The Power of Voice with Leith McPherson

In this episode Bronte Charlotte is joined by the incomparable Leith McPherson, a world-renowned voice and dialect coach, acting teacher, and sometimes-director. During this discussion we delve into Leith’s history training as an actor and moving to London to study her Postgraduate degree in Voice at Central School of Speech and Drama. We chat about prejudice, and how learned beliefs can impact an audience's perception of character, language, accent and realism. We chat about Task mode vs. Approval mode, it’s life changing effects on both mental health and perceptions of the world around you

 During this episode we discuss:

• [02:18] Living in New Zealand for lockdown, and realising that even as an anxious human Leith has moved several times to different continents and started again from scratch, seeking the next exciting thing.
• [06:41] Growing up in Queensland, the beginning of Leith’s journey in the arts, knowing within herself that acting was not right for her and her temperament and her mental health and having to make the decision to cease acting.
• [10:48] Moving to London alone to study the Postgraduate Voice course at Central School of Speech and Drama, the best year of Leiths life to date.
• [14:43] The very first job Leith had lined up after graduation and how it all fell to pieces, the unnecessary pressure of Showcase and just how much it truly doesn’t define your career, persistence as a key ingredient to success, and giving yourself wholeheartedly to everything you do.
• [20:15] Leith’s crazy experience ‘interviewing’ for Once the Musical, and ending up running two 2 hour long accent workshops – IN ACCENT! How Leith snapped up her role as vocal coach for Melbourne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the power of first impressions.
• [24:44] Mimicking voices as a kid, realising that people would think you were different if you changed your voice, how our idea of what places should sound like impacts the perception of audiences and enhances our continued programming by society.
• [35:56] Task Mode vs Approval Mode and how deeply it changed both of our lives, the impact our perceptions have on our mental health, and Leith’s observation of actors on set re-auditioning for the role they already have due to being in Approval Mode.
• [45:36] Bronte’s experience of switching into Task Mode, taking care of yourself and being kind to yourself because you are your own companion in life

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Follow our host Bronte Charlotte on Instagram @bronteandsunshine

Follow this week's guest Leith McPherson on Twitter @leithmcp