“Do You Not Understand or Are You Not Listening Hard Enough?” Can Theatrical Clarity and Authenticity Co-Exist on the Stage?

Authenticity is a complex and contentious issue regarding the stage. In 2021, the author undertook postgraduate research into the role of a voice coach in facilitating the portrayal of authentic voices on the stage. This was instigated by the duality they hold as a practitioner in the field, and a member of society with an accent that has historically been underrepresented, mocked, modified, or excluded from British theatre. Action Research was used to engage in the ethical conundrum they faced embarking on a career that has a history of modifying “regional” British accents for the sake of clarity. Interviewing writers, directors, and voice coaches enabled them to test out ways of working on clarity without diluting or modifying the actors’ native non-RP British accents. This resulted in an approach that serves both the needs of the audience, which is to engage with and understand the story; and marginalized accents, whose authenticity is integral to the writer’s vision. This research also uncovered a deeply conditioned belief that RP holds superior status in the UK; and that accent bias in the British theatre establishment is entrenched in the fabric of speech training and what is thought to be acceptable on our stages.