A Two-Day Online Course for Voice Teachers and Actor Training Professionals
Led by Christine 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.)
Ways to Pay: Paypal at PayPal.Me/ChristineAdaire or Venmo to @Christine-Adaire
Have Questions? Contact Christine Adaire
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 (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 (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