About the Book:

Dialect and accent work can serve as an essential building block for actors during the preparation process for stage, film, voice overs and animation. The Stage Dialects book, along with its companion 3-CD set (sold separately), are the definitive work in their field and have been used by professional actors and directors, high schools, colleges and universities throughout the world.

The vocalization of a character – their tone, drawl, cadence, or pronunciation – can be indicative of national origin, social status, and other personal traits essential to a three-dimensional performance; successful accent work can help flesh out those particulars. Master Teacher Jerry Blunt selected the most used dialects and accents in the literature of the theatre (along with the phonetic alphabet). Each dialect is broken down into key sounds: vowel substitutions, dipthongal changes, consonant substitutions, special pronunciations and pitch patterns. Primary source voices on the CD accompany the text for listening and drill. So listen, learn and ENJOY!

Dialects are diverse and specific. Stage Dialects includes: Japanese, Standard English, American Southern, New York (Brooklyn), Cockney, Irish, Scottish, French, Italian, German and Russian.

About the Author:

Jerry Blunt (1907-1992) helped found the drama department at Los Angeles City College (LACC). A former chairman of the drama department, Blunt was a popular teacher for 42 years. His students have won Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prizes.