DON’T MISS THISSPECIAL PAY WHAT YOU CAN WORKSHOP! Taught by Christine Adaire and Zoe Chen
DATE:Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) LOCATION: The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, 39 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011
The purpose of this workshop is to help trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) actors find a voice that they feel expressive, affirmed, and safe in.
This workshop utilizes the Linklater Voice Method and speech-language pathology to help TGNC individuals:
Develop a voice that feels affirming to their gender,
Access the emotional depth, flexibility, and connection necessary for performance, and
Maintain healthy voices even in the demanding environment of an 8-show week or a 12-hour shoot.
Participants will explore masculine/feminine coded speech characteristics through pitch, resonance, prosody, and imagery.
Please come prepared with a memorized monologue, movement clothes, and a notebook.
Zoe Chen (she/her) is a transgender actress, writer, educator, and activist. Zoe attended the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) where she received an MFA in Acting with a Citizen Artist Concentration for her work in A.C.T. ‘s education programs. As an actress and a playwright, Zoe creates work that centers Asian-American and transgender narratives. Zoe has 10+ years’ experience as an educator, teaching various subjects to diverse populations. After 5 years of studying Linklater Voice Method pedagogy, Zoe became the first and only transgender person to become a Designated Linklater Teacher. She currently teaches voice at several schools across New York City and teaches private lessons and workshops for transgender actors and teachers both online and in person.
Christine Adaire is a Designated Master Linklater Voice Teacher, trained by the world renowned voice teacher Kristin Linklater. She has worked as an actor, voice coach, and director in many American regional theaters, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the Guthrie Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Court Theatre, American Players Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Shakespeare & Company. She coached the dialects for replacements of the Broadway production and first national tour of Mary Poppins. She has worked as the Head of Voice at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, teaching in their MFA Theater program and working as a voice coach on their mainstage shows. She also taught at DePaul University, National Theatre School of Canada, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Roosevelt University, and has taught workshops in Shanghai, Barcelona, London, Australia, New Zealand, and Birmingham, England.
A Two-Day Online Course for Voice Teachers and Actor Training Professionals
Led byChristine Adaire, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher with Zoe Chen, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher
When: Saturday & Sunday, October 21 & 22, 2023 (4 hours each day) 9 am – 1 pm PST/11am -3 pm (CST)/ 12 pm – 4 pm (EST)
Where: Online – A Zoom link will be sent to registered students the day before the class.
Prices: The full price is $250. If you register before September 30 or if you are a member of VASTA, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, PAVA, or DLT, the price is $200. Sliding scale prices are available for members of the trans/gender non-conforming community upon request.
To Register: Click here to Register (A deposit of $100 is required to reserve your space.)
Description: This 2-day online workshop will focus on practice and application. Unlike Christine and Zoe’s previous workshops which have focused on a general overview of gender sensitivity in voice pedagogy, this workshop will focus on practicing and applying specific gender-affirming voice exercises. At the end of this workshop, participants will be equipped to bring these exercises into their classrooms and rehearsal rooms. We will make some space for discussions about concepts and terminology related to transgender people, but a baseline understanding of those topics is suggested. A basic information packet about gender/ gender diversity, such as terminology, will be provided to participants before the workshop.
Participants will need to have 10-15 lines of text from a play (Classical or Contemporary) that they know by heart.
Here is what we will cover:
Current terminology
Evolving needs of actors in the gender spectrum
Voice and Identity
Pitch, Resonance and Intonation Training
Feminine/ Masculine Coded Characteristics
Prosody
Gender Nuances of Language/ Speech
Non Verbal Communication
Activating the Imagination and working with image in order to transform
Acting exercises reimagined for gender exploration
About the Teachers
Christine Adaire
Christine Adaire (she/her) Christine Adaire is a cisgender female. She was Head of Voice of the MFA program at American Conservatory Theatre, until it closed in June 2022. She is a Designated Linklater Teacher and is a Teacher Trainer for Linklater Designation. She has worked in regional theatre as a voice/dialect coach, actor and director for over 35 years. She’s taught workshops in London, Barcelona, Shanghai, New Zealand and Birmingham, England. Christine is a contributing writer to Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/ Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, ed Adler, Hirsch and Pickering (Plural Publishing, 3rd Edition, 2019.)
Zoe Chen
Zoe Chen (she/her) Zoe Chen is a transgender actress, writer, educator, and activist. Zoe attended The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) where she received an MFA in Acting with a Citizen Artist Concentration for her work in A.C.T. ‘s education programs. As an actress and a playwright, Zoe creates work that centers Asian-American and transgender narratives. Zoe has 10+ year’s experience as an educator, teaching various subjects to diverse populations. After 5 years of studying Linklater Voice Method pedagogy, Zoe became the first and only transgender person to become a Designated Linklater Teacher. She currently teaches voice at The New York Film Academy and teaches private lessons and workshops for transgender actors and teachers.
Praise for Previous Gender- Affirming Workshops
Christine Adaire is a gifted and deeply knowledgeable teacher whose expertise and humanity combine not only to educate but to uplift participants in her workshop. She brings herself fully and openly into the space, and infuses the work with care, specificity, and warmth. This Gender Affirming workshop was such a gift, increasing my awareness of how I can support and advocate for people our LGBTQ+ community and giving me tools and language to strengthen my allyship. Christine Adaire is a bright, golden, radiant, profound teacher. What a privilege to learn and grow from her wisdom and presence.
– Amelia Broome Chair of Performing Arts, Emerson College
Christine Adaire and Zoe Chen’s gender affirming workshop is a detailed and deep dive into evolving practices in the field and a reframing of traditional methods. The voice is centered as an integral aspect of identity, and the most up-to-date terminology and language are framed as essential to the specificity of thought required to guide voices towards liberating, expressive, authentic, and just ends.I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough to voice practitioners as a springboard for voice training and development for any and all gender identities.
– Christine Hamel Assistant Professor of Voice & Speech and Acting, Boston University School of Theatre Co-Author of Sounding Bodies: Identity, Injustice and the Voice
Christine Adaire’s Gender Affirming Voice Workshop was engaging, insightful, and incredibly informative. By the end of the two-day workshop, I learned practical exercises in working with the Trans community on vocal flexibility, resonance, pitch, and range. Not to be overlooked by the exercises was the extraordinary humanity and embracing nature of Christine and her co-leader, Zoe. I encourage voice practitioners not to miss an opportunity to experience this new dynamic area of voice work.
– Brennan Murphy Associate Teaching Professor, Seattle University
Christine’s work exploring identity through the voice inspired me. I am a college professor and many of my students are questioning, exploring, and looking for affirmation around their identities. After working with Christine, I feel equipped and inspired to make my voice classes more inclusive laboratories for experimentation and exploration for all my students. Christine’s many years experience in the field of gender affirmation and voice has given her a varied and proven tool belt for exploring identity.
– Mary Mayo Associate Professor of Instruction, Voice, University of Iowa
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn or deepen your experience of the Linklater Voice Method Taught by two of the leading Designated Linklater Teachers Christine Adaire and Kimberly White
When: Thursday, February 16, 6:30-9pm; Friday, February 17, 6:30-10pm; Saturday, February 18 10 – 6pm Where: French American International School, 150 Oak St. San Francisco Cost: $275 ($225/students & Early Registration before Feb 6) $100 deposit upon registration to reserve your space. To Register: Click here to Register To Pay with PayPal:PayPal.Me/ChristineAdaire Have Questions? Contact Christine Adaire
This workshop is for actors, public speakers, lawyers, story-tellers, poets, business professionals, teachers, or anyone who wants to speak with more Expression, Clarity, Range and Power.
Through physical and vocal exercises, you will learn and practice ways to:
Identify and release inhibiting habits of tension in the body.
Increase awareness and freedom in the breath.
Experience voice in the body.
Expand and develop resonance and range.
Speak with personal connection and authority using a text of your choice.
About the Teachers
Christine Adaire (she, her, hers) Christine Adaire is the former Head of Voice at American Conservatory Theater. She is an actor, voice/dialect coach, actor & director. Credits include: the Guthrie, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare & Co. Her current area of interest is gender-affirming voice. She works with transgender/gender diverse individuals, helping them to inhabit the voice that expresses their gender identity.
Kimberly White (she, her, hers) In her over 25 years of leading vocal workshops, Kimberly White’s credits include actor and voice/text coach at Seattle Shakespeare Company & Maryland, Prague, & Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals. She is faculty at Shakespeare & Co. Internationally she has worked in S Korea the Czech Republic, Mexico & Scotland. Kimberly works extensively with trial lawyers, advocates and women. She is adjunct faculty at Seattle University.
Prerequisites: PARTICIPANTS MUST BE COMMITTED TO ATTENDING THE FULL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE. You have the desire and curiosity to explore the possibilities of your voice. No previous Linklater Voice training is necessary. You need to be fluent enough in English to follow Christine’s instructions.
Introductory Linklater Voice Technique introduces you to the full progression of the Kristin Linklater Voice method. You will gain an understanding of the exercises and vocabulary that we know as the Linklater Voice method. Our workshops are open to all and this is your starting point if you have not participated in any Linklater Voice workshops before or if it has been some time and you’d like a refresher. There are no prerequisites for this workshop just an interest in voice and what Linklater Voice can do for you.
Content The workshop begins with exercises designed to awaken a sensory and imagistic relationship with your voice. The progression of exercises begins with physical awareness (locating tension and releasing it), awareness of breath, experiencing sound in the body, and releasing tension in the throat, the jaw, the tongue and the soft palate. The second half of the progression is focused on strengthening and developing the voice. You will explore the resonating cavities in your chest, mouth and teeth. You will expand your breath capacity to explore your higher resonators: sinus, nasal and skull. Articulation is the last part of the progression which will enable you to explore a free connection between your thoughts, your feelings and your voice.
The objective of the voice work is a voice that is in direct contact with emotional impulse, shaped by the intellect but not restricted by it. As we work with releasing the voice through the body, we will work viscerally with language and text, transforming communication and awakening interpretive skills. These exercises include adapted physical movements from many somatic disciplines, including floor relaxation, dropping down the spine, arm swings and other physical activities. All of these can be adjusted to individual physical needs.
What Do I Need: Space: enough floor space to stretch your arms and legs out, whether on the floor or whilst standing. Loose comfortable clothing suitable for physical exercise: No belts. No jeans. Bring a Poem that You Have Learned by Heart: Choose a poem (no more than 14 lines) that has a particular meaning for you. Something that you need to speak right now. It can be a cutting of a longer poem. If English is not your first language, the text can be in whatever language you prefer. You will be asked to upload a copy of your text and an English translation (if applicable) at least 14 days before the workshop start date via the additional pack which will be sent out from our information platform. Please have this ready to upload as a pdf and a copy can always be sent to booking@linklatervoice.com.
Format: The 18-hour workshop runs 7 hours per day – Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11, 12, 13 November 2022. One session per day, with a one-hour break for lunch. Any additional comfort breaks will be agreed upon within the workshop:
Designated Linklater Teacher: Christine Adaire has been a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher since 1987 and a founding member of KLVC. She has worked as an actor, voice/dialect coach, and director in many American regional theatres, including The Old Globe, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, the Goodman Theatre, Lyric Opera (Chicago), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, Theatre for a New Audience (NYC), Santa Cruz Shakespeare and La Jolla Playhouse. She is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association for over forty years.
Christine was most recently Head of Voice at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has held faculty appointments at DePaul University, National Theatre School of Canada (Montreal), University of Massachusetts–Amherst, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Roosevelt University. Her international teaching credits include classes and workshops for Shanghai Theatre Academy (China), Toi Whakaari (National Theatre School of New Zealand), King’s College in collaboration with the Old Vic Theatre (London), Institut del Theatre and Escuela Eolia (Barcelona), Teatro Guindelero (Madrid), Birmingham City University – School of Acting (Birmingham, U.K.).
Her current area of research and writing is Gender Affirming Voice. She works with transgender/gender diverse individuals so they can discover the voice that most fully expresses who they are. She is a contributing writer to the 3rd Edition (2019) Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/ Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, (Plural Publishing).
This workshop will give teachers terminology and tools to help trans and other students find authentic gender-affirming voices. Christine Adaire will be joined by Zoe Chen and Oliver Rotunno. Zoe is a 3rd Year Student in A.C.T.’s MFA Program. She is a transgender woman of Taiwanese/Japanese descent. Oliver is a transgender man. He is an actor, singer and writer who resides in Los Angeles.
Christine Adaire is Head of Voice at American Conservatory Theatre. She has worked as a voice/dialect coach, actor and director for over 30 years in regional theatre. She’s taught workshops in London, Barcelona, Shanghai, New Zealand and Birmingham, England. She is a trainer of Designated Linklater Teachers. Christine was a contributing writer to Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/ Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, ed Adler, Hirsch and Pickering (Plural Publishing, 3rd Edition, 2019.)
Christine Hamel, Co-Chair BFA Performance, Boston University School of Theatre Co-Author of Sounding Bodies: Identity, Injustice and the Voice Christine Adaire and Zoe Chen’s gender affirming workshop is a detailed and deep dive into evolving practices in the field and a reframing of traditional methods. The voice is centered as an integral aspect of identity, and the most up-to-date terminology and language are framed as essential to the specificity of thought required to guide voices towards liberating, expressive, authentic, and just ends. I so appreciate the modeling (and encouraging) of humility and curiosity alongside their profound expertise as our collective understanding of the way gendered and sexed lives are lived continues to grow. I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough to voice practitioners as a springboard for voice training and development for any and all gender identities.
Brennan Murphy, Chair, Department of Theater and Dance, Baldwin Wallace University Christine Adaire’s Gender Affirming Voice Workshop was engaging, insightful, and incredibly informative. By the end of the two-day workshop, I learned practical exercises in working with the Trans community on vocal flexibility, resonance, pitch, and range. Not to be overlooked by the exercises was the extraordinary humanity and embracing nature of Christine and her co-leader, Zoe. I encourage voice practitioners not to miss an opportunity to experience this new dynamic area of voicework.
Amelia Broome, Co-Chair Performing Arts, Emerson College Christine Adaire is a gifted and deeply knowledgable teacher whose expertise and humanity combine not only to educate but to uplift participants in her workshop. She brings herself fully and openly into the space, and infuses the work with care, specificity, and warmth. This Gender Affirming workshop was such a gift, increasing my awareness of how I can support and advocate for people our LGBTQ+ community and giving me tools and language to strengthen my allyship. Christine Adaire is a bright, golden, radiant, profound teacher. What a privilege to learn and grow from her wisdom and presence.
Christine will be joined by Zoe Chen, who is a 3rd Year Student in A.C.T.’s MFA Program. Zoe identifies as a transgender woman of Taiwanese/Japanese descent.
Christine Adaire is Head of Voice at American Conservatory Theatre. She has worked as a voice/dialect coach, actor and director for over 30 years in regional theatre. She’s taught workshops in London, Barcelona, Shanghai, New Zealand and Birmingham, England. She co-wrote the chapter “Meeting the Needs of Gender Diverse Actors: Personal, Clinical, and Artistic Perspectives,” in Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, ed. Adler, Hirsch and Pickering (Plural Publishing, Third Edition, 2019)
Exploring the Middle of Your Voice – Vulnerability and Power
I am happy to announce that I will be leading a session on February 11, 2021 as part of the Linklater Live Webinars, a new online series of one-hour warm-ups led by the best Linklater voice teachers from around the world. Presented by the Kristin Linklater Voice Centre in Scotland, these classes are designed to warm-up your voice, body and imagination!
In my session, I will give you exercises to help you explore your middle register, the most transparent and revealing part of your voice. You will explore vibrations as they resonate in the intricate, bony labyrinth of your sinuses. Bring a line or two of text to play with.
Date: February 11, 2121 Time: 8 am – 9 am Pacific Time; 11 am – noon Eastern Time Price: £15 (approximately $20 U.S.) To Sign-up: Visit the Linklater Live Webinars web page, scroll down to find my class on February 11, and then click “Book Now.” Note that you will be able to use your credit card as usual, even though the price is listed in British pounds instead of in dollars. Your credit card company may charge a small fee for converting the currency. More Info: Please contact me if you have any questions.
