Dialects, Voice, & Speech
Deric McNish teaches courses in voice, speech, and dialects. As a Senior Editor of the International Dialects of English Archive, the internet's most accessed resource for actors studying dialects, Deric contributes, analyzes, and edits authentic recordings from global sources. Deric is a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork.
Recent professional dialect coaching includes A Miracle on South Division Street for The Williamston Theatre, an Equity theatre in mid-Michigan, as well as the Equity production of Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys, produced by The Wharton Center. In New York City, Deric coached various Equity Workshops, Fringe productions, and a new musical by Michael Kooman.
From NYTheatre Magazine: "The actors' execution of the countless accents is spot-on, thanks to Deric McNish's dialect coaching." Eagle Squadron, Go! was performed at the New York International Fringe Festival.
One of his primary responsibilities at Michigan State University is to teach voice, speech, and dialect courses to all undergraduate and graduate actors. He also coaches department productions and serves as a resource for students. Recent coaching at MSU includes Punk Rock, 60/50 Theatre Project, And Away We Go, William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead, and Peter Pan. Other academic coaching includes voice coaching Marisol at the University of Colorado Boulder, dialect coaching for regional productions, and conducting workshops throughout Michigan.
His approach to voice, speech, and dialects is eclectic. He draws from his experience as a performer and director, as well as training from master teachers including Catherine Fitzmaurice, Louis Colaianni, David Smukler, and Beth McGee. As a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork, Deric's teaching is informed by the latest developments in science and technology. His goal is always to train the holistic actor, focusing on the vital interconnectedness of dialect to character, sound to movement, and breath to thought and emotion. His actors receive in-depth training in the physiology of vocal production and vocal health, work towards releasing tensions that inhibit full-body sound, learn phonetics using Colaianni's innovative process, and deepen their connection to character through the window of their vocal instrument. They explore the connection between breath, thought, language, and emotion. They apply their skills in voice, speech, and dialects to projects on stage, screen, and in the recording booth.
