US ACCENT
Cost: $450
Dates: Thursday 21 July – Thursday 22 September
Times: Thursdays 7-9pm
Duration: 10 weeks
Teachers: Barbara Hastings
Location: Information and Cultural Exchange, 8 Victoria Road Parramatta.
Course overview:
Is your American Accent ready for your next audition? Have you been meaning to ‘do something’ about your US accent for a while now? Has your American accent (or lack thereof) been keeping you from getting jobs and/or an agent? Does doing a US accent scare the pants off of you?
Fear not! This American Accent course will give you what you need to breathe easy and achieve American accent authenticity.
Outcomes:
In a fun, safe yet challenging atmosphere, students will:
- Learn specific American sounds that differ from their natural accent
- Refine those sounds according to their unique, according to individual learning style(s)
- Gain access to American accent resources to keep working on their American sound
- Train their ear to hear the distinctions in regional American accents
- Learn how to expedite their accent progress through a variety of methods
Learn to merge acting technique with accent work to sound more authentic - Learn to stay on point with the US accent in emotionally challenging scenes
- Refine their American voice toward more authenticity
- Prepare and perform scenes and other material in American accent
- Be able to use Barbara’s years of experience as a coach and actor to boost their career
- Ditch the agony of perfectionism and find joy in your unique American accent!
The Teacher
Barbara Hastings is a highly experienced, sought-after dialect coach and actor, specializing in US accents for the film, TV and stage industry. A native of Santa Barbara, California (yes, she is really Barbara from Santa Barbara), Barbara completed a BA in Theatre Arts from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, and an MFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Arizona, Tucson. She was a Graduate Teaching Assistant at U of A, where she taught acting for over two years. After a 13 year stint in London as an actor, singer and voiceover artist, Barbara dragged her Aussie/British husband back to Sydney in 2005, where she’s lived since. Barbara finessed her unique and comprehensive approach to dialect and dialogue coaching teaching at TAFTA in Sydney and Melbourne, Parramatta Actors Centre, The Pulse, other institutions, and over 600 hours of coaching over the past 17 years. Her professional dialogue/dialect coaching credits include the NBC/UNIVERSAL TV series YOUNG ROCK, seasons 1 and 2, and JOE vs. CAROLE, feature films EVERYTHING INBETWEEN, CHRISTMAS DOWN UNDER, BLUE WORLD ORDER, TERMINUS, short films DAMAGE CONTROL, 12.12.12, MRS. COX’S LIFE HACKS and more. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the authenticity of the accents across the board on TERMINUS, thanks to Barbara’s work. A talented and dependable actor in her own right who has painstakingly learned an authentic Aussie sound, Barbara is frequently asked to appear in the projects she coaches, in a variety of accents. So she understands first-hand the challenges of working in dialect, from both sides of the camera. Barbara is represented by Gary Jones International.
Important information:
- Please read our Centre Policies.
- Please wear comfortable loose clothing and appropriate footwear.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have no acting experience. Which course is the most suitable for me?
PAC welcomes students from all acting backgrounds; from those who have never acted before to those who are signed to agencies.
For those with no acting experience, we recommend our Acting for Beginners course.
Do you offer weekend classes?
At this stage, we do not offer weekend classes for adults.
Do you offer free trial classes?
We do not offer a free trial class as such as we feel it can distract the flow of learning for existing students.
What we do offer however is an invitation to prospective students o attend the last class of term. This will give them the opportunity to see, first-hand, the class in action.
PAC is also proud to offer a 100% money-back guarantee on all classes. Should you not enjoy the first lesson of a term (we’re pretty confident you will though!), then we will happily refund the full amount of the course.
Does PAC offer payment plans?
PAC's policy is that full payment is to be made before the commencement of a course. We are happy, however, to discuss a payment plan with a student who might be experiencing temporary financial hardship.
How many students are there in each class?
We like to keep our class sizes quite low so as to guarantee personalised attention for each student.
Our maximum class sizes are as follows:
Acting for Beginners, Improvisation - max. 15 students
Scene Study, Screen Acting - max. 12 students
Note: A class will not go ahead unless there is a minimum of 6 students enrolled. On the rare occasion that a class has to be cancelled due to low numbers, paid students will be notified in advance.
What should I wear to class?
We encourage all students to wear loose and comfortable clothing to all lessons so as to free their ability to move and explore.
I'm running late to a class. What should I do?
In the event of running late to a class, please call the centre on 1300 828 144 and inform management. Alternatively, send an email to info@13.210.12.134.
I can’t make class. Can I get a refund?
PAC does not offer a refund for missed classes.
Can I start a class in the middle of a term?
In order to get the most out of the course, students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes.
For this reason, we do not take enrolments after the commencement of the first lesson.
Where do you run the acting classes?
Our classes are run out of the Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) in Parramatta.
The address is 8 Victoria Road, Parramatta. Corner of Victoria Road and Villiers Street.
If you're driving:
We recommend parking in the carpark of North Parramatta McDonalds next door and walking over.
If you're catching public transport:
ICE is a 15-20 minute walk from Parramatta train station. Walk all the way down Church Street until you hit Prince Alfred Park. Cross diagonally through the park and ICE will be on the corner across Victoria Road.
On the rare occasion that a class will be held elsewhere, parents will be notified in advance.
I can't commit to a weekly course. Do you have weekend intensives or masterclasses?
Yes.
Keep an eye out on our Adults course page for for future intensives and masterclasses.
Do you offer any industry advice?
Of course. Our co-founder, Nisrine Amine, is both an educator and working actor giving her plenty of insight into the acting industry. As are all of our acting teachers.
Feel free to organise a meeting with the team to chat about your needs.
Email info@13.210.12.134.
Is PAC affiliated with any acting agencies?
Although PAC can suggest names of Sydney Acting Agencies to keen students, they are not affiliated with any of them.
Any advice or recommendations given by the team at PAC regarding acting agencies are personal opinions of the team members themselves.
While staff at PAC may pass on audition notices to actors, they in no way receive payment (monetary or otherwise) for doing so.
How are PAC's short courses delivered?
Each short course runs for 8 weeks.
Every lesson is 2 hours long and runs weekly for the 8 weeks.
