CHARACTERS AND THEIR VOICES

MASTER CHARACTER WORKSHOP

with

GARY AUSTIN and WENNDY MACKENZIE

Two national performance coaches combine their experience and expertise in an organic

approach to the creation and development of characters.

LEARN TO...

vocally place and discover hidden characters within.
allow characters to come alive in your own body.
be a better imitator to help develop characters.
develop a distinctive voice of your own and consider that playing yourself may be your most valuable character.
hear and recognize the unique phrase or sound, or see and recognize the gesture or physicality that can be the seed of a new character.
play with your own personal characteristics and mannerisms and habits and points of view and discover how those very personal behaviors can lead to characters that seem to be quite different from you.
develop characters that are "complete," not one dimensional "cookie cut outs or types.
write for yourself. (whether or not you think of yourself as a writer.)

GARY AUSTIN performed with San. Francisco's famed improv company The Committee, and he created The Groundlings in 1972. Gary directed the company until he left in 1979. His students there included Paul Reubens (Gary developed the Pee Wee Herman character with Paul), Lynne Stuart (Miss Yvonne on PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE), John Paragon (Jambi on PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE), Phil Hartman, Edie McClurg, Laraine Newman, and in later years Julia Sweeney, Lisa Kudrow, Mindy Sterling and Patrick Bristow.

WENNDY MACKENZIE has numerous concert, album, film soundtrack, Broadway show, and television credits. She has been vocal coach for many television and Broadway productions. Wenndy has an extensive career in voice over work, including vocal impressions.

For more information (scheduling/pricing) see Gary's Workshop Calendar page.