The Actor's Body and Voice: How to Train Your Most Important Instrument
As an actor, your body and your voice and soul are your instrument. Everything you want to communicate as a character has to come through them. If they are not trained, they will limit you — no matter how much work you do on the inside.
But it does require work, and it requires the right guidance.
The Emotional Instrument
What makes the actor's instrument different is that it is emotional. You are not playing an external object — you are working with your own body, your own breath, your own voice. The technical and the emotional are connected. When the body is tense, the emotions are blocked. When the breath is free, more becomes possible.
Training the VOICE, the instrument means learning to get out of your own way — so that what you feel can actually be seen and heard.
What I Learned from Robert Easton
During my training at actor studio, I studied with Robert Easton — a renowned Hollywood dialect and voice coach known as “The Henry Higgins of Hollywood.” It was some of the most valuable work I have done as an actor.
Robert taught me to work with sounds — individual sounds, his techniques, and how to breathe. When you understand a sound at that level, you can reproduce it accurately and consistently. That is what gives you freedom. You are no longer guessing or imitating — you know exactly what you are doing and how to do it.
I carry that knowledge into every voice and accent session at The Actor Studio. Whether the goal is a neutral US studio accent, a British accent, or a specific dialect such as Texan — the approach is the same: learn the sounds correctly, support them with the breath, and work until they become natural.
The Voice
Your voice carries your performance. It carries your intention, your emotion, your character. A voice that is free and well-supported can do a great deal. A voice that is tight or restricted will hold you back.
This is work that needs a trained coach. You need someone who can hear exactly what you are doing and give you precise, accurate feedback. It is not something you can fully develop on your own.
The Body
Your body communicates before you say a word. How a character stands, moves, and occupies space tells the audience something immediately. Finding the right physical life for a character is part of the work — and it often unlocks things that text work alone cannot reach.
Again, this benefits from a coach who can observe you and give you specific, honest feedback about what they see.
Stay in shape, you are now an Athlete.
Work With Actress and Coach: Merete Van Kamp
At The Actor Studio, voice and body work — including dialect and accent training using the approach I learned from Robert Easton — is part of the coaching I offer. Sessions are tailored to what you need and what the work requires.
One-on-one, online, available globally, in Danish, German, French, Spanish, or English.
→ Book your Actor Studio session here.
Le Van Kamp Studio — tools, art, and coaching for the actor's life. Based in Paris. Available worldwide.