The forsythia that grows in the woods. On our property, thankfully. We used to think it was on our neighbor’s property. This photo doesn’t do it justice; this year the yellow is quite vivid and gorgeous.
A longtime reader of the blog, Suzanne, sent me a message a while back with some ideas for blog posts:
“If you find a day when you can think of nothing to write about, I’d love to hear stories from your time in the theater. I’d love to know how you learned dialects and how you teach them. What does a dialogue coach actually do? What is it like (thinking of Don in M’ville) performing the same show so many times? Did he have any famous visitors backstage? Well, I could think of a zillion questions I could ask and I bet your readers would be fascinated by your theater knowledge and memories.”
I wrote about some of this before, but I forget sometimes that the blog is over 13 years old and many of you weren’t around here back then. I so appreciate your suggestions, Suzanne, and I’ll try to write about these things on occasion.
First up: How did I end up doing what I do? Part One.
I was an actress for many, many years and moved to Philadelphia to get my MFA in Acting from Temple University in the early eighties. It was a three-year program. That move changed my life. It saved me. (Side note: I’ve always had a good ear and could mimic dialects at a young age. I take no credit for my ear. I do take credit for developing it over the years.) In the course of the three years, one of my classes was Voice and Speech and I started to learn more about the actor’s voice, articulation, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and dialects. I discovered that you can learn and coach any dialect if you a) have a good ear and b) know how to transcribe sounds and sound changes using IPA, so that anyone who is familiar with IPA can look at a transcription of the phonetic changes in speech from, let’s say, standard American speech to Italian and begin to figure out how to make those sounds. Of course, there’s also musicality, tempo, placement as well. That’s why having a good ear is terribly important. And having a good coach, as well.
During the last year of the program, we had to teach a class to undergraduates. We were assigned those classes and my friend Cynthia and I were assigned Voice & Speech. I really enjoyed it and I began to rediscover my love of teaching. After graduation, I stuck around Philly because I was acting at the Wilma Theater there and supporting myself by temping in an office. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wanted to teach – at the age of 33, I no longer found the idea of competing for acting roles and living in a closet in NYC attractive. But I did want to teach. So I started the long process of applying for a teaching position in a university. In those days there was no internet. The only way to see job listings was through a publication called ArtSearch. I was poor at the time and was just getting by, and my good friend Richard, who studied costume design at the same time I was studying acting, gave me a subscription for Christmas. I thank him daily for that generous gift.
I started to apply – I had no experience except my time teaching in grad school and a class I taught at the Wilma – so I was prepared to accept any job, anywhere. In most cases, I heard nothing back. But I did hear from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a very well known professional training program. For some reason, they wanted to interview me. (I would have been happy in a drama program, but a professional training program? That was a dream!) I flew down to Winston-Salem, went through the insanity that is an interview; meeting tons of people, smiling so much my face ached, teaching a short class, watching other classes, and being interviewed by the Search Committee. It was a wonderful program. I am not a Pollyanna by any means, but conversations that I had, and in particular, one I had with a member of the voice faculty as he drove me to the airport, left me feeling that I had the job. I mean, it was so overwhelmingly positive and in so many words, I was definitely led to believe the job was mine.
I returned to Philadelphia and a couple of weeks later, Meredith came to visit me for Memorial Day weekend. When I picked up the mail that Saturday, there was a thin envelope from North Carolina. Too thin. I opened it up and found I didn’t get the job. The message was that they loved me and had wanted me but someone else got it. Most likely it was someone they’d already decided to appoint, even though they were required to do a search. That happens. They said if there ever was another opening, they would strongly consider me.
I was devastated. Searches happen in the spring and this meant that I would have to go through another year of working in an office before I could apply again. I cried all weekend long. Thank heavens, Meredith was there.
Fast forward to about a week or two later (I can’t quite remember how much time had gone by but it wasn’t much.) I was walking home from work and I was pretty low. I stopped on the street and said out loud, “God, I don’t know what to do. I give up. I surrender.” And I truly did. I let go. I was powerless.
I walked in the door of my third floor walk-up and there was a message light blinking on my answering machine. It was from someone I didn’t know: William Lacy, the acting head of the BFA Theater Training Program at Boston University. He said he’d like to talk to me about a job opening that came up suddenly – after the official search season. When the opening came up, he had called his colleagues around the country and North Carolina School of the Arts had highly recommended me. BU was going to do a shortened search with about three candidates. Would I be willing to fly up for an interview? Of course!
A few days later, I flew to Boston, met Bill and some students who were still in town, as well as two other members of the Voice & Speech faculty, Bob Chapline and Rick Winter. I taught a short class in learning a Spanish dialect to the students, Bob, Rick, and Bill. I had my interview and then I flew back home the same day.
I got the job. A month or so later, I moved to Boston and started to teach Speech and Dialects.
And my life changed forever. Everything that has happened to me professionally in the years to come would never have happened without that job. Never. I met Rick there. I met the new chair of the program, Bob Morgan, who I remain close to to this day. (Both of them had ties to Jack O’Brien and the Old Globe, but that’s another story for another day.) I learned so much at BU. It remains my favorite job ever.
You never know what will happen. I thought things were hopeless. But the job that I didn’t get led directly to the job I did get. A job that ended up being far, far better for me.
Oh, puzzle done:
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
Hi,
I loved this post. I have often wondered about your history and journey into theater and speech/dialect coaching. Most interesting.
Take Care,
Kaye
Park City, UT
Thank you so much, Kaye.
Stay safe!
Yay! I love the color in your woods and in the puzzle…and in the story of Claudia! All of it, so inspiring. One never knows, does one? Those little twists of fate that make all the difference.
They surely do.
Stay safe, Shanna.
Loved hearing about your back ground in teaching. Look forward to hearing many more.
Have a lovely day!
Thank you, Cathy.
Stay safe.
thanks, claudia, for sharing more of your professional journey. such a tough disappointment you went through, but i am so glad it all worked out for you!
beautiful photo of the beautiful forsythia. hooray that it is on your side of the property line because i doubt you’ll ever rip it out!
the puzzle looks fun. even though it’s a drawing, that woman sitting on the sill outside to clean her third-story window kind of made me nervous to think people really do that!
we have snow flurries this morning. heard it won’t add up to more than an inch, but still … no thanks!
hope you are having a good day and stay safe.
kathy in iowa
Thank you so much, Kathy.
Stay safe!
My younger brother says: “Things have a way of working out!” and your story is a great example!
I am wondering if the bluebells are blooming in the forest preserve I like to visit but we are supposed to have rain today and maybe snow tomorrow so I will have to wait to go see. Hope the weather doesn’t ruin them!
Have a nice day!
We have a very cold (below freezing) night coming up on Wednesday. Worrying.
Stay safe, Ellen.
What an interesting story. Thank you for sharing. Ok this may be my favorite puzzle! So many things to look at. The little black kitty in the window melts my heart! Happy Monday.
And the little white dog is barking at him.
Stay safe, April.
Wonderful story; isn’t it funny how things work out? Some things are just meant to be and the Universe makes sure that they happen in all good time.
I love forsythia–their bloom means Spring is really here in the high desert! You are so lucky that they have room to grow without the pruning to little balls that I see so often on smaller lots. They have such a lovely natural form.
Enjoy the season and your garden!
Well, because they’re in the woods, they have all sorts of room!
Stay safe, Roxie.
I love this story. I am so glad you will start doing some posts like this on occasion. Your life and career is so different it is fascinating to many of us. Looking forward to more stories of your life and Don’s!
I’ll probably write another one tomorrow, continuing that particular part of the story.
Stay safe, Linda.
Hi Claudia, I loved hearing about your earlier days in your profession. I am a great believer that things happen for a reason.
Your forsythia is beautiful! Growing up my parents had bushes and bushes of that and lilac . I myself have lilac now but no forsythia.
I haven’t done a puzzle in probably 45 years. Several friends are doing them now. I often wonder if I would have the patience to do one! Your are lovely.
Enjoy your day!
We are lucky to have both a lilac and the forsythia. I planted the lilac, though, it didn’t come with the house.
Stay safe, Robin!
I loved this post! I have wondered how you got into your profession….so interesting. Your forsythia is beautiful. I love the bright yellow. I also enjoy seeing your puzzles.
I hope you and Don have a good day. Stay safe!
Lorinda
Thank you so much, Lorinda.
Stay safe.
Thanks for sharing your story. I also have wondered about your acting and teaching career and would love to hear more about both you and Don! Coincidentally, I finished my graduate work at another Philadelphia school, Drexel, and had just moved out to the suburbs in the late 70’s.
Ah, Drexel!
Thanks, Carol.
Stay safe.
This post was delightful and informative! Thank you!
Maybe some day you’ll treat us to an audio of different dialects?
Highly unlikely! I don’t like doing dialects for the sake of doing them. You’d be surprised how many people say, when they hear what I do, ‘Do something in Irish.” Or French. Or…
I’m incredibly uncomfortable with that.
Thanks! And stay safe!
Oh sorry if I offended you. I meant it as admiration.
Oh, you didn’t offend me! And I know you meant it kindly. I hope I didn’t sound offended. I’m just pretty firm on that. As is Don when people ask him to ‘sing something’ or repeat some lines from a play or a tv show. We’re not offended, but it’s awkward, you know?
Thanks for understanding!
What a great idea! As one who came to your blog only a couple of years ago, if that, I love hearing about this part of your life. (Especially because it involves the theatre, which as you know, was what I studied, though I didn’t have that special quality needed to make it a career.) Still, a big part of my heart is there and hearing good theatre stories is one of my favorite things to listen to (or read).
I believe in “placeholders.” Your office job was a placeholder, giving you what you needed to live on until you could find what would be your “real place.” This story goes to show that it isn’t always the first try that is the best one. And, that people talk and impressions count – you never know who will pass your info on to someone else. Apart from it being part of the wonderful story of your life, it is also a good lesson to us all.
I have a lot of theater stories – some of which I cannot share, but there are others I can share. We’ll see what I remember!
Yes, I’ve had a lot of placeholders, and I’ve changed my career focus more than once!
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
Wow, there’s SO MUCH in this post today! The lovely photo of your property, that wonderful-colorful puzzle AND your early history of career, Claudia. So interesting! Thank you.
Thank you, Vicki.
Stay safe.
Thank you for sharing this part of your life, it’s funny how life can turn out for the better when you least expect it. You have led such a varied and interesting life.
The jigsaw is another good one, is it meant to be Brooklyn?
Happy Monday
I don’t know. It’s entitled “Main Street.” That’s all the information I have!
Stay safe, Dee Dee.
Claudia — this was a great post — love being connected with your past. you may have guessed that I am a southerner for always now/forever. although I don’t think I have an accent, pretty sure it is there. last summer our 9 yr old grand visited several days — one of the things that she was delighted with was joint reading — she read then I read — we were reading ‘Because of Winn Dixie’ — because it is set in the south w/older Southern women in the story, I read w/an exaggerated southern accent — she was fascinated — I told her that professional voice coaches study many languages so accents can be perfect for TV, theater roles, etc. She was so surprised She said people get PAID because of the way they can speak?? LOL stay safe, healthy and give us stories from the past when you can–they are wonderful.
You have an accent. Everyone does!
Thanks so much, Linda!
Stay safe.
Thanks for taking the time to write this post. I love reading about the journeys people have taken in their lives, and the mysterious ways that things work out. Glad they did for you!
Enjoy your evening! ;)
Thank you, Donna.
Stay safe!
Hi Claudia, just want to tell you that I loved today’s post. Your heart glows when you are talking about what you love! Thanks for lifting my spirits! Oh, ant that puzzle is beautiful! I just don’t care a lot for the squiggley pieces, it would take me forever to get it together.
Take care…
I love the squiggly pieces!
Stay safe, Kelly, and thanks.
So interesting! As a retired first grade teacher I find all this fascinating. Everyone knows all about my former job and how it’s done. Your career is so unique and specialized. Keep the stories coming!
I will.
Thank you, Debby.
Stay safe.
This was wonderful! Can’t wait for more. Thanks to Suzanne for suggesting it.
jane-in-tx
Thank you, Jane.
Stay safe!
Loved this post Claudia. Look forward to hearing more!
Thank you Donna!
Stay safe.
Love this post!! I could listen to you talking about your life all day long. Makes me want to dance.
What a lovely compliment!
Thanks, Tana.
Stay safe.
Loved reading about your past experiences. So very interesting! Love all your posts, but it is fun filling in pieces of your past.
Thank you, Barbara!
Stay safe.