Jim Johnson is a tenured Associate Professor of voice and dialects at the University of Houston and coaches text and dialects regularly at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. He formerly served on the faculty of The Theatre School of DePaul University and taught at the Audition Studio in Chicago, Illinois. He received his MFA in Acting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

Jim has served as a dialect coach for such actors as Aidan Quinn, Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter, Erin Dilly, Mia Dillon, Brent Barret, Monique Coleman and Connie Cooper. He has coached productions directed by John Rando, Scott Schwartz, Joe Brancato, Paul Barnes, Ken Ludwig, Judith Ivey, Gregory Boyd, and Michael Wilson. In addition to his coaching, Jim works professionally as an actor and voiceover artist.

For information on private coaching, in person or by phone, e-mail Jim at AccentJim@gmail.com.

Kate DeVore, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a Voice/Speech pathologist specializing in professional voice, a theatre voice, speech and dialect trainer, and a personal development coach. She has an M.A. in Speech Pathology (also known as communication disorders) with an emphasis in professional voice, and a B.A. in Theatre with an emphasis in acting and voice. She is also a Reiki master teacher and is certified in Vibrational Healing.

Kate has worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School), The Voice Center at The University of Illinois Chicago Hospital, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, Wellesey College, Brandeis University, Emerson College, and numerous theatre companies and training programs in Boston and Chicago.  She has also served as board member and director of conferences for VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association).

Through her Chicago-based business, Total Voice, inc., Kate works with clients ranging from actors to executives on voice, speech, and personal development.  She has trained hundreds of actors in dozens of accents. She has also taught a Neutral American dialect (Accent Modification) to numerous individuals, including native English speakers with regional dialects as well as those who speak English as a second language.  Kate presents and publishes her work on voice and speech nationally and abroad.

Find out more at www.totalvoice.net.
For information on private coaching, in person or by phone, e-mail Kate at kate@totalvoice.net.

Michelle Lopez is an assistant professor of voice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Peck School of the Arts. She also works professionally as a voice coach, actor, and director.  Coaching credits include: Cabaret and Ragtime (Jersey Productions) in Cincinnati; The Spitfire Grill (Stages Reparatory Theatre), Boston Marriage (Unhinged Productions), and Terra Nova (Rice University) in Houston; and Billy Bishop Goes to War and HONK! (Unity Theatre) in Brenham. She has performed at the Mark Taper Forum, the Court Theatre, and Troy Rep (Los Angeles); Ojai Shakespeare Festival (Ojai); and the A Contemporary Theatre (Seattle). Directing credits include A Trip Through the Mind of a ‘Crazy’ Mexican, Terms and Conditions, and various staged readings.  

Michelle was associate producer for the 2005 Edward Albee Playwright's Workshop where she worked closely with Lanford Wilson and worked as a mentor/director with the Alley Theatre’s HYPE program.  She has studied at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts and is an associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

Find out more at www.uwm.edu.

For information on private coaching, in person or by phone, e-mail Michelle at lopezi@uwm.edu.