Voice for Improv & Acting

About the Course:

This is a three-week course to hone your voice skills. Learn to be heard loudly and clearly, to express yourself more expansively, and to take good care of your voice!

Interested students may enroll in select lessons or register for all three at a discount.

Session 1: Voice and Character-Building

Explore the full possibilities of your voice and learn how to incorporate it into your characters!

We will look at some vocal anatomy and function to learn different sound qualities that our voices are capable of. We will get a chance to examine and analyze some examples of varying voice qualities, and we will implement these skills by trying some impressions, playing some games, and doing some improvised scenes and character work.

Session 2: Vocal Skills and Care

Learn how to use your voice sustainably and consistently!

We will look at some different vocal qualities that are necessary for actors/performers, like projection, sotto voice, and extended vocal techniques. We will learn how to do these in a way that is sustainable and consistent, helping you to avoid hoarseness and to deliver your best vocal performances.

Session 3: Voice and Gender

Learn how to respectfully and effectively use voice to develop characters of varying gender!

We will take a look at some generalized traits of gender perception in speech and learn how to take on these characteristics. We will learn how to respectfully portray characters of varying gender to clarify our initiations and give clarity to our scene partners. This session will involve direct discussion of societal norms around gender perception, and it will hold those ideas in tension with diverse gender expression and gender-expansiveness.

Instructor Bio:

Seth K Lowery (they/them) is a comedian, musician, actor, and arts educator based in Chicago, IL. When not performing or hosting an open mic, they teach voice full-time, working with students on singing and gender-affirming speech. Seth has taught voice for 15 years and has a very niche Master’s Degree in voice pedagogy, specializing in working with singers in commercial styles (pop, rock, R&B, soul, country, etc.), trans/gender-nonconforming voices, and diverse learners (ex. neurodivergence, dissociative disorders, etc.). They have been happy to take the stage at theatres around the city doing improv, sketch, and cabaret, as well as music directing. Seth is proudly from Kankakee, IL, a small city that you either have a cousin in or you drove through on your way to UIUC.

Schedule:

This class will meet once a week on the same day each week, for three (3) total classes

Important Dates:

Saturdays 3-5pm

9/12 Session 1: Voice and Character-Building

9/19 Session 2: Vocal Skills and Care

9/26 Session 3: Voice and Gender