DIRECTORY OF CERTIFIED LESSAC TEACHERS & PRACTITIONERS

 

DIRECTORY ORGANIZED BY STATE

 

MEMBERS: Please visit our form to revise your profile.

 

LESSAC CERTIFIED TRAINER DIRECTORY

This designation indicates that the individual has been certified by the Lessac Training and Research Institute®, having demonstrated proficiency as a teacher of the Lessac voice and body work.

 
 

LESSAC PRACTITIONERS DIRECTORY

This designation indicates that the individual has demonstrated self-reliant application of the Lessac voice and body work in his/her personal/professional life.

 

NORTH EAST STATES
 
Connecticut
DEBORAH COONEY
PRACTITIONER
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Delaware

Maine

Maryland
NANCY KREBS  
MASTER TEACHER, CERTIFIED TRAINER
48 Gambrills Road   Baltimore School for the Arts
Severn, Maryland 21144   712 Cathedral St.
Tel: 410-987-4861   Baltimore, MD 21201
Fax: 410-729-0408

OR

Tel: (410) 396-8378
Email: nkrebsbj@aol.com   Fax: (410) 539-1430
Website: www.nancykrebs.com    
     
Degrees:
B.A. in Theatre
Certificate from Lessac Institute
Masters Certificate LTRI
 
Current Affiliation:
Baltimore School for the Arts, Voiceworks Studio
 
Training:
Graduate work in Lessac Training (Dallas Theater Center)
Certificate workshop 1992
Masters training with Arthur Lessac and Sue Ann Park
 
Work Experience:
Co-Director Summer Intensive Workshops with Master Teacher Deb Kinghorn 2006-to present
Voice Methods Workshop 2008 (Manhattan Marymount, NYC)
Voice Methods Workshop 2005 (William & Mary College)
Baltimore Theatre Alliance workshops 2000-2005
Baltimore School for the Arts Theatre Faculty 1981-to present
Associate Director Summer Intensive Workshop with Sue Ann Park 2000-2004
Faculty: Lessac Summer Intensive workshops 1995-2009
Director, One Week Introductory Workshop, University of Mary Washington 2007
Co-Director, Lessac One-Week Introductory Workshop with Master Teacher Barry Kur 2005
Washington Performing Arts Society Voice Workshop 2005
Denver Center for the Arts Conservatory Intro Workshop, 2005
Dialect and Vocal coach for numerous professional theatre productions at Everyman Theatre, The Olney Theatre Center, The Bay Theatre Company, The Washington Theatre Alliance, and the Baltimore School for the Arts
 
Areas of Specialization:
Voice Development (singing and speaking), accent reduction, dialect/vocal coaching, monologue coaching
 
Professional Organizations
AEA, SAG, AFTRA, BMI, VASTA, NARAS (National Assocation of Recording Arts & Sciences)
 
Personal Statement
I love this work. I wouldn't use any other approach to voice and body training. It has served me well as an actor and a singer since the first time I was introduced to it in Graduate school at the Dallas Theater Center. I have used it in my professional life as a performer, and I have taught it exclusively since 1981, and have never found any problem that couldn't be solved with this work!
 

Massachusetts

New Hampshire
DEBORAH A. KINGHORN
MASTER TEACHER, CERTIFIED TRAINER
Department of Theatre and Dance
University of New Hampshire
30 College Rd.
Durham, NH 03824
Tel: (603) 862-1963
Fax: (603) 862-0298
Email: deb.kinghorn@unh.edu
 
Degrees:
BA, SUNY at Fredonia
MFA, Trinity University in San Antonio
 
Current Affiliation:
University of New Hampshire
 
Training:
BA, SUNY at Fredonia
MFA Trinity University, San Antonio
Member, Dallas Theatre Center Resident Company of Artists, 1980-83
Lessac Summer Intensive Workshop, 1984, with Arthur Lessac, Sue Ann Park, Dick Cuyler and Libby Roman
Two-week Text Workshop, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, 1994, with David Carey, Central School for Speech and Drama
 
Work Experience:
Instructor, Lessac Intensive Summer Workshops, 2001-present
Company Voice and Text Coach, Alley Theatre, 1994-2000
Numerous coaching positions with Stages Theatre and Theatre LaB Houston, and with the Houston Shakespeare Festival
Private coaching for actors, singers, and corporate clients, also extensive dialect training and coaching experience
 
Areas of Specialization:
Voice, Speech, Text, Dialects
 
Professional Organizations
Lessac Training and Research Institute (LTRI); Voice and Speech Trainers Association, (VASTA); Actors Equity Association (AEA); Shakespeare Theatre of America Association, (STAA)
 
Personal Statement
I believe the best voice work comes from a holistic approach to teaching, incorporating vocal, physical, intellectual, imaginative and emotional explorations. No two students are alike; therefore, it is important to know many ways to approach voice work, and to honor all methods regardless of differences of approach. I want to instill in my students a love of language and of sound, and a fearlessness in approaching any role. I want them to believe in their unique potential and encourage them to pursue excellence with enthusiasm.
 

New Jersey

New York
ELTON BECKETT
PRACTITIONER
Speech, Theatre and Media Studies
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
899 Tenth Avenue, 336T
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 212-237-8358
Email: ebeckett@jjay.cuny.edu
 
Degrees:
M.F.A. in Acting, Actor's Studio Drama School
B.A., University of Virginia
 
Current Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY
 
Training:
British American Drama Academy, Oxford, England
Wynn Handman (Am.Place Theatre-NYC)
Terry Schreiber (T. Schreiber Studio NYC)
Linda Carroll/William Riley (voice,speech,singing, IPA)NYC
 
Workshops Attended:
Lessac Intensives (2000& 2001)w/Arthur Lessac/Sue Ann Park/Nancy Krebs/Deb Kinghorn
Dudley Knight "Detail Model"(2003)
Joy of Phonetics/Bringing Speech to Life Workshop/Louis Colaianni
  
Work Experience:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice Long Island University -Brooklyn New York
University-Tisch - CAP21 Studio School for Film and Television (NYC)
Extensive national on-camera and voiceover commercial employment
Extensive experience in contemporary/classical stage acting
 
Workshops Presented:
Auditioning for the Professional Actor
The Business of Acting - Getting the Job Voice for the Actor Public Speaking Power
Private Voice Studio in NYC for training of the professional voice user
 
Areas of Specialization:
Acting, Actor Training, Voice, Speech, ESL & Accent reduction, Movement for the Actor
 
Professional Organizations
Actor's Equity (AEA) American Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Amer.Fed. of Television and Radio (AFTRA) Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Voice and Speech Trainers Assn. (VASTA)
 
Personal Statement
I use the Lessac Approach as the foundation in training both with actors and with clients in private studio. Guiding students toward self through the physcial, full body awareness and experience of sound production and articulation eventually leads to an actor on stage who is most effective in communication skill and prepared to trust in the moment. Ease of communication is stressed through optimal use of the entire instrument as the ultimate goal in all contexts.
 

SEAN TURNER
CERTIFIED TRAINER
69 Bennett Ave #601
New York, NY 10033
Tel: (917) 576-2779
Email: Sturn4023@aol.com
 
Degrees:
B.A.; M.A.; M.S
 
Current Affiliation:
University at Buffalo, School of Education (Literacy, Ph.D candidate)
Passages Academy, Alternative High School Serving Incarcerted/Pre-Adjudicated Youth, New York City Department of Education (Director of Literacy Programs)
 
Training:
Theatre Arts (Directing, University of Oklahoma). Theatre Arts (Dramatic Lit, California State University, San Bernardino). Lessac Summer Intensives (1995; 1996; 1999); Certified, 2004. Areas of Directing (Clifford Reed, 1997-1999); Performance (Leonard Meenach; Eric Morris, 1994-1997); Educational & Social Justice (Augusto Boal, 1999)
 
Work Experience:
Artistic Director, Performing and Visual Arts-Virtual School, Passages Academy- Information Technology High School, NYC, 2005-2007. Teacher, English Language Arts and Drama, Passages Academy, 2001-2005; Educational Director, Princeton Shakespeare Repertory Company Educational Programs, 2001.
 
Areas of Specialization:
Voice, Literacy (Multi-Modality), Performance & Critical Studies, Directing, Identity work, Animation-Virtual Performance.
 
Professional Organizations
Lessac Institute (Board Member, 2004-Present), California Education Theatre Association, Southwest Education Theatre Association, American Education Research Association, Council for Exceptional Children, New York State Incarcerated Educational Council, New Jersey Incarcerated Educational Council, New York State Arts in Correctional Education Network (New York State Council of the Arts)
 
Personal Statement
 

Pennsylvania
NAOMI HATSFELT BAKER
CERTIFIED TRAINER
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Tel: 570-793-1755
Email: naomihats@hotmail.com
 
Degrees(s):
MFA in Acting - The Ohio State Univ.
BA in Theatre Arts - McNeese State Univ.
 
Current Affiliation:
Wilkes University
 
Training:
Lessac Summer Intensive 2001 & 2004 with Sue Ann Park, Nancy Krebs, Deb Kinghorn, and Barry Kurr.
Lessac Inaugural Teacher Training Workshop 2005 One-week intensive with Nancy Krebs and Barry Kurr held at DePauw University.
Fitzmaurice Training with Phil Thompson Belt and Legit Singing with Nancy Evers (New York)
Legit Singing with Dewin Tibbs, Dr. Patrick Woliver, Dr. Russell Mathis, Marlene Runnells
Alexander Technique with Bill Conable
Master Teacher Program 2005 Two-day teaching intensive presented by Dr. Harvey Brightman at UAB.
 
Work Experience:
Miss Alabama USA Vocal/Dialect coach on numerous productions.
Work with private and corporate clients on voice and speech issues.
Workshop Presenter in Lessac System of Voice and Speech.
Workshop Presenter in Audition Technique.
 
Areas of Specialization:
Voice, Speech, Text, Acting, Movement
 
Professional Organizations:
VASTA, ATHE, AEA, Lessac Institute
 
Personal Statement
I use the Lessac System of voice and speech training. I believe that voice and speech, movement and acting are so closely interrelated that one cannot teach them in isolation. Therefore, I use a holistic approach in all of my teaching efforts. I endeavor to create a safe environment for my students and clients to experiment and grow.

DIANE GAARY
CERTIFIED TRAINER
120 E. Montgomery Ave., Apt. 407
Ardmore, PA 19003
Tel: 610-642-8267
email: DGaary@aol.com
Certified Lessac Trainer
 

BARRY KUR
MASTER TEACHER, CERTIFIED TRAINER
Penn State University School of Theatre
116 Arts Building
University Park, PA 16802
Tel: 814-863-1453
Fax: 814-865-5754
Email: bxk1@psu.edu
 
Current Affiliation:
Penn State University School of Theatre, Associate Director/Professor of Theatre
Theatre Voice/Speech Specialist for MFA-Acting and BFA-Muscial Theatre and BA Acting programs
Lessac Training and Research Institute, Workshop Instructor
 
Professional Training
Lessac Certified Trainer (1977)
 
Work Experience:
Voice, speech, text and dialect actor training and theatrical production coaching. Also, training of professionals in business, education, media; large group and/or individual instruction. Author of STAGE DIALECT STUDIES: A CONTINUATION OF THE LESSAC APPROACH TO ACTOR VOICE AND SPEECH TRAINING.
 
Professional Organizations
Lessac Training and Research Institute: President, Director of Certification Voice and Speech Trainers Associations (VASTA): Past-President, Associate Editor of VASTA Voice and Speech Review (Ethics, Standards and Practices)
 
Personal Statement
I teach to promote self-reliant awareness of one's voice and body. In addition to providing the necessary preparation for actors entering the profession, I strive to share the personal excitement I find in the work and to empower my students to find their own excitement.
 

LAURIE MUFSON
CERTIFIED TRAINER
300 East Seminary
Mercersburg, PA 17236
Tel: 717-328-6177
Fax: 717-328-6224
Email: mufsonl@mercersburg.edu
 
Degrees:
BA Beloit College
MFA George Washington University
 
Current Affiliation:
Chair Fine Arts Department, Director of Theatre Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg PA
 
Training:
BA Beloit College
MFA George Washington University
Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre
Bill Esper
Lessac Institute Summer Intensives studied with Arthur Lessac, Sue Ann Park, Nancy Krebs
Theatre of the Oppressed workshops and conferences with Agusto Boal
 
Work Experience:
Director of Theatre : Garrison Forest School, Bullis School
Adjunct professor: American University
Workshops Imagine Action Mercesburg Academy Summer Programs
Lessasc For You Lessasc Institute at Merceresburg Academy
Many workshops anad cnference sessions for ATHE, EdTA, AATE
Artistic Director Potomac Theatre Company
Directed for Source Theatre and American Century Theatre
 
Areas of Specialization:
Acting, Voice, Directing, Working with the Adolescent Actor, Theatre for Social Change
 
Professional Organizations:
AFTRA, SAG, ATHE, AATE, VASTA, Lessac Institute
 

SUE ANN PARK  
SENIOR MASTER TEACHER, CERTIFIED TRAINER
Associate Professor Emerita
Binghamton University
Program Director, Lessac Workshops
White Horse Village, G-111
535 Gradyville Rd.
Newtown Square, PA 19073
Tel: (610) 558-1304
Fax: (610) 558-5001
Email: saypark111@aol.com
 
Degrees:
MFA, Yale School of Drama
BS Syracuse Univesity (Speech & Drama)
 
Professional Training
Senior Lessac Master Teacher
MFA Yale University School of Drama
BS Syracuse University, Speech & Drama
American theater Wing, NYC
Shakespeare Institute, Stratford on Avon, England
 
Professional Organizations
VASTA, AEA (Honorable withdrawal)
 

KITTIE VERDOLINI, Ph. D., CCC-SLP
CERTIFIED TRAINER
Associate Professor, Communication Science & Disorders
University of Pittsburgh
4033 Forbes Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412-383-6544
Fax: 412-383-6555
Email: kittie@csd.pitt.edu
 
Professional Training
Vocal performance training with Dr. Arthur Lessac, Dr. Mark Madsen 
B.S. German/Italian, Indiana University
M.A. (Equiv) Italian Letters, Universita' Di Ferrara, Italy
M.A. Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University
Ph.D. Cognitive Science, Washington University. 
Website through www.shrs.pitt.edul; Communication Science and Disorders; Faculty.
 
Current Teaching Capacity
Voice disorders, advanced voice science, cognitive science, evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders.
 
Professional Organizations
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, International Society for Women in Cognitive Neuroscience, APA, VASTA, American Association of University Professors, International Association of Laryngectomies (Instructor), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Division­Voice
 
Personal Statement
Voice: Mirror of soul. Our work is critical to human expression. Now in the year 2000, centuries-old performing arts traditions converge with modern molecular, medical, surgical and behavioral sciences to help us maximize the potential of the human voice. It's an exciting time to work with the voice and to hear and feel its unique glory in every person's path we cross.
 

Rhode Island
ANN MARIE JODOIN, Ph. D.
CERTIFIED TRAINER
194 Waterman Street
Providence R.I. 02906
Tel: 860-303-2842
Fax: 860-376-6313
Email: annmarie@sound-american.com
Website: www.sound-american.com
 
Degrees:
MA PhD
 
Current Affiliation:
Brown University
Professional Communique Consultants
 
Training:
Arthur Lessac
 
Work Experience:
Brown University
Pfizer Corporation
 
Areas of Specialization:
English Fluency Accent Reduction for non-native speakers Public Speaking for non-native speakers
 
Professional Organizations:
VASTA,British Voice Association, Women in Communications, Lessac Institute, Women in Higher Education Association
 
Personal Statement:
"Committed to improving international communication and training development."
 

Vermont

Virginia
HELEN M. HOUSLEY
CERTIFIED TRAINER
2615 Bayard Drive
Reston, VA 20191
Tel: (540) 654-1983
Fax: (540) 654-1983
Email: hhousley@umw.edu
 
Degrees:
M.A., Ph.D.
 
Current Affiliation:
University of Mary Washington
 
Training:
Lessac Summer Intensive (2003) -- Sue Ann Park, Deb Kinghorn, Nancy Krebs
Lessac Summer Intensive (2006) -- Deb Kinghorn, Kathleen Dunn
Lessac Teach Training Workshop (2007) -- Nancy Krebs, Barry Kur
Lessac One-Week Introductory Workshop (2007) -- Nancy Krebs, Kate Ingram
 
Areas of Specialization:
Voice and Body, Directing, Theatre History
 
Professional Organizations
VASTA, ATHE

 


MELISSA HURT
PRACTITIONER
7510 C Snowpea Ct
Alexandria, VA 22306
Phone: 703-254-8581
Email: melissahurt@hotmail.com
 
Degrees(s):
PhD in Theatre Arts, University of Oregon (Dissertation: "Lessac's Kinsensics: An Embodied Acting Practice Via Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenal Body"), 2009
MFA in Theatre Pedagogy-Directing, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003
BA in Theater, George Mason University, 1998
 
Current Affiliation:
Freelance
 
Training:
2009 Teacher Training, Nancy Krebs and Barry Kur
2007 Summer Intensive, Deb Kinghorn, Nancy Krebs, Arthur Lessac
2006 Summer Intensive, Deb Kinghorn and Kathy Dunn
2004 Movement and Music workshop with the Grand Noh Company of Japan, Chicago, Illinois
 2002 Voice and Body Workshop with Arthur Lessac at Virginia Commonwealth University
 
Work Experience:
Guest Lecturer, University of Oregon, Acting I 2009
Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Oregon teaching Acting I, Theatre History II and assistant teaching voice, 2005-2008
Instructor of Speech and Drama at Dodge City Community College, 2004-2005
Adjunct Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University teaching Public Speaking and Effective Speech for Business and Professions, 2001-2003
 
Select Workshops and Papers Presented::
2009 "Go With the Flow: Yogic Acting for Presence Onstage and Off," Workshop Leader, KC/ACTF Region I conference, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
2009 “ ‘It’s So-o-o Easy!’ Lessac’s Kinesensic Voice and Body for Everyday Living," Workshop Leader, KC/ACTF Region I conference, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
2008 “Laying the Foundation for Lessac’s Kinesensics via Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenal Body,” Conference Paper, Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy (ASCP), Auckland, New Zealand **Peer-reviewed
2008 "'It's So-o-o Easy!',Lessac's Kinesensic Voice and Body for Everyday Living," KC/ACTF Region I, Fitchburg, Mass
2008 "Situating Lessac Body Work with Popular Actor Movement Training," Conference Paper, Lessac Conference
2008 "Situating the Lessac Work Within Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research," Co-Chair of Panel Discussion, Lessac Conference
 
Areas of Specialization:
I love to work with text exploration using kinesensics to explore subtext.

I teach movement and voice as they pertain to acting and everyday living for clear, expressive and dynamic communication.

I am interested in how Lessac's kinesensics can aid in exploring acting styles throughout the times.

I believe Lessac's kinesensics is an embodied acting practice that develops the bodymind through heightened self-awareness. This work builds on the actor's relationship with space, others and textual exploration such that she creates meaning through the sensory biofeedback circuitry of the bodymind.

 
Professional Organizations:
Lessac Institute; Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc (VASTA); Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE); American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS); Associate of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC); Equity Member Candidate
 
Personal Statement
I believe the body is a dynamic, ever-changing organic system containing all the information one needs to explore text and character. Whether for performance onstage or communication in everyday life, kinesensics encourage a better understanding of one's "inner environment" to explore health, wellness, and expression in the moment. Lessac's voice and body "feeling process" empowers one to navigate a myriad of opportunities to ensure clear and dynamic expression.

FRED NELSON  
CERTIFIED TRAINER
Freelance theater artist (actor, director, voice coach, workshop teacher)
PO Box 952
Staunton, VA 24402
Tel: 540-885-5184
Email: sfnelson@lisco.net
 
Professional Training
MFA Acting, University of Arizona-Tucson, Arizona
Certified Instructor of Lessac Voice, Speech and Body Training
 
Professional Organizations
AEA, SAG, AFTRA, VASTA
 
Personal Statement
Freelance theater artist with more than twenty years of professional experience (actor, director, voice coach, workshop teacher, playwright
 
Biography
Fred Nelson is an Associate Artistic Director and Resident Voice Coach for Shenandoah Shakespeare in Staunton, Virginia. Shenandoah Shakespeare's Blackfriars Playhouse is the world's only re-creation of this Elizabethan theatre which was owned and used by The King's Men (of which Shakespeare was a company member). This season Fred directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona and was assistant director for The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Much Ado About Nothing, and Tartuffe. He is also playing Goucester in this season's production of King Lear. Previously for Shenandoah Shakespeare Fred has directed or Co-directed The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Christmas Carol, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, and Much Ado About Nothing. He earned his M.F.A. degree in Theatre from the University of Arizona and is a certified teacher of Lessac Voice, Speech, and Body Training. A member of the Actors' Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Fred has worked as an actor in theatre, film, and television. He has taught at Central College, Iowa (where he coordinated two Lessac 6 week summer workshops), New Mexico State University, and the University of Arizona. Currently he teaches acting/voice in the Mary Baldwin College/Shenandoah Shakespeare M.Litt/M.F.A. program.

 


West Virginia
WILLIAM EARL NOONE III
CERTIFIED TRAINER
PO Box 14
Glen Ferris, WV 25090
Tel: 304-632-0003
Email: williamnoone@hotmail.com
 
Degrees:
Ed.D., CFA, BA,, MA
 
Current Affiliation:
Currently returned to US to rebuild my home and care for my 80 year old Mother...Maintain online aid to my private students.
 
Training:
Arthur Lessac since 1964 when I was at SMU ... Colonnades Theatre Lab founding member with Michael Lessac and 8 years in China as a professor where all disciplines where centered from the Lessac work.
 
Work Experience:
Request Resume
 
 
Areas of Specialization:
Motivation of NRG in the human growth environment.
 
Professional Organizations:
Awarded 4 teaching honors in China as well as Shanghai Police Department Teacher Trainer and a State Gift.
 
Personal Statement:

Live in the Spirit of the System and learn to adapt, adjust, and don't complain!


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