Teaching - Sarah Weatherwax | Actor/Voice Teacher

Voice Teaching

Bio

Sarah has taught voice for the actor for almost 20 years. During that time she has worked at numerous studios and schools including Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts, Straeon Acting Studios in Toronto, Montreal and Boston, Humber Comedy College, Brock University and Meisner Academie in The Netherlands. She has done on-set acting coaching as well as lots of individual voice, audition, accent and acting coaching. She works with a wide range of private clients that includes actors as well as writers, lawyers and executives. Sarah is a member of VASTA, the Voice & Speech Teachers’ Association, and had an article about voice published in their highly esteemed academic journal Voice & Speech Review in 2020. She is a founding board member of the National Voice Association of Canada.

Sarah’s training with the world renowned Kristin Linklater took 5 years in total and included numerous private voice lessons and weekend teacher training workshops in NYC with Master Teacher Andrea Haring; Alexander Technique lessons with Kelly McEvenue and Nadia Kevan; singing lessons with Alexandra Garrison; piano lessons; basic anatomy; apprentice voice teaching at Shakespeare & Co. in Massachusetts; moving to NYC to observe Ms. Linklater teaching voice to her MFA Acting students at Columbia University; and a 6 week designation course with Kristin and 15 other voice teachers from around the world. She is very grateful for the generous grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to complete that final, most important part of her studies. In 2019, Sarah attended a one week Continued Professional Development Course with Kristin and an international group of Founding Member Teachers at the Kristin Linklater Voice Centre in Scotland and in 2020, she took a wonderful on-line voice & phonetics class with Master Teacher Louis Colaianni. In 2022, she took a movement class with Merry Conway.

RESUME

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Private Lessons

Sarah is available for individual voice lessons by way of zoom or in-person. Online lessons include a downloadable recording!

Retreats

The next Fall Voice Retreat is scheduled for Sept. 19 to 21, 2025 at the absolutely stunning Kingfisher Bay Retreat Centre in North Kawartha, Ontario!

Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events

Sarah posts all her upcoming workshops here, you are looking in the right place! Read on for info about 2024 voice classes.

People Are
Saying...

Sarah Weatherwax is my career-long, trusted voice teacher. My voice is my career, and I only go to Sarah. She is THE voice teacher for the working actor, as far as I’m concerned. I go to Sarah for both private lessons and workshops, and like a dancer and her trusted dance teacher, Sarah keeps me in perfect form. She is so well trained, so experienced and a voice artist herself, I benefit immediately. I am often told by directors: you have a great voice. And I know it’s a lot due to working with Sarah. She’s a treasure.

Anne Marie Scheffler

Actor / Writer / Comedian / Voice Artist

Sarah’s acute sensitivity to the nuances of voice, as well as her curious and non-judgemental attitude, have helped me to release my voice more fully in my singing and spoken-word practices. With practice, I have increased my range by a pitch and a half in both my upper and lower registers, and I have developed a stronger ability to translate written words into meaningful sound. In addition to the improvements that I have experienced in my professional performance practice, Sarah’s commitment to honest voice communication and holistic thinking have allowed me to integrate the Linklater method into all of my daily communications. I feel more confident in my ability to identify internal emotions and express them through my voice, and to speak my intentions simply and directly.

Rebecca Bruton

Multi-Disciplinary Performer, Teacher, and Arts facilitator

Sarah has the enviable ability to truly challenge her students, while also maintaining a safe, fun space to grow and learn. She thoroughly understands the physical mechanics of the voice, as well as the psychological aspects of this work, and I trust her implicitly.

Martha Girvin

Actor

Sarah Weatherwax is an incredible voice teacher. The students I refer to her for private lessons consistently return to their scene work more able to inhabit their character’s situation and let it transform them. They are more willing to let feelings and thoughts flow through their voices with ease, which in turn allows them to be more fully present. And the full day workshops she teaches are truly inspiring. Her relaxed, open teaching style allows her students to ask a lot of themselves without fear of judgement. She really does reconnect her students with the joy in this work, all the while addressing very specific voice/body issues for each person and giving them practical exercises to continue working on their own. What a great way to spend a day!

Jock MacDonald

President and head artistic coach of Straeon FilmWorks, Inc.

Working with Sarah has been invaluable to my creative process. Her work allows you to truly open up, allowing for character and emotion to emerge organically. I know that any time I am facing a challenging acting role or creative block, I will turn to Sarah for technique and guidance.

Katherine Cullen

Actor, Toronto

Sarah’s Linklater workshop helped introduce me to a whole new world of voice and body excercises and techniques which has lead me to discover a whole new world of characters available to me. This has lead to more professional work. Sarah’s teaching style and attention to detail have helped me refine my craft and the ability to develop more tools in my belt on my journey as a storyteller!

Jean Bernard

Actor/writer/director/editor, Montreal

What I loved most about Sarah’s workshop was how much I learned from everyone else’s discoveries as well as my own. Sarah has a way of honing in on what an individual needs to focus on while making it applicable to the entire group.

Denise Watt

Actor/writer, Montreal

When my regular audition coach moved away in the summer of 2017, and a Shakespeare audition for a renowned company came up, I called Sarah Weatherwax for coaching. Sarah has a strong background in classical theatre, is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and shares my history with the techniques of the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare & Company.Working with Sarah was an excellent choice. Her experience as a voice teacher proved its value in the work we did together. “Together” may be the operative word there; I felt supported, encouraged, pushed and free to be at my most creative. She helped me craft an audition that I felt very good about. I delivered a strong audition that made the casting director take notice…and made me feel good about what I have to offer to potential engagers. Sarah is my new “go-to” coach for all auditions now. I’d strongly recommend her for any audition: comic or serious, contemporary or classical.

David Frisch

Actor & Producer, Toronto

Sarah, I just wanted to thank you for a tremendous weekend. I learned so much, and can’t wait for you to come back to Boston! It was time and money so well spent. I so appreciated your gentle nature, your commitment to using our time wisely, and to tailoring the feedback to each of us.I also wanted to say how incredible your work with J was. I have long wondered if he has Asperger’s. He carries himself with the same physical tension and muscular tightness as my son (who has AS) and eye contact is difficult for him too. People with AS have expressed how they feel “boxed in.” They just can’t look people in the eye, as it physically overwhelms them. Watching J face his tensions, stories, and pain and struggle to find his voice, hit close to home for me. Watching him shake and overcome the tightness, at least for those minutes with you, was very moving. I think you handled it gently but firmly—and it was amazing to watch.

Alyson Muzila

Actor, Boston, Mass.

Sarah’s Voice and Text class is transformational. Through the 8 weeks, I was able to fnd a deep sense of connection to my body and voice working with the Linklater technique. From there, the exploration of text is exciting and new; I found interesting depth over and over again.”

Alexa Houle

Actor/Artist/Filmmaker

V&T has had a great impact on my voice. Sarah’s guidance through Zoom is amazing and although she is not in the same room with you, she sees and hears everything and her feedback is spot-on. The rich pallet of the exercises is built around a clear structure that Sarah encourages you to understand. So at the end of the course you have tools to work independently on your voice as an actor.

Ksenia Marasanova

Actor & Singer

Thank you so much for your X-Session on Vocal Freedom & Flexibility last Tuesday for the VO Atlanta conference. You packed an amazing amount of information into our short time together. I think my favorite takeaway is to live in a space of observation not judgment. I spent the remainder of the week at the conference in that observation headspace and know that I was able to learn more thanks to your advice. Along with the stretches, I am also benefiting from your advice to look forward “at my height” instead of holding my head-up all the time. I can feel a difference in my neck and shoulder muscles and also hear the difference on my voice recordings. I am sending Gerald an email next to let him know how fantastic your X-Session was. Thank you for your kind generosity.

Penny Ritter Bromley / Voice Actor

Private Lessons

Sarah is available for individual voice lessons by way of zoom or in-person. Online lessons include a downloadable recording so the client can review and practice the exercises they learn on their own. In person lessons are offered in her new backyard studio in the east end of Toronto, equipped with HVAC and an air purifier with UV light. Her studio has heat and AC so her clients are comfortable. This lovely teaching space opens out to a covered patio area and is disinfected before in-person work. In person lessons will be suspended whenever it does not seem safe or reasonable to offer them, in which case clients can continue their work with Sarah online. Having a backyard studio has allowed Sarah to be more flexible about her work hours than when she was working in her living room, allowing her to work with actors from all over the world. Please email Sarah at sweatherwax@rogers.com for rates and availability for individual lessons online or in-person, to discuss health and safety protocols or to request a free consult online or by phone. And remember, a free, flexible voice is beneficial to anyone, not just actors.

Retreats

Stay tuned for details about the

Fall Voice Retreat for Actors

with Designated Linklater Voice Teacher

Sarah Weatherwax

Sept. 19-21, 2025

Kingfisher Bay Retreat Centre, North Kawartha, Ontario

Approx. 2 hour drive from Toronto. 5 hours from Montreal.

Enjoy an intensive learning experience in a beautiful environment. Let the clean air clear your lungs, your mind, your heart. Spend an entire weekend developing your talent. And doing little else. New and experienced performers welcome as well as Non-performers! Very limited enrollment. Private accommodations and plant forward meals included.

Not only is the landscape stunning - with 27 acres of forest and hiking trails – but the quiet lakefront beckons with kayaks and canoes. In the off-hours you can relax by the fire pit outside, play ping-pong or air hockey inside. Enjoy the hot tub or the screened in porch. Sit by the wood-burning fireplace or read in the library. This will be one of those weekends you never forget! Mark your calendars now!

Your Voice is your thoughts and feelings

moving from inside your body to

outside your body on

vibrations.

Develop your talent and take care of yourself

at this once in a lifetime weekend event.

Sept. 19-21, 2025.

The dates are definite. This is happening.

Details to come soon.

When you leave this retreat, you will leave simply feeling better about

your body, your voice, your gifts. A simple idea for a complex time.

Pricing will be determined soon, but start saving now! Full payment will be due by mid-April, 2025 as this now very popular retreat centre (it was a little known gem when I first discovered this place) needs confirmation of the booking four months in advance or the deposit is forfeited.) Payments are non-refundable after April 15, 2025 but your booking may be transferred to another participant for a fee, pending their application and acceptance.

Learn many exercises to release your specific vocal blocks and continue developing your voice long after this special weekend. Individual coachings will be offered throughout the weekend. Participants will select a short piece of text to check in with throughout the weekend.

A free voice leans our bodies towards health, our minds toward clarity,
our voices toward sincerity and our souls toward creativity.

Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events

Sarah posts all her upcoming workshops here, you are looking in the right place! Read on for info about 2024 voice classes.

Online VOICE & TEXT

with Designated Linklater Voice Teacher

Sarah Weatherwax

Well suited to those with previous experience of Linklater Voice Work, while also a very complete, approachable introduction to this world-renowned method for those with little or no voice training. Non-performers are welcome! Relaxed, professional environment 🙂

Tuesday evenings, 6PM to 9PM ET

Oct. 8 – Dec. 17, 2024 (no class Nov. 12)

All sections of the actors' warm-up will be explored in this class: from the beginning (spinal alignment; breath awareness; open sound; humming) to the middle (releasing lower jaw tension; tongue & soft palate stretches; chest, mouth, teeth resonance) to the end (breath capacity, upper resonators, range, skull, articulation).

By working on a short piece from a published/produced play or movie, participants start to understand the direct effect of a freer voice on acting. Learn repeatable, practice-able exercises to deepen your connection to text.

By encouraging inner relaxation and outer activation of the body's musculature at the same time, this work leads to an open readiness for acting, making real listening and emotional accessibility easier, instinctive responses quicker and physical and vocal transformation more believable. Actors & VOs become more direct-able, spontaneous and flexible.Accent work & vocal character work improves.

Composers, writers and other creatives find their work flows with ease and efficiency after a voice warm-up. Freeing the speaking voice frees the creative voice.

Non-artists find improvements with meeting management, public speaking & interview skills. Confidence, ease and variety in the speaking voice are beneficial to anyone and everyone for reasons too numerous to list.

“V&T has had a great impact on my voice. Sarah’s guidance through Zoom is amazing and although she is not in the same room with you, she sees and hears everything and her feedback is spot-on. The rich pallet of the exercises is built around a clear structure that Sarah encourages you to understand. So at the end of the course you have tools to work independently on your voice as an actor.” - Ksenia Marasanova, Actor & Singer

CLASS DETAILS

Dates & Times: Tuesdays from 6 to 9PM ET. Oct. 8, 15, 22 & 29; Nov. 5, 19 & 26 (no class Nov. 12); Dec. 3, 10 & 17. Online, live participation class by way of Zoom. Live attendance is expected. *Arrangements can be made for those with one or two conflicts.

Class Price: Canadians, $575 CAD. International, $575 USD.

*Discount Price, ACTRA/CAEA/Straeon/Repeat V & T students: Canadians, $525 CAD. International, $525 USD. *Proof of current union/Straeon membership expected before discounts applied. Discounts will also be honoured for members of international Actors' Unions. Only one discount offer per person.

Payments: Canadian clients pay in CAD, all others please pay in USD. Payments accepted by E-transfer from Canadians and by PayPal or WISE from internationals at sweatherwax@rogers.com. Price includes tax & fees.

Registration: E-mail Sarah a brief note of interest and mention applicable discounts. Actors, send resumes. Please pay after Sarah has responded to your email.

Deadline: Please register & pay by Oct. 4. Enrollment is limited. **Inquiries are welcome until class start date, pending availability.**

“Sarah’s Voice and Text class is transformational. Throughout the class, I was able to find a deep sense of connection to my body and voice working with the Linklater technique. From there, the exploration of text is exciting and new; I found interesting depth over and over again.” - Alexa Houle, Actor/Artist/Filmmaker

Experience the joy and the power of knowing you can express anything and everything through the vibrations of your voice.

Small-Group in-person Voice & Text Intensive with

Designated Linklater Voice Teacher

Sarah Weatherwax.

Tues. Nov. 12 to Fri. Nov. 15, 2024.

10am to 6pm.

Schafer Gallery, 65 Wright Ave., Unit B, Toronto

Payment due by Oct. 29. $750 & HST.

Very limited enrolment.

Your Voice is your thoughts and feelings moving from inside your body to outside your body on vibrations. Your voice is the conduit for your talent.

Your Voice is You. Your Voice is Important. You are Important.

Vocal blocks can be caused by habitual muscular tension, or by communication or emotional response habits. We all have them. They keep us safe as we navigate through our lives. But they can also keep our talent locked up inside our bodies.

Learn specific, repeatable exercises to gently release vocal blocks and challenges so your voice goes where the text, character & situation takes it. Let go of physical habits that may be expressing something about you that is no longer true. Learn how to identify and release any new vocal blocks that may come your way.

Our bodies and minds need to know that we can go far vocally and be completely spontaneous – and we are safe. Vocal freedom also allows for the sweet subtlety of nuance to shine through. Our vocal blocks will be there for us when we need them. And vocal freedom can be there for us when we allow it.

With a free voice actors become more instinctive, believable and transformative. With every syllable uttered releasing more of who we are and more of the character and text – we have more room in our bodies in the next moment for real, full-body cellular listening, for being fully 'present'.

This class will explore the direct connection between a freer voice & better acting. Participants will choose a short monologue to work on throughout the class and everyone will receive lots of individual attention throughout. This world renowned method is utilized by many of the world's most famous actors for good reason - it works.

Contact Sarah to apply, ask questions, suggest a payment plan

or request a free phone/zoom consult. sweatherwax@rogers.com

Free your voice. Free your talent. Free yourself.

Drop In Style Online

LINKLATER VOICE CLASSES

with Designated Linklater Voice Teacher

Sarah Weatherwax

Develop your talent, meet like-minded people, feel good about your voice.

These casual voice classes are offered to support actors & singers who are under-employed, but are open to all. If you have never worked on your voice and are curious, this is a good way to explore this method without a big commitment of time or money. No previous voice training required. Great refresher for experienced performers.

Now, more than ever, people are realizing the importance of a free, full speaking voice. For actors, this method creates easier access to talent. Learn to trust your instincts, let your voice be transformed and go where the text and character take it. For other creatives and artists, this work frees the creative voice and encourages ease and flow. For non-actors, a free voice means an easier time being clear, confident and spontaneous in interviews, meetings and public speaking engagements.

Review/learn some of the basics: spinal alignment; breath awareness; open sound; humming; lip flutters. Open more space in your body for breath and voice. Gently improve the range & variety of your speaking voice.

Relaxed, professional environment. Online, live participation by way of Zoom.

Join me for a fun, easy-going voice class on the 1st Thursday of the month until the end of 2024.

Thursday October 3, 5 to 7PM ET

Thursday November 7, 5 to 7PM ET

Thursday December 5, 5 to 7PM ET

Register (with a brief email mentioning the date of the class you want to attend) & pay (by E-transfer or Paypal/WISE to sweatherwax@rogers.com) no sooner than one week before the class, and no later than one hour before class start time. An email will be sent to you with all the details and the Zoom link. These classes are not continuous, they are stand-alone classes. Please register & pay for each class separately.

Payments accepted in CAD by E-transfer from Canadian clients or in USD by PayPal or WISE for international clients. Payments go to: sweatherwax@rogers.com

Class Price: $35CAD per class by E-transfer; $35USD per class by PayPal or WISE.

Some general notes about group online voice classes and private lessons.

The method Sarah teaches is designed - and proven effective - for adult clients. Children and teens are encouraged to work with acting & singing teachers. Work on their speaking voices can begin when they are in their 20s.

Sarah's schedule for group classes varies, as is the way with her multi-faceted career. She welcomes requests from acting studios for either her 4-week Basic Voice Class (a good intro for new clients, and a good refresher for those with some experience) or the more Advanced Voice and Text Class. She can also tailor a group voice class to meet the specific needs or schedule of a studio or group, so do not hesitate to request a free consultation.

Online classes are paused during the summer months, although work with private clients continues year-round. Please do not hesitate to email at any time regarding individual lessons, online or in-person.

Sarah is associated with Straeon Acting Studios based in Canada and the US and Meisner Academie in the Netherlands. Please enquire about special offers for members of those studios or members of actors' unions such as CAEA, ACTRA, AEA, SAG or AFTRA.

Voice Teaching

Sarah Weatherwax Voice Teaching

Bio

Click To Learn More...

Private Lessons

Retreats

Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events

People Are Saying...

Private Lessons

Retreats

Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events

Contact Sarah

People Are
Saying...