Voice & Speech Teacher
Accent/Dialect Coach
Erin Ormond has an MFA in Acting and Voice Teaching diploma from York University under Master Voice teacher David Smukler. She has taught Voice and Speech for the actor nationwide including the University of Victoria, The University of BC, York University, The Canadian National Voice Intensive (now the Moving Voice Institute), The Canadian College of Performing Arts, Tooba Physical Theatre in Vancouver, The Vancouver Film School and Rosebud School of the Arts.
The core of her voice work focuses on the methodologies of Kristin Linklater and Judith Koltai's Embodied Practice. Specifically within these methodologies she practices postural alignment, sensory awareness, freeing the breath/voice connection, resonators, articulation, text analysis, as well as speech sounds and dialects.
Erin has also coordinated and developed numerous voice workshops on Vancouver Island and in Alberta. She has assisted casts and individuals in both professional and university productions in vocal performance, scene study, dialect work, and articulation.
Teaching Philosophy
In my teaching, I am privileged to witness transformations in individuals. Whether their transformation is gradual or a specific 'aha' moment, seeing them engaging in the work and inhabiting the change within themselves is endlessly rewarding. Theatre has the ability to reveal the extremes and the nuances of the human story and actors are the heartbeat of the telling. It is my belief that in order for an actor to authentically communicate the human experience through a character, it must be accessed through the physical experience.
With consciousness and practice, an actor can discover the vocal and physical habits that limit their ability and growth as an artist. The principles and practices used in my voice teaching are diverse and complementary. Participants engage kinaesthetically and develop a distinct understanding of themselves physically, mentally and emotionally. They learn a vocabulary that awakens and engages their imagination and their emotional and vocal resonance. In assisting an actor to discover their authentic voice, I guide and facilitate their journey to self-awareness. With time and conscious practice, they develop a creative process that is both personal and physical, bringing more precision, skill, and awareness to their acting work and developing characters who are fully embodied in speech. These transformational elements shape my teaching philosophy.
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