New! In Person: ACCENT REDUCTION: 4 Week Class with Susan Finch, Speech and Voice Teacher, Professional Actress, Acting Teacher and Coach

Thursday, October 8, 2026, 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT

Our new Accent Reduction class is designed for both the actor and non-actor whose first language is not English or who is bilingual but has a strong foreign native language accent or the actor who has a heavy regionalism.

You'll work with the amazing Susan Finch who will help you to isolate and identify English sounds that are not in your native language and you'll practice producing these sounds in a natural, fluid manner, minimizing your native accents or regionalism.

You'll also practice breathing techniques which will support clearer pronunciation and articulation. Susan will also introduce The International Phonetics Alphabet (IPA) which will be used to correct habitual speech problems.

From there you'll transition to practicing storytelling and delivering monologues, concentrating on clear speech with minimal native language pronunciation issues, integrating proper phrasing, inflection and rhythm.

All class participants are asked to purchase "Speak With Distinction" by Edith Skinner which Susan will use and refer to in your class.

Susan asks that you please bring these tools with you to every class:

-Textbook: SPEAK WITH DISTINCTION -A small mirror -Sharpened pencils with eraser -Paper

PLEASE NOTE: Susan requests that you come in early for each class, prepared and ready to start at 6:30pm.

Please note that this in person class will be at:

Pearl Studios NYC
500 8th Avenue, 3rd, 4th and 12th floors
(between 35th and 36th)

You will be emailed your assigned studio the morning of your event.

Class Testimonial:
"This class is amazing! Susan has a really fine ear and gives super specific adjustments uniquely catered to each individual in her class.  She made learning the phonetic alphabet fun! I'm so grateful for the wealth of experience and care she brings to her passion." - Maggie Benedict

WHAT TO PREPARE:

Payment:

Please follow the procedures listed below:

• Please update your headshot and fill out the MY INFO section of your AC account upon registration.

• The room will be open 30 minutes before the event is scheduled to start. Please arrive at least 10 MINUTES before your event begins as your host will give important information about the event at this time.

Additional Information:

Our online office hours are 9am-6pm Monday-Friday

If you have an emergency for a class you are participating in outside of these hours, please email help@actorsconnection.com and your host will be able to respond.

**No recording of any kind is permitted by participants during class.**

**Actors Connection classes and programming are for ADULTS (18+). Unless it is disclosed above, with permission, some teens (14+) are allowed to take adult programming. To inquire about getting permission, please send an email to: info@actorsconnection.com**

**Please keep in mind that all programs at Actors Connection are for educational and professional development purposes. Participating in any class or event is not a promise of employment.**

Susan Finch

Susan Finch has been teaching Accent Reduction for over 28 years. She is on the faculty of The Atlantic Theater's Conservatory program where she teaches and serves as vocal coach for productions.

She is an alumna of The Juilliard School where she studied speech and voice under Timothy Monich, Elizabeth Smith and Robert Williams and was awarded the Drama League Award and The Edith Skinner Prize (in speech).

She annually returns to Juilliard to coach productions. She is an alumna of John Houseman's The Acting Company where she toured for 2 years. She headed the Speech Department at Playwrights Horizon's Theater School from 1989-1999 and has taught speech at Marymount College and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her private teaching includes, accent reduction as well as accent and dialect work for actors.

She teaches courses in accent elimination/presentation skills for numerous Fortune 500 Companies. Recent coaching includes: THE GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, The Public Theater, IPA, MTC, Emily Mann's production of Antony and Cleopatra -The McCarter Theater, Public Theater Mobile Unit- Richard lll, Red Bull Theater-Irma Vep, Shakespeare on the Sound- Much Ado bout Nothing. Teaching credits include: Head of the Speech Department at The Atlantic Theater School, NYU from 1987-2010, Playwright Horizons (1987-1997), Marymount College, and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Voice Fellow at The Public Theater's Shakespeare Lab. She is an actress who has appeared in numerous productions in NYC.