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Dramatic Speech Quarter 2

Welcome to Dramatic Speech Quarter 2! (Do you need to go back to Quarter 1?)

Day 46

1. We’re continuing our work on Australian accents! Watch the video about the D sound.
2. Try reading one of your monologues in an Australian accent. We’re not recording today yet.

Day 47

1. Watch the video “How to Pronounce Numbers and Dates in Australia.”
2. Then watch “The SCHWA Sound.”

Day 48

1. Watch “How to Tell if Someone is from Australia or New Zealand.”
2. Choose a monologue, it can be one you have previously used or a new one, and practice reading it in an Australian accent. Go over it at least 3 times.

Day 49

1. Record your monologue in an Australian accent.

Day 50

1. Watch the stagecraft video about the 3 point technique. Can this help you in your performances?

Day 51

1. Watch the video about solo improv exercises.

Day 52

1. Today, learn the Transantlantic Accent!

Day 53

1. Watch another video about the Transantlantic Accent. Take some time and try copying the sounds you hear.

Day 54
1. Watch the video about “Elevated Standard” (another name for the transatlantic or mid-Atlantic accent).
2. Using these constructed accents have several benefits for actors.

  • Clear Articulation: The accent is constructed with the most easily intelligible parts of American and British English. This makes it easier to understand what is being said, a big plus for stage or screen. (Especially for early recording equipment, which couldn’t always capture low, indistinct speech well.)
  • Better Sound Projection: Again, the dialect was constructed to move sound production into the parts of the mouth that encouraged projection.
  • Class and Sophistication: The touch of ‘Britishisms’ made the accent sound more sophisticated than a general American accent.
  • Professional Credibility: Since the accent was exclusively learned, using it signaled that an actor had professional training.

3. For Americans, the Transatlantic Accent involves softening “R” sounds and strengthening “L” and “T” sounds. Vowels may be slightly more rounded. Listen to the following clips to hear the accent being used.

Day 55

1. Read “How to Do a Transatlantic Accent Like a Classic Movie Star“.
2. Practice some sentences in Transatlantic accent. (You can stop when she gets to her explanation at the end.)

Day 56

1. Do some more Transatlantic Accent practice. (Stop at the end of the tutorial.)

Day 57

1. Here’s a ‘news reporter’ monologue for you to practice your Transatlantic accent.

Good evening. This is your correspondent, reporting live, and I’m afraid the news tonight is grave. Shortly after noon today, a cat — a rather large cat, by the name of Reginald — climbed into the tall oak on Barrington Avenue, clear up past the rooftops, and there, dear listener, he has remained. Rescue crews arrived soon after. They cannot coax him down. They have tried treats. They have tried flattery. Reginald remains cool, aloof, and entirely unmoved.
Eyewitnesses report the animal appears “perfectly calm, and frankly, rather smug.” One firefighter, aghast, admits the whole crew has been hoodwinked by a creature who will not budge before the moon comes up. The mayor has advised all citizens to remain composed. Reginald has issued no statement at all. As of this broadcast, the standoff continues. A basket of food is being floated up by balloon. We can only wait.
That is the news. Chin up. Carry on. Back to you.

2. Practice your monologue at least three times. Then you can record it!

Day 58

1. Watch “From Awkward to Amazing” for more solo improv practice tips. (I know you’ve seen some of these before, but go ahead and do them again!)

Day 59

1. Watch the video “How to Create 100 Distinctly Different Voices.” Try doing at least 5!

Day 60

1. Today watch “How to Stop Mumbling and Speak Clearly.” What can you take from this video?