alongside Tommy for the first time ... even though we've known each other for 20 years!

The cast included Tai Hara, Contessa Treffone, Ben O'Toole, Michelle Lim Davidson, Matthew Backer, Tony Cogin, Emma Diaz, Vanessa Downing, Elijah Williams and Alan Zhu ... many who I've worked with before and some who I taught at NIDA.

On The Beach opened 22 July and played at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney.

READ MORE: JULIA (2023)

DEC 2022: THEATRE COACHING - RBG: OF MANY, ONE (SYDNEY THEATRE CO.)

Date: 20 December 2022

I'm wrapping up an excellent year coaching for Sydney Theatre Company with an incredible production ... that's now become my favourite in all my years of coaching.

For the last few months, I've been Dialect & Voice Coach on RBG: Of Many, One directed by Priscilla Jackman and written by playwright/lawyer Suzie Miller and starring the formidable Heather Mitchell in a tour-de-force role.

A one-woman play with Heather as late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it's a portrait of one incredible woman who changed history, the law and the lives of women.

Not only does Heather play RBG from 13 to 87 years, but she also plays 30 characters in total, each with their own voice/dialect ... including RBG's family, her husband, law professors, Supreme Court Justice colleagues and former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Trump.

It's an incredible joy and honour to coach Heather, and a true privilege to tell the story of the brilliant and notorious RBG.

The show opened on 3 November and is sold out until we close on 23 December 2022.

NOV 2022: film COACHING - seriously red

Date: 26 November 2022

In 2020 and 2021, I had the pleasure of coaching the wonderful Krew Boylan for her lead role in the film "Seriously Red".

Not only was Krew to play the lead, but she also wrote the script and it was being produced by her production company Dollhouse Pictures (founded by Krew, Rose Byrne, Shannon Murphy, Jessica Carrera and the film's director Gracie Otto).

Krew plays Red, an Australian real estate agent who wants to escape her 9 to 5 job and becomes a Dolly Parton impersonator.

My role was as Dialect Coach to Krew for her Dolly Parton voice, accent ... and even the way Dolly laughs!

An added joy is the film has full support from Dolly Parton herself and is filled with her songs.

Check out the trailer below and the film's just opened in Australia!

IMDB: SERIOUSLY RED

SEPTEMBER 2022: TELEVISION COACHING - BALI 2002

Date: 28 September 2022

Earlier this year, I had the honour of coaching on the TV series Bali 2002 which is now airing on Stan.

It's the true story of the everyday heroes from Bali, Australia and beyond who tried to bring order, hope and healing out of the chaos and senseless attacks in 2002.
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I was dialect coach to Rachel Griffiths in her role as Dr Fiona Wood - burns skin specialist, surgeon and 2005 Australian of the Year. Her revolutionary spray-on skin helped so many of the attack survivors.

And now to her dialect ...
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Fiona is Yorkshire-born, London-trained and at the time of the attacks, she'd been living in Australia for 15 years. So her voice is 3 dialects in one! All blended with her humility, warmth of personality and medical brilliance. No pressure, right?!
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It's one of the toughest real dialects and voices I've ever had to coach ... constantly and delicately dancing from Yorkshire to London to Australian sound patterns and back again.
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But I loved researching and learning her unique voice. And I loved coaching Rachel in the role. We worked really hard to get it right and to honour Fiona's true self and sounds with specificity and authenticity.
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The end results are always out of the hands of a dialect coach ... due to direction, script changes, shooting and post-production editing decisions. So my hope is that it's turned out as honourably as the input undertaken.
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Here's to all the heroes who helped heal and save lives during those horrific events and beyond, particularly Dr Fiona Wood.

IMDB: BALI 2002

JULY TO OCTOBER 2022: THEATRE COACHING - a raisin in the sun (STC)

Date: 23 Sept 2022

I'm back at Sydney Theatre Company coaching another two plays for them - after having just wrapped two others for the company.

The first is A Raisin In The Sun directed by the formidable Wesley Enoch. This iconic and towering American play tells the story of the Younger family in 1950s Chicago as they search for a happier life, freedom from racism, poverty and segregation, and a new home "with a whole lotta sunlight".

My role is as Voice Coach and I'm supporting the child and adult cast with their voice and text work.

The show opened on 1 September to rave reviews and we're running through to mid October.

Such a pleasure to coach this cast and with Wesley.

Photo credit: STC

READ MORE: A RAISIN IN THE SUN

MAY/JUNE 2022: THEATRE COACHING - 2 plays for SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY

Date: 30 June 2022

It's been a pleasure to be back coaching for Sydney Theatre Company for the past two months. I've just wrapped coaching another two plays for them - my fifth and sixth for the company.

I was the Voice & Text Coach on The Tenant of Wildfell Hall directed by Jessica Arthur - an adaptation of Anne Brontë's novel by Emme Hoy. I was also the Voice & Dialect Coach on Top Coat directed by Courtney Stewart - a new play by Michelle Law.

Wonderful to work with such brilliant female directors and playwrights - and our exceptional and diverse casts!

Photo credits: STC

APRIL 2022: TELEVISION COACHING - BALI 2002

Date: 10 May 2022

It's been a joy to recently coach one of the leads for the upcoming TV series Bali 2002 for 9Network and Stan.

The production looks at the tragic Bali bombings and the heroes from all over the world who helped bring order, hope and healing.

It's currently filming so I can't share more than that. Here's the link to the show's IMDB page for further public details.

Photo credit: Stan/Endemol Shine Australia

IMDB: BALI 2002

JAN/FEB 2022: THEATRE COACHING - GIRLS & BOYS (State Theatre co of S.A)

Date: 28 February 2022

It's been a real joy to recently coach my first play for State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA) ... Dennis Kelly's Girls & Boys.

I've been a fan of his writing since I coached a production of his play DNA here in Sydney a few years ago.

Directed by STCSA's Artistic Director, my friend Mitchell Butel and starring the wonderful Justine Clarke, Girls & Boys is a breathtakingly powerful one-woman play for these times!

In a nearly 2 hour monologue, Justine leads the audience through a gripping, thrilling and chilling tale of a woman's journey through love, children, marriage challenges and the horror of domestic violence.

Limelight Magazine's review states:

Justine Clarke as Woman is utterly remarkable. As the lone actor, she conveys myriad characters with fluid ingenuity, conveying the opening mischievous and vulgar banter in a style that is almost that of a standup comedian. The consummate precision with which she delivers her accent, gesticulates and mimes, lends much to the quality of this production, but it is the matchless rarity of her eye locking us into engagement, her varied timbre and seemingly endless varieties of expression, that elevate this to a performance of an extraordinarily special nature.

https://limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/girls-boys-state-theatre-company-south-australia-adelaide-festival/

Photo credit: headshot - Shanahan Management

JAN 2022: film COACHING - GOLD

Date: 26 January 2022

In 2021, I had the pleasure of coaching on three feature films and one of those was "Gold" for director Anthony Hayes.

I've always been a fan on Anthony's extensive body of work so it was a pleasure to step in to post-production and be his dialect coach for ADR (that's the re-voicing component during a film's editing phase).

The movie's a gritty apocalyptic thriller about greed and the extremes people will go for it. You can catch it from today on Stan.

Director/co-writer: Anthony Hayes
Cast: Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter
Photo credit: MattNettheim/Ian Routledge

IMDB: GOLD

SEPT 2021: film COACHING - CARMEN

Date: 25 September 2021

My third film for 2021 has been the upcoming feature film Carmen directed by Benjamin Millepied and produced by Goalpost Pictures, my 3rd movie for the Goalpost team.

Benjamin's known worldwide for his exceptional work as ballet choreographer on Black Swan and this new film is a modern-day reimagining of the opera Carmen.

I started coaching pre-production in January and had the pleasure of coaching lead Melissa Barrera as Carmen and other cast members when the film started shooting. I then jumped back on board in August and have just wrapped up coaching the post-production ADR with our phenomenal team located all over the world.

Another job that's been a real joy from start to wrap! Can't wait to see the final director's cut when it's released.

Photo credit: Ben King/Goalpost Pictures

IMDB: CARMEN

FEB 2021: film COACHING - mortal kombat

Date: 26 February 2021

From November 2020 to January 2021, I worked as the Voice & Dialect Coach (post-production) for Warner Bros' upcoming martial arts fantasy epic "Mortal Kombat".

My first project in this genre, the team were absolutely wonderful to work with and I'm thrilled with the results we achieved.

The movie's being released in April 2021 and I think fans of the video game franchise are in for a thrill!

Photo credit: Warner Bros Pictures

IMDB: MORTAL KOMBAT

2019-2020: TV SERIES COACHING - STATELESS FOR cate blanchett/netflix

In 2019, I had the honour of being the Dialect Coach on Stateless, the six part television drama series co-produced/created by Cate Blanchett on the Australian immigration detention system.

I've compiled some of my blog posts onto one page for those of you who are fans of the show. Visit the Stateless page for:

Creating The Dialect for Yvonne Strahovski
Testimonial from Yvonne Strahovski
List of Awards

Photo credit: Ben King

VISIT STATELESS BLOGS PAGE

IMDB: STATELESS

APRIL 2020: film COACHING - I AM WOMAN

Date: 16 April 2020

In October 2018, I'd just wrapped ADR work on the animated film "Wonder Park" for Paramount Pictures when I was contacted by Goalpost Pictures.

They asked if I would be the Dialect Coach on their upcoming film that was about to shoot in Sydney. And as soon as I heard the synopsis, it was a heartfelt YES!

The film was I Am Woman directed by Unjoo Moon and is the story of Australian singer Helen Reddy.

In 1966, Helen landed in New York with her three-year-old daughter, a suitcase and $230 in her pocket.

Within weeks she was broke.

Within months she was in love.

Within five years she was one of the biggest superstars of her time.

An icon of the 1970s feminist movement, she wrote the Grammy Award-winning song I Am Woman which galvanised a generation of women to fight for change and has become an anthem for women's equality. This is her story.

Look out for I Am Woman on Stan. It's a film I'm very proud to have been a part of.

Photo credit: Goalpost Pictures/Stan

IMDB: I AM WOMAN

FEB 2020: THEATRE COACHING - BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Date: 12 February 2020

Some shows come along as a Dialect Coach that are a beautiful gift from start to finish.

Today I started work as Dialect Consultant for the musical "The Bridges of Madison County" at the Hayes Theatre Company here in Sydney.

My dear friend Neil Gooding is directing and co-producing with Matthew Henderson.

Neil and I have known each other for 20 years since I acted in the first show of his production company back in 2000. It was the Stephen Sondheim musical "Assassins" and I played Sara Jane Moore, alongside my actor friends James Millar and Luke Joslin.

Since then I've been the Dialect Coach on every show Neil has directed and/or produced so "The Bridges of Madison County" is a beautiful one to celebrate our 20th year of friendship and collaborations.

Not only that, this cast is filled with many exquisite musical theatre actors who I've known for a long time, performed with, trained at drama school with, coached in other productions, and one of them I taught when she was at drama school.

Such a gift to guide them all through the dialects of Iowa, Texas and Italy ... and to ride out to the Roseman Bridge with Robert and Francesca!

Catch the show at the Hayes Theatre from 11 March 2020 for 5 weeks. I can guarantee you'll cheer on the talents of Kate Maree Hoolihan, Ian Stenlake, Anton Berezin, Beth Daly, Michael Beckley, Katie McKee, Zoe Ioannou and Grady Swithenbank.

Photo credit: Neil Gooding Productions/Matthew Management/Hayes Theatre Company

SEPT 2019: THEATRE COACHING - CHICAGO

Date: 25 September 2019

I've just wrapped a lovely couple of months coaching the cast and understudies on the musical Chicago at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. The team includes Alinta Chidzey as Velma Kelly, Casey Donovan as Mama Morton and Tom Burlinson as Billy Flynn.

It's exactly 10 years since I coached the last production in Sydney- that time starring Caroline O'Connor as Velma and Sharon Millerchip as Roxie Hart, and again produced by Gordon Frost Organisation.

A joy to work on the show again!

Photo credit: Crossroads Live/Gordon Frost Organisation

Photo credits: as listed per production. Explore More banners: Solomon and Marion: MTC. Yvonne Strahovski in Stateless: Ben King.

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JENNIFER WHITE

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