Interview: 'I Am Never Far From the Stage': Dialect and Vocal Coach Esi Acquaah-Harrison Gives an Insight Into Her Fascinating Job

Esi Acquaah-Harrison is a dialect and vocal coach who has worked on Netflix's Sex Education, Cirque du Soleil's Totem and is a former member of UK's London Community Gospel Choir.

BroadwayWorld caught up with Esi to chat about the rewards and challenges of her work, her stellar career and her course, Singing for Beginners, at London's Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

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As a dialect and voice coach, can you give an insight into what your day-to-day job entails?

As a dialect or accent coach attached to a specific theatre production, I work directly with the cast on their scripts – usually on an individual basis. A lot of it depends on how much time we have. Often, I will start with a short warm up and then launch straight into the text, identifying challenging areas and working specifically on these to improve and enhance their delivery.

I will work on articulation, resonance and posture alignment. All of this work then has to be placed in the context of the character being played. Depending on the play, I could be working on a single accent or up to about five accents. The aim is to help the actor get to a stage where they are as authentic as possible in the target accent. Of course, there is so much more work involved than this, but these are the main points.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

I think the most challenging part of the work is finding the best and most useful accent samples to research the accent from. Some theatre houses also have less time and therefore the actor may not get as much time as they need with a dialect coach.

What do you find most rewarding?

The most rewarding aspect for me is when the actor notices that they have achieved a very important shift in their sound, and it begins to sound more authentic.

What is the hardest and easiest genre of singing to teach?

I only teach genres that I am familiar with. Most people who can hold a tune and hear and understand rhythm, tend to sing reasonably well. The challenge often comes when a song demands a lot of vocal flexibility which the learner may not be experienced enough to cope with. I think the building blocks for singing any genre are the same – good breath support and articulation.

What’s your own favourite genre of music to sing and accent to perform?

My favourite genre to sing is soul. Although I never perform in an accent, I really enjoy defaulting to a Jamaican accent when speaking with friends and family.

You toured with Cirque du Soleil for ten years-what was that experience like?

Touring with a company like Cirque du Soleil introduced a high standard of discipline to my work and an important practice of self-assessment for my own work. Of course, there was the added benefit of visiting cities across the globe and experiencing different cultures.

Do you prefer being on stage or working behind the scenes?

I will always love to work on stage, and I still perform when I can. I recently made my West End debut in Derren Brown: Showman at that the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, and I perform as part of the Ultimate Divas, a four-woman Aretha Franklin tribute act. As a dialect coach, working in the background with actors, I am never far from the stage.

Your course, Singing For Beginners, at Guildhall looks fascinating. How did you get involved with it?

I really think I was in the right place at the right time. I had been invited to be part of a week singing intensive course in 2022 and as a result I was introduced to the short courses arm of Guildhall School. I was excited and delighted at the same time.

What do you hope the course will offer to participants?

I hope that participants will gain knowledge and an understanding of singing in unison, harmony, blending, and using dynamics in song, but I really hope that participants will leave with a positive shift in their individual confidence that will flow out to other areas of their lives.

Guildhall School offers a range of Short Courses throughout the year, as well as Summer School’s from July–August. Summer Schools for singers include Jazz & Rock Week, Singers’ Weekend: Jazz, Gospel & World Music, and Vocal Summer School for Classical Singers.

Find out more via Guildhall School’s website. New Autumn evening courses and October half-term courses will be announced in July. Sign up to the Short Courses mailing list to receive priority booking.