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We’re in a small office at the studio for the first of our three sessions together. For some reason, I expected him to be much older, possibly having been in the coaching business for many years. But he looks maybe only a year or two older than me.
“Come in, sit.” He smiles and gestures toward a table in the center of the room. His hair is blonde and neatly trimmed, and his eyes are a clear, mild blue. He towers over me by quite a few inches, but he’s thin and angular, not overly large or imposing.
“Thank you.” I nod and sit down while he walks smoothly to the other side and slides into his own chair.
“So, they tell me this is your first Broadway role?” He flashes his perfectly aligned white teeth in my direction.
I clasp my hands nervously on the table. “Yes. I’m pretty excited.”
“Well, I’m the official dialect coach for the entire cast. I’ll be assisting throughout rehearsals, and I’ll stick around through the show’s run to make sure things stay on track. A native New York accent isn’t particularly hard, but it’s important we get it just right to keep the audience immersed. My job is to ensure consistency and authenticity across the board.”
I nod. “Well, even though I’ve lived here for three years, I have a feeling I’m going to need your help.”
“You’ll do wonderful, I’m sure.” He sits back in his chair and studies me. “The forties were an interesting time for language here in the city. You had the transatlantic accent on TV and radio. But that dialect is mostly reserved for the posh and upper class. Your character is lower-class. We’ll pull some of that, but we’re also going to use a few elements from what you’ll recognize as a New Jersey accent today.”
“Do you coach all dialects or just New York?”
He smirks. “Many more. Yes, I may be young, but I have my Master’s in Linguistics, with a dual minor in speech therapy and communications. I do this all the time.” He pulls a folder across the table toward him and opens to the first page.
“Is it always Broadway shows?” I ask, trying to figure out how he’s accomplished so much at such an early age.
“Broadway, film, television, you name it.” He puffs out his chest.
I’m impressed.
“Ok, so first of all,” he continues. “It is important to know the vision for Elaine’s accent. The aim is to make small adjustments to the way you speak to give just a faint illusion that this story takes place in 1940s New York. Our goal here is subtlety.”
I nod again as he slides a piece of paper toward me with lines from the script.
“Today, we’ll start with a simple concept. The pronunciation of the letter “r” is probably the most recognizable element of a New York accent. We call this ‘non-rhotic speech.’ Let’s try a few sentences.”
For the next two hours, I sit with Nick, practicing my consonants and vowels, trying to perfect Elaine’s unique voice. I begin to understand the effect he’s trying to nail down. I don’t need to sound like a caricature. I simply need to alter a few sounds here and there to give character to Elaine’s voice.
I’m fascinated by Nick’s knowledge and professionalism. He seems well-rounded in both his own education and also his ability to teach me. His clear blue eyes watch me patiently as I stumble over words and sounds. There is a sort of gentle assertiveness in the way he instructs me that makes me feel comfortable and confident too.
When we’re finished, he closes his folder and reaches into his bag. “Well, that was a great start today, Sophie. You’re picking it up quickly. But I’m not surprised. I had a feeling about you when you first walked in.” He places a thumb drive in front of me. “Spend some time over the next day listening to this dialogue. You’ll recognize the soft accent that I’d like you to mimic. And then we’ll see how you’ve progressed.”
I take the drive and place it in my own bag. “Ok, yes. This’ll be helpful, I’m sure.”
“I’m not worried about you at all.” He smiles and leans in slightly to lower his voice. “I met with a few of the other cast members yesterday…they aren’t grasping it near as quickly as you are.”
I watch him closely. “Oh? Other main cast?”
“Mostly a few of the minor roles. Though I did meet with Maureen Taylor who will be playing Daria. She’s catching on well too.” He zips up his bag and begins to stand up. “I’m glad to be working with you, Sophie.” He gazes at me for a moment and then steps past me to open the door. “So, I’ll see you again on Thursday, then?”
“Yep, I’ll see you then.” A fresh set of nerves washes over me as his blue eyes stare back into mine. His mannerisms are clearly well-practiced. But so is everything else about him. He has a unique kind of charm; one that seems to be backed by poise and composure.
As I walk out the door, his arm brushes mine just slightly in the tight space. “I’m looking forward to it.” There’s a twinkle in his eye as our gazes meet one last time.
TEN
Kai
“Hold on, please. I need to take this call.” Nick lifts his palm to me.
I glare mildly as he stands up from his chair to take his fourth phone call during our session. I find it hard to believe that any of these calls are more important than the job he’s actually being paid for.
It’s our third meeting, and during the first two, we focused on the basics of William’s accent. Nick is knowledgeable, and I do feel like I’m making progress, but his lack of patience is irritating. He becomes visibly frustrated when I don’t catch onto something quickly enough for him. There’s a masculine vibrato in his voice that tells me he’s aggravated. He expects only perfection, and he expects it immediately. He’s the kind of guy who likes to own every room he’s in. I’m his student, under his coaching, but it seems he just wants to be done with me. He can’t be bothered to spend any additional effort than the bare minimum.
