Voice Teaching
Sarah Weatherwax 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 and Brock University. She has done on-set acting coaching, lots of audition coaching and 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.
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.
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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 so the client can review and
Retreats
Sarah is now accepting applications for the Voice Retreat for Actors in Fall of 2023! Read on for details about this very special weekend at a lakefront location in Ontario’s cottage country!
Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events
Sarah posts all her upcoming workshops here, you are looking in the right place! Read on for info about 2023 voice classes.
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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 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
Sarah is now accepting applications for the Voice Retreat for Actors in Fall of 2023! Read on for details about this very special weekend at a lakefront location in Ontario's cottage country!
Fall Voice Retreat for Actors
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. Non-performers are welcome to enquire ! Very limited enrollment. Private accommodations and plant-forward meals included.
Not only is the landscape stunning - with 27 acres of forest and hiking trails with contemplative wooden huts scattered throughout – but the quiet lakefront (no motorized boats) beckons with kayaks and canoes. In the off-hours you can relax by the firepit outside or play ping-pong inside. Enjoy the hot tub or the screened in porch. Sit by the wood-burning fireplace or read in the library.
Learn many exercises to release your specific vocal blocks and continue developing your voice long after this special weekend. Exercises taught will include everything from spinal alignment and breath awareness, to tongue, jaw, soft palate work, resonators and range. Quick exercises to do right before auditions and work will be highlighted. Participants will select a short piece of text to check in with before and after warm-ups. Individual coachings will be offered throughout the weekend.
Whether you are a stage, screen or voice actor, this work will help you access your talent. With a free voice, actors become better at listening fully to their scene partners and their own instincts, learning dialects, and being transformed by text, character, and imagined circumstances.
This retreat is designed for actors, but non-actors are absolutely welcome ! This discipline was born in the world of actor-training and has spread around the globe with some of the most famous actors having studied with my teacher Kristin Linklater. However, voice teachers and their clients have discovered numerous benefits to a freer voice that spill over into well-being, creativity & productivity. These 'ripple effects' are hugely beneficial to anyone.
Artists who do not use their voices directly, such as writers & composers, have found a new freedom and ease in their work after a voice warm-up. When the speaking voice is freed, talent & creativity is freed.
And working on voice helps non-artists access vocal clarity and confidence. This freedom can lead to better memo-writing & problem solving skills; improved meeting & department management; and better public speaking & interview skills.
When: Fri. Sept. 15, 2023 (arrival 4PM ET) to Sun., Sept. 17, 2023. (2PM ET departure)
Where: Kingfisher Bay Retreat Centre, North Kawartha, Ontario. (Approx. 2 hour drive from Toronto, 5 hours from Montreal.)
Fee: $785 CAD incl. tax by E-transfer. $790 CAD incl. tax by PayPal.
Discount Price for members of Straeon Acting Studios or recognized Actors' Unions: $750 CAD incl. tax by E-transfer. $755 CAD incl. tax by PayPal. Proof of current membership expected before discount applied.
Only one union/studio discount per person.
Payments go to: sweatherwax@rogers.com
Additional $25 Early Bird discount ! The Early Bird discount may be combined with the Union/Straeon discount, for a total discount of $60 CAD ! To qualify, apply & send deposit by May 15, 2023.
Apply & Register: email sweatherwax@rogers.com. Note 'Voice Retreat, 2023' on the subject line. Include a few lines about the reason(s) for your interest in the retreat, mention applicable discounts. Actors, send resume. Please pay after Sarah has responded to your email.
Deadline: Once accepted, reserve your spot with a non-refundable deposit of $200 by July 15, 2023. Although deposits are non-refundable, they are transferrable, but the new participant must re-apply with an email of interest. *Applicants welcome after this deadline, pending availability.*
Includes all meals & snacks - Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, plant-forward - and private accommodations for 2 nights. Dietary accommodations for participants with severe food allergies and for Celiacs will be made. There may be a possibility of shared accommodations at a discounted price once the minimum number of participants have enrolled.
What to bring: Yoga mat or blanket, lots of flexible, comfortable clothing, light footwear or non-slippy socks, a journal, coloured pencils or markers...
What to prepare: Text details will be reviewed with each person once accepted.
*Feel free to email any questions. Or to request a free phone or zoom consult.*
Teacher Bio: Sarah has taught voice for the actor in numerous studios and schools, including Shakespeare & Company in Mass., Straeon Acting Studios in Toronto, Montreal & Boston and Brock University. She has extensive experience as a theatre & voice actor. She does private voice/audition coaching & on-set vocal coaching in Toronto, where she lives with her family. She was the grateful recipient of a generous grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to complete her training with the internationally renowned Kristin Linklater in 2003.
In 2018, she taught a communication skills class for critical care doctors at a major Toronto hospital. In May, 2019, Sarah attended a Continued Professional Development course at the Kristin Linklater Voice Centre in Scotland with an international group of established teachers. In 2020, she recorded the audiobook, UNDER THE BRIDGE, for Fernwood Press. In 2021, she was the voice coach & director for The Shoe Project for the second time. She continues to coach actors and non-actors individually on-line & in-person and she offers on-line group classes for actors from around the world on a regular basis.
A free voice leans our bodies towards health, our minds toward clarity,
our voices toward sincerity and our souls toward creativity.
“Sarah’s Voice and Text class is transformational. Through the 8 weeks, 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 - Voice & Text, 2021
“V&T has had a great impact on my voice. Sarah’s guidance through Zoom is amazing. 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 – Voice & Text, 2021
Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Events
Sarah posts all her upcoming workshops here, you are looking in the right place! Read on for info about 2023 voice classes.
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Pay What You Can Voice Classes
Spring, 2023
These PWYC voice classes are offered in support of under-employed actors & singers, but are open to anyone. If you have never worked on your voice and are curious, this is a good way to explore your speaking voice without a big commitment.
No previous voice training required. Great review and refresher for experienced performers too.
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.
On-line, live participation by way of Zoom. Relaxed, professional environment.
Five PWYC classes this Spring offered on the final Thursday of each month.
Enjoy an easy-going voice class on:
Thursday, Feb. 23, 5 to 7PM ET
Thursday, March 30, 5 to 7PM ET
Thursday, April 27, 5 to 7PM ET
Thursday, May 25, 5 to 7PM ET
Thursday, June 29, 5 to 7PM ET
Register & pay: No sooner than one week in advance, send a brief email with your name and the date of the class you would like to attend. Then make a payment no later than one hour before the class start time. Once you register & pay, you will receive an email with all the details and the Zoom link.
These classes are not continuous, they are stand-alone classes. Please register and pay for each one separately.
Payments accepted by E-transfer from Canadian clients and by PayPal from international clients.
Payments go to: sweatherwax@rogers.com
Class Price: Pay What You Can ! Suggested – $10 to $20 CAD by E-transfer, $5 more by PayPal.
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VOICE & TEXT
with Designated Linklater Voice Teacher
Sarah Weatherwax
Develop your talent, meet like-minded people, feel good about your voice.
Although this class is well-suited to those with previous experience of Linklater voice work, it is also a very approachable introduction to this world-renowned method for those with little or no previous voice training. Non-performers are welcome to enquire. Relaxed, professional environment 🙂
8 consecutive Wednesday afternoons from 1PM to 4PM ET, beginningApril 26, 2023. Online, live participation class by way of Zoom.
All sections of the actors' warm-up will be touched on 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).
Text coaching is part of this class too. 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. This work encourages inner relaxation and outer activation of the body's musculature at the same time, leaving you ready for work. Whether you are a stage, screen, voice actor or any combination, this class has something for you. Vocal freedom means more choices in your acting. Let your voice go where the text takes it.
A free voice leads to an open readiness for acting, making real listening and emotional accessibility easier, instinctive responses quicker and physical and vocal transformation more believable.
The structure of this class is simple. There is enough time to teach - with some integrity - a practice-able approach to each section of the work. There is time to work with people individually on deepening their vocal connection to text so their acting becomes more instinctive. And time is allowed for the organic, spontaneous ebb & flow of a class in the performing arts. Every moment is a collaborative, creative act.
“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: April 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31. June 7 & 14. Wednesdays, 1PM to 4PM ET.
Registration: E-mail Sarah a brief note of interest with your resume and mention applicable discounts. Please pay afterSarah has responded to your email.
Payments: Accepted by E-transfer from Canadian clients and by PayPal from international clients. Price includes tax & PayPal fees. Payments go to sweatherwax@rogers.com
Deadline: Please register & pay by April 19. Enrollment is limited.
**Inquiries welcome until class start date, pending availability.**
Class Price: Canadians, $375 CAD by E-transfer. International, $380 CAD by PayPal.
*Discount Price, ACTRA/CAEA/Straeon/Repeat V & T students: Canadians, $350 CAD by E-transfer. International, $355 CAD by PayPal.
*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 applies.*
Brief Bio: Sarah has taught voice for the actor for almost 20 years, working at numerous studios & schools including Brock University, Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts, Straeon Acting Studios in Toronto, Montreal & Boston and Meisner Academie in the Netherlands.
Sarah Weatherwax - Member CAEA/ACTRA/VASTA
E-mail sweatherwax@rogers.com any questions or to request a free consult.
“Sarah’s Voice and Text class is transformational. Through the 8 weeks, 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.
Free your voice. Free your talent. Free yourself.
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Some general notes about group online voice classes.
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.
Usually Sarah offers fall and spring classes but the schedule 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.
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.