Dialect Coach
Hannah works one-on-one with actors, to help them prepare dialects for auditions and performances. Her two main focuses are 1) to make sure the actor is performing their dialect in a manner that is authentic and believable to its culture and 2) to ensure the dialect is not serving as a distraction to the actor and story overall. Some actors have a tendency at playing "the idea of the dialect," instead of really believing it to be an extension of themselves. Hannah helps the actor find and maintain this craft.
Client Referrals
Hannah coached Harrison Bryan on his RP British dialect for his audition for "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" at Pioneer Theatre Co, and he booked it! She also prepped him before he went on to play the role AGAIN at Roundhouse Theatre.
"Hannah inhabits a mind and a soul of one of the most talented, kind, and helpful dialect coaches I've ever worked with. Her attention to detail, her keen ear, her understanding of characters and their relationship to the text is what makes her truly great; not to mention, her deep level of care and love for the craft - making this challenging dialect-work actually fun. I would not have been so confident and ABLE-TO-EXECUTE in my "Curious Incident" audition had it not been for Hannah's artistic contribution to my dialect-prep.
She loves what she does - and she's always striving for greatness. I recommend all of my actor-friends to work with her."
Hannah coached Cassie Gilling on her Northern Irish dialect for her audition for "Dancing at Lughnasa" at Gloucester Stage and she booked it!
"When I got my audition for "Dancing at Lughnasa", Hannah was my first text to beg for help on my Northern Irish dialect. Her patience is unrivaled and she is delicate but firm in her direction. As an actor, she recognizes that dialect work has so much more to do with the marriage of text and the character's circumstance, rather than just slapping on a dialect on top of a piece and auditioning. I won't go into another audition with a dialect without working with Hannah."
Hannah coached Katie Luke on her Irish dialect for her callback for Sharon in “Finian’s Rainbow” at Cortland Repertory Theatre and she booked it!
“Once I got my callback for Sharon in “Finian’s Rainbow”, I knew I had to contact Hannah. Because of her background and training, I felt so comfortable in trusting her with every lilt and line. The Irish dialect has always been a struggle for me, probably my toughest, and she was so extremely patient with me when I would get tripped up on words and would graciously guide me through the steps. She gave me the necessary tools to move forward with the script and I am now so excited to tackle this Irish character!”
Hannah coached Elizabeth Colwell on her Scottish dialect for her audition for "Trainspotting Live"
If you need help with a dialect for an audition/class/want to develop this skill, HANNAH IS YOUR GIRL. She knows her stuff (if I had to speculate, the fact that she was born in Scotland, speaks German fluently, and then moved to America and intentionally dropped her accent contributes to her fantastic ear and ability to hear dialects with an objective perspective), and I was blown away by how Hannah went above and beyond the basics. Firstly, she was very fast and efficient, which was so helpful for the quick turnaround I needed to prepare for this audition. She coached me through the piece on a technical level, familiarizing me with the "features" of the accent I was working on (Scottish), but also was a huge help with the acting beats. Where other coaches I've worked with have stopped at teaching me the sounds of an accent/dialect, Hannah asked me questions about the character and how that could inform the accent itself and the way the character spoke, the attitude of it. She was incredibly generous with her time, to the extent that I now feel comfortable putting Scottish accent on my resume in my special skills section without feeling like a total fraud!