Instructor
Frances completed her Associate and Licentiate diplomas in Speech Arts and Drama with a focus on voice production from the Mount Royal Conservatory in 1997. She was awarded the
“Love of Literature” Scholarship and received the highest mark attainable on her Associate Pedagogy. At the time, she was the first Speech student to receive a Licentiate diploma from Mount Royal in a decade. Frances was then employed by Mount Royal as a Speech Arts and Drama instructor in September 1997, where she taught private lessons, group speech arts, and theoretical studies on and off until 2016. She now teaches privately from her home, adjudicates at drama festivals, and gives voice and public speaking workshops in and around the Calgary area. Frances’ professional development includes training with Theatre Alberta, The Registered Speech Teachers Association, The Canadian Society of Alexander Technique, University of Calgary, and MRU. Frances is a 2005 Masterclass program graduate from Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio, training in Meisner Technique, stage, film, and directing. In 2013, Frances attended the UBC Canadian National Voice Intensive working with eleven of the top voice and movement practitioners in Canada and the United States. She worked very closely with many professors who teach at such prestigious institutions as the National Theatre School, The Stratford Festival, York University and The George Washington University Academy for Classical Acting. She is also trained in Embodied Practice, Syntonics, and Authentic Movement under the guidance of internationally renowned movement specialist Judith Koltai. Aside from Speech Arts, Frances is a soprano singer, having sung with numerous choirs between 1990 and 2015, including 5 full seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus. She is also a practising yogini since 1993 and a Yoga Alliance Certified instructor. Active in the arts Frances is the current president of ARMTA (Alberta Registered Music Teacher’s Association) Calgary Branch. Frances believes that the body is the instrument that houses the voice and that through the exploration of movement, actors can engage their authentic voice, supported by free and easy breath flow. This, in turn, strengthens the individual’s confidence, deepens their acting skills, and gives the actor power of conviction in their work. Taking voice and movement classes increases vocal flexibility and power so actors can take on a diverse range of roles in their future careers. Actively participating in the performing arts requires all of our being. Those who learn through the arts do so in a fully immersed way. I am proud to be an arts teacher.
Affiliations & Qualifications: AMRC, LMRC, RMT, ARMTA – Alberta Registered Music Teacher’s Association, VASTA – Voice and Speech Trainers Association International
Classes: Voice for the Actor