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Ellen O'Brien

Voice

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Photograph of Ellen O'Brien, Voice and Speech Ellen O'Brien has been the Resident Voice and Text Consultant for The Shakespeare Theatre Company since 2000, where she has worked with directors such as Michael Kahn, Gale Edwards, Bill Alexander, Mark Lamos, Stephen Wadsworth, Ethan McSweeney, Mary Zimmerman, Kate Whoriskey, and Keith Baxter. Before that, she coached dozens of Shakespeare productions for theatres including People's Light and Theatre Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, and Charlotte Repertory Company. In addition, she served as Associate Director (under Michael Donald Edwards) for Shakespeare Santa Cruz productions of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. She has coached dialects for Ford's Theatre, Aurora Theatre, Magic Theatre, and Guilford College as well as STC. She comes to the Academy with 30 years of teaching experience at the University of California-Santa Cruz, the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Intern Program, Guilford College, and Kirkland College. Her essays on Shakespeare have appeared in The Voice and Speech Review, Shakespeare Quarterly, Shakespeare Survey, Selected Proceedings from the World Shakespeare Congress, 1996, and elsewhere. After earning a Ph.D. in English from Yale University, she completed Advanced and Post-graduate Diplomas in Voice Studies from the Central School of Speech and Drama ( London ). She has also participated in workshops with Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenburg, Andrew Wade, Arthur Lessac, Kristin Linklater, and others. Her current development is focused on continued training in the Fitzmaurice Technique.

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