Having recently co-directed the Voice and Speech Trainers Association's (VASTA's) first Australian gathering in Naarm/Melbourne, Amy Hume and I submitted a reflection to The Australian Equity Magazine.  Featured in the article are some wonderful reflections from actors Farhad Zaiwala and Juliette Coleman.

​https://medium.com/the-equity-magazine/shout-out-to-voice-symposium-success-a0bf14de89e5

Last year I published a peer-reviewed article in the Voice and Speech Review. The article was an edited version of my honours thesis, looking at resilience and communication in actor training.

I have just been told that the article has won the 2021 Rocco Dal Vera Graduate Research Award, and I'm honoured!

You can read the article, titled​ Communication and Resilience in Acting Students: A Qualitative Study, here: ​https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2021.1892287

Why hello!
After nearly 10 months in Adelaide I am settling in nicely and have worked on some exciting projects since the move last December.  Earlier this year I consulted on a new and exciting horror film, Awoken, and coached Kate Hamill's VERY fun and fanciful version of Sense and Sensibility for the State Theatre Company of South Australia (complete with Roller-skating gossips and ukulele rock covers).
The local acting and theatre community have been beautifully open and kind in their welcome to me, and I have worked with some fabulous people in my little home studio in the foothills of Blackwood.
Over the past week I have had the honour of running two courses for NIDA Open - one for adults and one for 10 to 13 years olds.  I was reminded very much of a little Jen when a young girl broke out in tears on her first day (of five) at the thought of participating in an exercise. After literally hiding behind a curtain, she spoke to me about her extreme shyness, and her desire to try new things but the wave of fear she would feel when she tried. Time and time again her extreme emotional responses had stopped her from getting up and taking part.  By the first afternoon the girl was up and improvising with her classmates, and by the end of the week she happily performed for parents in a devised play, and shared with her classmate and audience some thoughts on what she had achieved that week.  
​At the risk of sounding trite, this work really can change lives. I was reminded this week of what a privilege it is to pass the work on to the next generation. Seeing children who describe themselves as 'too' something (shy, loud, weird, nerdy, talkative, emotional...) meet and connect with other members of the 'too' crew is a beautiful thing and it gets me every time.
Love to all my fellow 'too-ers' out there. xx 

Friends! It has been a long time between posts but I have some news.
On January 14, 2017, I will be running a 3 hour workshop for those wishing to learn or practise their Australian (Strayn) accents. And the best part...it's bloody free mate! I am preparing for a trip to the States where I will run some workshops, and I'd love to have a play before I go. Please pass this on to anyone who may be keen, and if you'd like to attend, let me know at [email protected]. Jx
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I can't help it - I'm a bit excited about these...Through March I am going to run a series of Sunday afternoon accent sessions exploring dialects featured in fabulous TV shows and films. Running for 4 Sundays (1.5 hours per sesh), we will gather over a cuppa and look at scenes in General American, NY (Brooklyn), Southern (Georgia) and Midwest (Minnesota). Oh boy oh boy... More details below! You can download a flyer and share if you have friends who might be interested. English Accent Series to follow...

Hello! I will be running some workshops on Saturday Jan 31 to give our voices a summer clean up.  From 12 to 2pm will be the Summer Voice Invigorator followed by Connect to Text from 2pm - 4pm.  $40 for one workshop or $70 to attend both. Send me an email or text by Jan 28 if you'd like to attend as I'll be limiting numbers so we have space to play. mailto:[email protected], 0421 216 484.