Everyone Please Answer?

Question

I'm playing Mrs. Medlock in my school's production of The Secret Garden. The only thing I'm having trouble with is the English accent. I stink! What are some tips?

Answer 1

Accent tapes!
They work wonders. In my High school, a girl needed an Irish accent for a play and so she listened to Irish teaching cassette tapes, and had an amazing Irish accent in the show. It's a tool that's lasted her a life time.
Some libraries have them, and theater shops have them too.
Also you can purchase them on Amazon and EBay!
Good Luck
Remember, you are not looking for a Cockney accent, because that is for lower class English speakers.
All the syllables are softer than in American English, and R's aren't always pronounced

Answer 2

Accent tapes are your best bet. Our entire used them to learn Irish accents for "Dancing at Lughnasa." Fortunately, English accents are WAY easier! :-D I also did a couple of Ren faires where we had to speak in dialect. What you really need to watch are vowels; British English tends emphasize short vowels than American English. For example, short "a" has a longer "ah" sound..."fahther" instead of the short American "father."

Also, another way I enjoyed learning British accents was to watch British tv shows, especially the comedies. Many PBS stations show them on Fri-Sat-Sun nights, so check your listings. If you have cable or satellite, the BBC also has a channel called BBC America that shows British shows. My favorites are "Chef," "Are You Being Served?" "Lovejoy," "The Vicar of Dibley," "Thermalman," and you can't go wrong with the sheer classic cheesiness of "Dr. Who."

Don't know if this is helpful or not, but I think it's interesting and pertains to Mrs. Medlock's character development...in the original book, Mrs. M spoke British English, with the exception of when she met someone on the moor, when she spoke the broad Yorkshire dialect. If you read the book, she does this towards the beginning when she speaks to the coachman while she's bringing Mary to Misselthwaite.

Good luck and break a leg!

Answer 3

Great question. I have also had to change my voice to be in a play.

Hear an English accent on a video or tape and try your very hardest to adapt. Focus on all the syllables of every single word. It sounds hard and in my cases it is but that is the life of an actor.

Also try to become your character and think about what they would do.

Good luck.

Answer 4

wonderful book, movie, play!!!!

i would buy or rent the video/dvd and mimic the womans lines. practice makes perfect.

here's some more tips:

How to Speak in a British Accent - WikiHow
An accent is a handy thing, whether for a play, as a party trick, or to fool the ... with the extra resonance, should make a good start to "faking" an English accent. ...www.wikihow.com/Speak-in-a-British-Accent -

Answer 5

Okay, I don't know if this will help, but, here goes. First of all, British people speak with a "tall" mouh. Open your mouth "taller" up and down when you speak. Also take out all of the r's from the words. So the word "word" for example becomes "wuhd." And winter is "win-tuh." I hope that makes some kind of sense!

Answer 6

Rent the BBC series "Pride and Prejudice". All the actors are British, and they speak very proper English. It is very easy, just keep on practicing. Try to tape yourself, if it is really that important that you master it. Break a leg.

Answer 7

My high school drama teacher told a friend of mine to try using any kind of accent that they do not normally use. I think that this is supposed to help you adapt to different accents.

Answer 8

Last time I need to do english accent. I always held my breath while i was talking and and talk with my sound in my neck.
Goodluck

Answer 9

Watch all of the Harry Potter movies nonstop and imitate the way they speak to each other. It'll work. Good luck.

Answer 10

Watch the English sitcoms on your educational channel.