ACTOR'S ACCENT TOOLKIT
2026-03-07 12:00 - 2026-03-08 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
ACTOR’S ACCENT TOOLKIT:An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for Performers

When:Saturday, March 7, 12 – 4pm, PacificSunday, March 8, 12 – 4pm Pacific

Where:Online via Zoom

Taught by:Tyler Seiplewww.accentcoachla.com

Price: $250($175 for members of Stuart Rogers’ Studios)

$100 for repeat registration

To register: Email Tyler at accentcoachla@gmail.com or visit here for more information.

Master Teacher Tyler Seiple leads an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for performers and public speakers. This eight-hour workshop focuses on understanding what accents are and the skills needed to develop them. With a tailored blend of discussion, exercises, and context-building, students walk away with an understanding of the muscles that shape speech, the patterns that make up accents, and the tools they need to adopt any accent. It also introduces a more helpful, KTS-based approach to the idea of “Accent Reduction,” addressing the same goals without shame or guilt.

Space is limited. Register now by emailing accentcoachla@gmail.com, or by visiting here for more information.

After the Actor’s Accent Toolkit, students are invited to take shorter classes with Tyler in a wide and expanding variety of accents. Using the foundation of the Toolkit, students will integrate target accents in less time and with a clear process. Upcoming accent classes can be found here.

EXPERIENCING SPEECH #45 Online
2026-03-13 08:00 - 2026-03-22 15:00 | Online, United States
An Online Six-Day Workshop in:
the sounds of the world’s languages
the physicality of speech actions
introducing descriptive phonetics
the skills of adjusting linguistic detail in speech
With Master Teachers Nathan Crocker & Julie Foh
March 13-15 & 20-22, 2026, 8am-3pm Pacific Time
There will be an hour-long daily meal break from 11:00am to 12:00pm Pacific Time.
March 16- 19 will be days off.
All sessions will be recorded and shared with participants.
Early Bird Registration ($100 off the Full Workshop Fee) is available through January 31, 2026!
Click here for a full description of the workshop.

Workshop Costs:

Early Bird Registration

$850 USD*

Regular Registration

$950 USD**

* Early Bird Registration will be available through January 31, 2026.
** If you’re a VASTA member, enter discount code ‘vasta’ at check-out for a 10% discount off the Regular Registration fee. If you’re interested in repeating an “Experiencing…” workshop that you’ve already taken, add your name to the “re-taker” waitlist here. We will contact you two weeks prior to the start of the workshop to let you know if there is space for you and provide you with a discount code for 1/2 off the full price of the workshop.

There is also a PART ONE ONLY OPTION for $550 USD ($450 USD with Early Bird Registration through January 31, 2026)!
This three-day session (Part One) focuses on:
Awareness and practice of precise articulation action
The physical actions that produce all the sounds of the world’s languages—”Omnish”
Vocal Tract Posture—the articulatory basis for the sounds in accents and languages
This session will also prepare the participant for Part Two, which includes detailed phonetic transcription and an exploration of the skills of adjusting linguistic detail in speech. (No phonetic transcription will be used in Part One of the workshop.) Email knightthompsonspeechwork@gmail.com if interested in a PART ONE ONLY OPTION.

Deadlines:

In order to plan effectively for these workshops, it’s important to have a clear sense of the commitment of potential participants. For that reason we ask for a deposit of $200 USD to secure your place in the workshop. This is due six weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on January 30, 2026. The full payment is due three weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on February 20, 2026. If your plans change, and you are unable to attend, we will refund any payment less $75 USD if you inform us by February 27, 2026. After that date, however, no refunds are possible. Please plan accordingly.

PHONETICS INTENSIVE #29
2026-03-27 08:00 - 2026-03-29 15:00 | Online, United States
A Three-Day Online Intensive in Phonetic Transcription
With Master Teachers Andrea Caban & Tyler Seiple
March 27-29, 2026, 8:00am-3:00pm Pacific Time.
There will be a daily meal break from 11:00am to 12:00pm Pacific.
This course will be online only. All documents and audio materials will be shared through an online platform. All sessions will be recorded and shared with participants.
Please note that synchronous participation in the entirety of Experiencing Speech is a prerequisite for the Phonetics Intensive.

Click here for a full description of our Phonetics Intensive workshops. The full registration fee is $450 USD.
*If you have already taken the Phonetics Intensive and are interested in re-taking it, add your name to the “re-taker” waitlist here. We will contact you two weeks prior to the start of the workshop to let you know if there is space for you.

Deadlines

In order to plan effectively for these workshops, it’s important to have a clear sense of the commitment of potential participants. For that reason we ask for a deposit of $100 USD to secure your place in the workshop. This is due six weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on February 13, 2026. The full payment is due three weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on March 6, 2026. If your plans change, and you are unable to attend, we will refund any payment less $75 USD if you inform us by March 13, 2026. After that date, however, no refunds are possible. Please plan accordingly.

EXPERIENCING ACCENTS #32 Online
2026-04-10 08:00 - 2026-04-19 15:00 | Online, United States
A SIX-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP IN THE SKILLS OF ACCENT ACQUISITION
With Master Teachers Andrea Caban & Tyler Seiple
April 10-12 & 17-19, 2026, 8am-3pm Pacific Time.
Daily meal break 11am-12pm Pacific Time.
April 13-16 will be days off.
All sessions will be recorded and shared with participants.
Please note that synchronous participation in the entirety of Experiencing Speech and Phonetics Intensive is prerequisite for Experiencing Accents.
Click here for a full description of the workshop.
Early Bird Registration ($100 USD off the Regular Registration cost) is available through January 31, 2026!
For more about Knight-Thompson Speechwork, please visit About the Work.

Workshop Costs:

Early Bird Registration

$850 USD*

Regular Registration

$950 USD**

* Early Bird Registration will be available through January 31, 2026.
** If you’re a VASTA member, please enter discount code ‘vasta’ at check-out for a 10% discount off the Regular Registration fee. If you’re interested in repeating an “Experiencing…” workshop that you’ve already taken, add your name to the “re-taker” waitlist here. We will contact you two weeks prior to the start of the workshop to let you know if there is space for you and provide you with a discount code for 1/2 off the full price of the workshop (discounts cannot be combined).

Deadlines:
In order to plan effectively for these workshops, it’s important to have a clear sense of the commitment of potential participants. For that reason we ask for a deposit of $200 to secure your place in the workshop. This is due six weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on February 27, 2026. The full payment is due three weeks prior to the start of the workshop, on March 20, 2026. If your plans change, and you are unable to attend, we will refund any payment less $75 if you inform us by March 27, 2026.
After that date, however, no refunds are possible. Please plan accordingly.

KTS Webinar #66: Intimate Voice
2026-04-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Friday, 10th April, 2026, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT/ 7am AEDT

Intimacy coordination has transformed physical staging practices and highlighted the importance of consent-based practices on set, in rehearsal and in actor training. However, voice training and intimacy co-ordination have remained mostly separate fields, with the movement-led background of intimacy co-ordinators leading to a situation where the artistic possibilities and possible health concerns around voice are often an afterthought in intimate scenes. How can voice professionals use the consent-based practices of intimacy coordination in our own work and teaching practice? How might a greater awareness of vocal storytelling and safety inform the staging of intimate scenes across all performance contexts? We will discuss current approaches to intimate voice work, methods of notating vocal choreography, and explore how to navigate ethical, technical and artistic considerations in scenes that require intimate voice. Convert to your time zone here.

Tickets for this webinar are $10. Registration will close 12 hours prior to the event and participants will then receive Zoom link information. All registrants will also receive the recording after the meeting has ended and been processed.

Kat Littrell (she/they) is a voice actor, educator, and dialect coach. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, her MFA dissertation examined intimacy practices in voice-only performance contexts. Her work bridges consent-based practices, vocal health, and storytelling. Kat is an award-winning audiobook narrator, including an Audie Award nomination for Audiobook of the Year (2026). She brings her professional experience in voice over and intimate vocal storytelling into her approach to actor training, and has most recently taught as a Voice and Speech professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As a coach and teacher, Kat combines rigorous technique with playful exploration, empowering actors to develop confident, expressive, and sustainable vocal practices and performances.

KTS Webinar #67: Book Launch - Spanish Accents and Dialects for Actors
2026-05-18 13:00 - 14:00
Monday, May 18th, 2026 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT / 9pm BST / and 6am AEST (May 19th)

Join KTS Certified Teachers Elisa Gonzales, Josh F.S. Moser, and Adi Cabral for an interactive introduction to their new book, Spanish Accents and Dialects for Actors – Volume 1: North America and the Caribbean. The authors will give an overview of the book and the accompanying online resources.No prior experience with KTS or Spanish is required. The book is currently available to order.

Convert to your time zone here.

Tickets for this webinar are $12. Registration will close 12 hours prior to the event and participants will then receive Zoom link information. All registrants will also receive the recording after the meeting has ended and been processed.

Presenters:

Elisa Gonzales is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Acting at UMass Amherst, and a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and Knight-Thompson Speechwork. Her professional coaching credits include productions on Broadway, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, the Hangar Theatre Company, Santa Fe Playhouse, and many more. Elisa is a proud contributing author to the recently published Routledge Companion to Latine Theatre and Performance. Elisa is also a playwright. Her original play with music, Olvidados: A Mexican American Corrido, was a 2022 Semi-Finalist for the O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference. Proud member of VASTA.

Josh “J” Feliciano-Sanchez Moser is an Actor, Voice/Dialect Specialist, and Professor, certified in Fitzmaurice Voicework® and Knight Thompson Speechwork. MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. Josh co-authored Spanish Accents and Dialects for Actors, and the article Strategies for Guiding Actors’ Accent and Linguistic Needs in the 21st Century. Coaching credits include Profile Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Billie Holiday Theatre, TheatreWorks Hartford, CNN’s Harry Enten, Brown U/Trinity Rep, Yale, Princeton. Josh is an assistant professor at Kean University, and a consultant for Strictly Speaking Group. AEA, HOLA, VASTA. www.JoshFSMoser.com.

Adi Cabral is an Associate Professor of Voice and Movement and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Nevada, Reno. Their professional credits in voice and intimacy include over 50 audiobooks and theatrical productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre, and many more. They are the co-author of Here’s How to Teach Voice and Communication Skills to Transgender Women (Plural Publishing 2019), author of Queering the Stage (Routledge 2025), coauthor of Spanish Accents and Dialects for Actors (Routledge 2026), a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework® and Knight-Thompson Speechwork®, and a proud member of VASTA and SAG-AFTRA.

ACTOR'S ACCENT TOOLKIT
2026-06-06 09:00 - 2026-06-07 13:00
ACTOR’S ACCENT TOOLKIT:An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for Performers

When:Saturday, June 6, 9am – 1pm PacificSunday, June 7, 9am – 1pm Pacific

Where:Online via Zoom

Taught by:Siobhan Dohertyspeakingofaccents.com

Price: $250

$100 for repeat registration

To register: Email Siobhan at speakingofaccents@gmail.com or visit here for more information.

Certified Teacher Siobhan Doherty leads an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for performers and public speakers. This eight-hour workshop focuses on understanding what accents are and the skills needed to develop them. With a tailored blend of discussion, exercises, and context-building, students walk away with an understanding of the muscles that shape speech, the patterns that make up accents, and the tools they need to adopt any accent. It also introduces a more helpful, KTS-based approach to the idea of “Accent Reduction,” addressing the same goals without shame or guilt.

Space is limited. Register now by emailing speakingofaccents@gmail.com, or by visiting here for more information.

KTS Webinar #68: Bridging KTS and the Work of Edith Skinner
2026-06-29 10:00 - 11:00
Monday, June 29th, 2026, 10am PST / 1pm EST/ 6pm GMT

Dudley Knight published two essays at the turn of the twenty-first century and, with them, set off a spirited debate around standardized speech and phonetic training for actors. Though it seemed at the time that Knight-Thompson Speechwork and the work of Edith Skinner were irreconcilable in their pedagogies and techniques, the intervening decades have revealed the potential for rapprochement and a rethinking of actor speech training. Join a panel of Certified KTS Teachers with deep ties to the work of Edith Skinner as they explore what it could mean to build bridges from Skinner’s pioneering efforts to the descriptive techniques of KTS.

Our goal in this webinar is to foster dialogue between two distinct pedagogies and respect their long, shared histories. If you’ve ever found yourself confused about what distinguishes Speak with Distinction from Speaking with Skill, this webinar is for you. If you’ve ever felt lost amid differing phonetic conventions and their origins in your training, this webinar is for you. If you’ve ever longed for an objective description of the differences between KTS and “Skinner,” this webinar is for you. We hope you’ll join us for a friendly and informative discussion that feels necessary and supportive for speech teachers of any pedagogical lineage.

Convert to your time zone here.

Tickets for this webinar are $12. Registration will close 12 hours prior to the event and participants will then receive Zoom link information. All registrants will also receive the recording after the meeting has ended and been processed.

Presenters:

Tyler Seiple is an actor, director, writer, and voice and speech educator in the Los Angeles area. He is the founder of Accents in Action™ (www.accentcoachla.com), a Master Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork® and co-author of Experiencing Accents: A Knight-Thompson Speechwork Guide for Acting in Accent. His private clients have been heard onscreen in projects ranging from This Is Us and Hacks to Walker and The Rookie. He has coached shows throughout the Los Angeles area, with companies including the Fountain Theatre, the Antaeus Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rogue Machine Theatre, the LA Philharmonic Association, and the Museum of Natural History. Tyler holds a Master of the Fine Arts from the University of California Irvine and has certifications in Fitzmaurice Voicework® (Associate Teacher) and Immersive Acting™. He currently teaches at California State University, Long Beach and Fullerton campuses, and has also taught at the University of California Irvine, Chapman University, and multiple studios in Los Angeles.

Steven Pounders is a Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Baylor University, where he teaches acting and speech, and coaches accents for Baylor Theatre productions. He also serves as the Faculty-in-Residence for the Fine Arts Living Learning Center at Heritage Residence Hall. As a professional actor and director, he has performed with Off Broadway theatres in NYC and with numerous regional theatres. He is a Certified Meisner Technique instructor and a member of Actors Equity Association, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the Society of American Fight Directors.

Natalie Blackman is a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework® and Knight-Thompson Speechwork™ and has worked as a professional actor in New York and across the United States for nearly 20 years. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice and Acting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Voice & Text Coach for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. In 2025, she and her collaborator, Amani Dorn, received the American College Theatre Festival’s National Award for Outstanding Dialect Coaching. She holds an MFA from Illinois State University and a BFA from the University of Utah. natalieblackman.com

Lauren Roth (she/her) is an accent coach and artistic educator based in St. Louis, MO. Recent coaching credits include: A Knock on the Roof (New York Theatre Workshop); The Cottage (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); Murder on the Orient Express (Duluth Playhouse); Myth of the Ostrich (Upstream Theatre; U.S. premiere). She holds teacher certifications through Knight-Thompson Speechwork and The Singing Athlete, as well as an MFA in Acting Pedagogy from CSU-Long Beach and a BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch. Lauren currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice & Speech at Webster’s Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts. laurenalessa.com

Michael Shipley is an actor, director, coach, and Associate Professor (University of Memphis), and his focus is helping actors integrate voice skills and acting technique in performance. His certifications include Fitzmaurice Voicework, Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and Vocal Combat Technique, and he holds an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University

TEACHER CERTIFICATION #12
2026-07-06 09:00 - 2026-07-24 17:00
Knight-Thompson Speechwork will offer a three-week Teacher Certification program in the summer of 2026, July 6th-24th, taught by the KTS Teaching Team, Co-Directors Phil Thompson & Andrea Caban, and Certified Teachers Nathan Crocker, Julie Foh, and Tyler Seiple. The program will be held in person at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Sessions will take place five days a week, Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:00 or 5:00pm local time. Prior to the start of the program, there will be two to three required webinars on weekend days between May 15th and July 5th. There will also be assignments due between May 15th and July 5th, including articulator isolation & gurn videos and drafts of accent breakdowns. Participants will receive feedback on those assignments from the Cert Teaching Team. Additionally, there will be two to three online Knowledge Celebrations due within the same time period. Participants will be paired with a KTS Certified Teacher as a Mentor during this process who will support them with two private sessions before the three-week certification, and two private sessions after. A list of required and recommended reading can be found here.

Program Goals
The purpose of the Certification is to make sure that its participants possess:

A thorough understanding of the Knight-Thompson approach to speech training.
A thorough knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet and an ability to use it effectively in teaching.
A thorough understanding of the Knight-Thompson approach to the methodology of accent training.
An ability to productively use research resources for accent acquisition, as well as efficiently learn and effectively model new accents.
A demonstrated ability to teach this material effectively and with full understanding.
A demonstrated ability to use this approach creatively in teaching and coaching.

The emphasis in the Certification program will be on individual development, and all participants will receive substantial individual attention and mentoring. Participation in the Certification program does not guarantee certification: in some cases we may require additional work to demonstrate understanding and teaching skill. Admission to the Teacher Certification Program is open only to participants who have already taken Experiencing Speech, Experiencing Accents and a Phonetics Intensive. Prospective participants in the Teacher Certification Program also must have some experience incorporating this approach in their own teaching or coaching before going on to Certification.
Application Process
Submit your application via this link. Then email an accent breakdown* and a link to an accent modeling sample to knightthompsonspeechwork@gmail.com.
Requirements for Accent Breakdown: include a section for each of the 4Ps as taught in Experiencing Accents; include cut sound samples and phonetic transcription for the Posture section and each of the token sounds in the Pronunciation section. An expanded version of a breakdown from Experiencing Accents coursework is acceptable.
Requirements for Accent Modeling Sample: A 2- to 3-minute fully-embodied performance of a memorized text in the accent from your breakdown.
Applications open August 22, 2025 and will close on April 26, 2026. There will be three rounds of application review by the KTS Council. The first review will happen after November 2, 2025; the second review will happen after January 18, 2026; and the third will happen at the close of applications on April 26, 2026. Priority will be given to early applications. Early applicants accepted into the cohort will receive feedback on their application and highly discounted re-taker pre-requisite workshop access. Please note that this program will happen in person only.
*KTS acknowledges this accent breakdown is your intellectual property and will be used for application review purposes only.
Please note that application to the Cert does not guarantee admittance.
Program Costs
Upon acceptance, the enrollment fee for the Certification is $4,700 USD. If you are accepted into the program, payment instructions will be provided.
The Accademia dell’Arte will provide food and lodging to everyone accepted to the Certification for an additional fee of $2,050 ($98 a day) for the three weeks. That includes:

Room (Double Occupancy with ensuite bathrooms – Single Occupancy is based on availability and has an extra charge)
Meals (3 meals a day, 5 days a week)
24/7 Emergency Phone
Administrative and Medical Assistance (On-site visits with a general practitioner are included – appointments with a specialist will have a discounted charge)

Payment Deadlines
In order to plan effectively for these workshops, it’s important to have a clear sense of the commitment of potential participants. For that reason, we ask for a deposit of $500 to secure your place in the workshop. This is due upon acceptance into the program. The full payment is due May 15th, 2026. If your plans change, and you are unable to attend, we will refund any payment less $100 if you inform us before May 15th, 2026. After that date, however, no refunds are possible. Please plan accordingly.

ACTOR'S ACCENT TOOLKIT
2026-08-02 09:00 - 18:00
ACTOR’S ACCENT TOOLKIT:An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for Performers

When:Sunday, August 2, 9am – 1pm & 2pm – 6pm Pacific

Where:Online via Zoom

Taught by:Tyler Seiplewww.accentcoachla.com

Price: $250($175 for members of Stuart Rogers’ Studios)

$100 for repeat registration

To register: Email Tyler at accentcoachla@gmail.com or visit here for more information.

Master Teacher Tyler Seiple leads an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for performers and public speakers. This eight-hour workshop focuses on understanding what accents are and the skills needed to develop them. With a tailored blend of discussion, exercises, and context-building, students walk away with an understanding of the muscles that shape speech, the patterns that make up accents, and the tools they need to adopt any accent. It also introduces a more helpful, KTS-based approach to the idea of “Accent Reduction,” addressing the same goals without shame or guilt.

Space is limited. Register now by emailing accentcoachla@gmail.com, or by visiting here for more information.

After the Actor’s Accent Toolkit, students are invited to take shorter classes with Tyler in a wide and expanding variety of accents. Using the foundation of the Toolkit, students will integrate target accents in less time and with a clear process. Upcoming accent classes can be found here.

ACTOR'S ACCENT TOOLKIT
2026-11-07 09:00 - 2026-11-08 13:00
ACTOR’S ACCENT TOOLKIT:An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for Performers

When:Saturday, November 7, 9am – 1pm, PacificSunday, November 8, 9am – 1pm Pacific

Where:Online via Zoom

Taught by:Tyler Seiplewww.accentcoachla.com

Price: $250($175 for members of Stuart Rogers’ Studios)

$100 for repeat registration

To register: Email Tyler at accentcoachla@gmail.com or visit here for more information.

Master Teacher Tyler Seiple leads an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork for performers and public speakers. This eight-hour workshop focuses on understanding what accents are and the skills needed to develop them. With a tailored blend of discussion, exercises, and context-building, students walk away with an understanding of the muscles that shape speech, the patterns that make up accents, and the tools they need to adopt any accent. It also introduces a more helpful, KTS-based approach to the idea of “Accent Reduction,” addressing the same goals without shame or guilt.

Space is limited. Register now by emailing accentcoachla@gmail.com, or by visiting here for more information.

After the Actor’s Accent Toolkit, students are invited to take shorter classes with Tyler in a wide and expanding variety of accents. Using the foundation of the Toolkit, students will integrate target accents in less time and with a clear process. Upcoming accent classes can be found here.
