We are recruiting for a Voice Coach to join the National Theatre.
The Voice Department provides voice, text and dialect support for all NT productions. We work primarily with actors, mainly during rehearsals, tech and previews. Each NT production has a dedicated voice coach who will oversee the company voice work from the first day of rehearsal until the last night of the run. We work flexibly according to the needs of the director and the production, using a combination of one-to-one sessions and group work. Our work falls into three main areas:
- Practical voice work: we work with actors on all vocal aspects of whatever part they are playing. This might include work on specific things like screaming or shouting, or we may focus more generally on ensuring the actor's voice is flexible and expressive enough to fully convey their character's thoughts and feelings. We also help actors with the transition from rehearsal room to theatre, run pre-show warm-ups, and assist with any vocal difficulties.
- Text work: we support the actors' exploration of language, particularly where the play involves classical or complex text. We have a raft of practical exercises, games and tools we can draw on to help connect the actor with their text, or simply provide time, space and a listening ear outside of the rehearsal room to let the actor try things out.
- Dialect coaching: often in collaboration with specialist freelance colleagues, we provide coaching on the sounds and rhythms of a particular accent, but also on the cultural and historical aspects which influence its qualities.
As specialist theatre practitioners, we understand how voicework needs to interact with other elements of a production such as direction, sound design, movement, costume, wigs and fights, as well as with the acoustics of the space and the overall style and concept of a show. We are regularly in conversation with our colleagues in areas such as Sound, Music, Producing, Planning, Learning, OHU, Company and Stage Management as to how we can support the actors to do their finest work during their time at the NT.
The Voice Coach is an experienced theatre practitioner who will work across the NT , providing dedicated voice and text support to acting companies in productions spanning a wide range of textual and theatrical styles. The Voice Coach will also regularly carry out general Voice Department duties such as running pre-show warm-ups and assisting actors suffering vocal issues.
The successful candidate will have the following:
- MA/MFA (or equivalent Level 7 qualification) in Voice, with the emphasis on spoken voice.
- Extensive experience working on voice and text with professional actors within a theatre company and/or with West End/Broadway productions or equivalent.
- Sound knowledge of the physical and acoustic elements of voice training.
- Experience across a wide range of texts and theatrical styles, both classical and modern.
- A wide-ranging experience of different approaches to voice and text and the ability to use these to respond flexibly to the specific needs of individual actors.
If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!
Download the Job Description here.
The closing date for the receipt of a completed application is November 27th at 12 noon.
For further queries please email recruitment@nationaltheatre.org.uk
We want our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and welcome applications from everyone
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People Department 2023