Lesson Details
Accent Reduction
- Levels Taught:
- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
I have taught students from nearly every country to lessen or eliminate their accent. Whether it is for work or school or just social needs I can help you to sound how you would like and how to adapt your speech to a more westernized sound.
Stephanie teaches
About
- Teaches students:
- Ages 5+ and special needs
- Teaching since:
- January 2000
Although splitting my time between NY and Florida, I still promise to my acting students you WILL book work. I will teach you the nuts and bolts of it all and then help you book bigger and better jobs as we work. You will have some homework as you must work hard to join this industry! Making a reel, auditioning and getting an agent are all steps I can help you to take.
I am the proud author of 'Acting & Auditioning for the 21st Century: Tips, Trends, and Techniques for Digital and New Media" now on sale at Amazon, published by Routledge Press.
Award winning NYC teacher and internationally known director, producer - Founder of Nicu's Spoon Theater Company. Have taught audition classes, techniques, dialect and accent coaching, acting classes, etc. for 15 years in NYC and 8 in LA.
Have also taught literally ANY dialect and can teach it to you too. Also can work with you remove an accent. Worked with kids and adults on preparing an audition that works for you! Have extensive experience working with disabled and special needs artists.
Policies: a minimum of 12 hours needed for cancelling a lesson, charge of one hour lesson for making an acting reel or a voice over reel.
Experience
Author
Feb 2017 - PresentOut in September 2018
Acting & Auditioning for the 21st Century: Tips, Trends, and Techniques for Digital and New Media
Author
Feb 2016 - PresentAuthor of book due out in July 2017, Disability & Theater: A Practical Manual for Inclusion in the Arts
Presenter at USITT 2016 Conference
Dec 2015 - PresentPrepared format and lecture about heatrical technology and inclusion in the arts and what can be done to encourage and grow the industry. Culminated in being a presenter at the USITT conference in 2016.
Accent coach
Feb 2000 - PresentACCENT COACH
NY work
Phyllis, A Slave to Poetry Producers Club 2000
Accents: (S.R.) British, Cockney, Irish, French, German, Russian
Displaced Altered Stages 2001
Accents: Ugandan, Rwandan, Bosnian, Afghani, Russian, Mexican
To Kill a Mockingbird American Theater of Actors 2002
Accents: Deep south
Stumps The Pelican Theater 2004
Accents: Southern
kosher harry’s (US Premiere) Spoon Theater 2007
Accents: Standard British, Cockney, British working class
No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs Spoon Theater 2008
Accents: Jewish, Georgia (South)
Tibet Does Not Exist Spoon Theater 2008
Accents: Tibetan
Beautiful Thing Spoon Theater 2009
Accents: West London, British Working Class
Letter from Algeria June Havoc Theater 2009-10
Accents: Boston, New York, British Upper Class
Modotti The Acorn Theater 2010
Accents: Spanish, Cuban, Italian
You Don’t Want to Know Half of It Manhattan Rep. Theatre 2013
Accent: Lebanese
The Lobby (an Irish Farce) by Don Creedon Adam Fitzgerald Director 2014
Accent: Irish
Private Coaching in dialects: Russian, French, German, Bosnian, Italian, Spanish, High British, Standard British, Cockney, British Working Class, North London, Scottish, Irish, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, African, Chinese, Japanese, Texan, Southern, Valley Girl, New York, Boston, Maine (New England), Eskimo and more!
Education
DBA in Business
Feb 1990 - Feb 1992BFA- Theater, Minor in world dialects
Jun 1980 - May 1984Languages
ASL
Italian
Romanian
Spanish
Certifications
DBA
Apr 1992BFA
May 1984Undergraduate with a minor in Speech/Dialects
Awards
List of awards
Sep 2014Top 10 off-off Broadway Professionals
Apr 2011Best Actress in a lead role
Sep 2008Best Director
May 2004Best Production, Direction
May 2004Affiliations
Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Jan 2009An American labor union representing over 160,000 film and television principal and background performers, journalists, and radio personalities worldwide.
Actors' Equity Association
Feb 1990Actors' Equity Association, founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 49,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society.
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164 Reviews
Write a ReviewBeen through one lesson with Stephanie it was awesome. Super excited and motivated to continue one this path.
great lesson and teacher.
Stephanie is wonderful. She has helped and taught my daughter so much about voice acting, such as voice acting lessons, insightful feedback, and explaining how she can audition for voice acting jobs. Stephanie is patient and knowledgable in the field. My daughter did the 1 hour lessons.
Show MoreStephanie is a great teacher! She is very helpful when answering questions. She does a lot! I would definitely recommend her because she gives you a lot of important information.
Stephanie is very professional genuine and makes the effort of learning very ludique. I really love my accent reduction lessons!
To me, it is really helpful that Stephanie's coaching is in the context of acting--it is not only about the technicalities of pronunciations, but also about how to be in control of words and how to use acting choices to help clarify the speech.
Stephanie is incredible. She's making sure I know every aspect of the Voice Over industry from engineering your own audio to what to expect in auditions. Anyone looking into becoming a Voice actor or wanting to become a stronger Voice actor would benefit from her knowledge.
Show MoreStephanie was amazingly helpful right from the start! She knows all about the current state of the industry, for both voice and on camera work. She gave me a huge level of confidence and inside knowledge on how to strike out on my own and become a professional. I couldn't have done it without her help.
Show MoreIt was only my first lesson but I can already tell Stephanie genuinely cares about my career goals and has given me a wealth of information to start my Voice Over journey. Can't wait for the coming sessions!
I am a blind individual interested in doing voiceover work as a career change. I selected Stephanie as an instructor because of her extensive acting experience and her advocacy to include individuals with disabilities in the arts. She is an encouraging, realistic, and dynamic instructor. I appreciated her candor about the topics we discussed, including the types of voiceover work, and I was glad that she gave me homework to do prior to our next lesson. I'm glad that I was able to get started with lessons right away.
Show MoreThis being a first lesson, I only experienced the assessment of my accent. Even so, I can testify that the professor is friendly, knowledgeable in her field, clear in her communicating, and very encouraging. Really looking forward for the next lessons.
Had a great time. Stephanie is a wealth of knowledge and just as animated as I am; what a relief! LOL Can't wait to learn more. She seems like someone I would actually like to be friends with. I hope this will be a lasting relationship!
Off to a great start with Stephanie.She is very upbeat and encouraging.Love her 'we can do this attitude".
I enjoyed the lesson.
Fantastic! So so much fun. Can't wait for the next one. Stephanie is super knowledgeable and I can tell I'm going to learn loads from her.
I had a very good experience with Stephanie with regards to tailoring lessons to my needs. She was also very accommodating to my unpredictable schedule as a physician.
Very Informative
Stephanie is very nice and a fun teacher. She was pretty slow with getting the ball rolling and often forgot what we previously said we would work on. I liked her price but really wanted to make some moves with acting.
Stephanie was very informative. We both enjoyed her. She has a great personality too
Wonderful encouragement and great teaching!
Wonderful, as always - and with some great tips to help me remember what Stephanie has taught me which it comes to auditions.
very helpful
very friendly and efficient
Detail, clarity, great guidance. Just what the doctor ordered. Thank you!
A great confidence builder! Thank you!
Stephanie is wonderful to work with! You cover soo much is such a short amount of time!! She's knowledgable, charasmatic, and honest! You wont want to leave your session!
Stephanie is an incredible acting instructor with invaluable insight and instruction! I highly recommend Stephanie to anyone looking to become an actor/actress or hone their skills
She is very nice and knowledgable about acting. I have learned a lot from her in a short period of time.
Very good advices for acting and accent
Excellent! Stephanie was fantastic: knowledgeable, informative and very helpful. I look forward to continuing these lessons.
she is helping me everyday and giving me millions of compliments she truly is the greatest
Stephanie really knows her stuff, you won't be disappointed!
Really enjoyed my first lesson with Stephanie. And I’m very excited to move forward.
Very friendly, easy going and informative. Looking forward to my next lesson!
it was a GREAT first class she was AMAZING
She's amazing. Very knowledgeable of the business and creative side of acting. I look forward to future sessions!
Stephanie is such a great teacher! She makes the lesson so much fun!
Stephanie does a great job!
Stephanie is a great instructor! In just 3 classes I have made a tiny improvement.
Great, fun, interactive first lesson. Looking forward to learn more.
she great every class, informative, helpful and very comfortable to work with
Great instructor! Very good energy too.
very insightful, kind, and informative. Stephanie gave me hope that i could pursue voice acting.
I finished my last class today. I am very happy what I got from these classes. Stephanie is fabulous! She helped me quickly identify my pronunciation issues, gave me the right tools to improve, and most importantly, helped me build up a habit to pick up (listen) the words I say. I am certainly more confident about my pronunciation than before. And I know how to say the words right. That's awesome!
Show MoreStephanie is great
Stephanie is patient and engaging. She is a pro at helping even the most shy child come around, actively participate and eventually shine!
Stephanie is amazing! she is so helpful, supportive and knowledgeable. She is very positive and encouraging. I would definitely recommend her
Very helpful comments! I am looking forward our next sessions.
Stephanie is not only smart but also has a great technique in explaining what to look for in reducing your accent.
She was great on the first day. i'm looking forward to more lessons
Stephanie is a very great acting coach who really know's her craft! It's so much fun working with her!
Very satisfied!
Awesome teacher!
Stephanie was a very helpful tutor. She gave many different tips on how to improve my performance, and she showed me a few tricks I never knew about! I look forward to seeing her once again.
Stephanie is a very nice person and an EXCELLENT teacher. She has knowledge, experience and patience and unique style that really help you recognize your faults and the areas to work on. I would surely recommend her as a teacher.
Stephanie has helped me make progress in no time. I've been able to give presentations feeling confident while my audience adapted quickly to my accent. She's a pro and I always look forward to my classes.
Fun class and explain thing very clearly
I've had five lessons with Stephanie. She has a lot of knowledge about the business, both artistic and technical. She's very encouraging and gives constructive tips. And I love the energy she puts into the lessons; I'm learning a lot but also having fun.
Show MoreI really enjoyed the classes. I like the the methodology Stephanie used to teach. The assignment was helpful, too. Stephanie is very patient, clear about her messages, and encouraging. I look forward to the next classes.
Stephanie is a great teacher! She knows how to get the right facial expression, sound etc out of me. I feel I've grown so much and I think I'll get far with her
Great start. Very professional.
Stephanie is an absolute JOY to work with. She knows the industry, she knows what starting actors need, and she isn't afraid to express herself. Best of all, she knows how to laugh. If you're like me and you absolutely MUST have someone with a good sense of humor in addition to know-how, Stephanie is the agent for you.
Show MoreStephanie absolutely knows the industry. She is a blast to work with, full of excellent information for helping you get started, and she knows how to laugh. If you get the chance to work with her, you WILL NOT be disappointed.
Stephanie is fun to chat with. Very animated. Far from dry or boring. Thank God. I'm glad I can look forward to the lessons!
I WAS ENTIRELY SATISIFIED!!!!....
I've only had five lessons with Stephanie, but I can already tell I've improved! Stephanie is so kind, but is still willing to tell you when something isn't working, which is very important to me. She is a brilliant teacher and has been so helpful. She is also very adaptable and listens to you and what you want, which has unfortunately become rare in teachers. I would highly suggest taking lessons with Stephanie!
Show MoreI never could have experienced a better class! She is very natural to talk to and really encouraging.
Stephanie is an excellent teacher and mentor. She is very patient, positive and encouraging. She explains everything in details and makes it easy to change my accent. She has a good ear and within the first 1 or two classes she gives you the top 5 sounds you need to work on. It takes a long time to reduce accent, but even with meeting once a week it was possible to make great progress with Stephanie's help. I highly recommend her to anyone who would like to reduce or change their accents or would like to learn public speaking.
Show MoreI am having a great time. Stephanie is a great teacher!
I'm making good progress and Stephanie is really helping a lot finding clues on how to pronounce words correctly
This is a great experience.
Great teacher! Very informative and very encouraging !
Great 1st training!
Stephanie was very interested in who and where I was coming from to find out how she could help me the most. Since day one she has been very easy to contact and has answered all my questions. I know I am going to learn a lot from her. I am so glad I decided to take these lessons from Stephanie!
Great 1st session!
She has such substantial knowledge of the industry and has a terrific way of bringing out the very best potential within you! What's more, she's very sweet and makes Acting/VO a lot of fun! I always look forward to learning and enhancing my skills under her guidance!
Show MoreVery helpful and understanding
I reiveiwed Stephanie when I was just beginning lessons with her. Now that we've meeting for almost a year I think I can give more insight. Stephanie continues to impress me with her insight and help as I navigate my way in the entertainment industry. Her real-world experience and active presence in this community (both theater and film) makes her knowledge cutting-edge. Look no further for a fantastic instructor!
Show MoreShe is very professional, instructional and productive. She is also an easy going teacher and she is able to cheer you up on whats the next steps to take, making clear the chances and opportunities to make your goals come true. Thank you!
Started my first lesson today, and I am beyond excited to work with Stephanie!
Stephanie is just amazing. She is knowledgable, experienced, and very encouraging . She is one of the best teachers I've had.
Stephanie is amazing! She made me feel like she really does want me to succeed and imparted so much into a short, 30 minute lesson. I can't wait for more!
Stephanie has a lot of knowledge and wisdom about casting, not just acting, I've gained more than just tips on actings, she provides a well-rounded lesson of preparing for casting calls/auditions as well!
Stephanie is awesome! She explains complicated concepts in simple terms. She is charismatic, encouraging, and her knowledge of acting is very practical and inspiring.
Wow! I feel so exhilarated! Stephanie has an energy about her that is so passionate and true. I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work with her.
Stephanie, it's professional and knows how to make you comfortable.
Lessons are clear and go step by step, focalizing the attention on singles speech defects with simple exercises.
I'm satisfied with my five lessons experience, and I bought more.
I've worked with Stephanie for 5 lessons now and I think she's a great acting teacher! I've learned a lot from her about both acting theory/exercises AND the acting business. She's also really funny :D I was initially worried if online acting lessons would even work, but I can tell you that they do work and I'm so glad Stephanie is my teacher! If anyone is thinking about doing lessons with her, go do it! I really recommend them :)
Show MoreStephanie is a great teacher. Very knowledgable!
Stephanie is such a great instructor. She knew things about me and we never even met. She's sweet, funny, helpful, and informative. You'll have a great time and she listens and answers questions incredibly. Trust me, if you're looking for a great teacher, Stephanie is the one. I'm looking forward to my next lesson.
Show MoreGreat teacher, very knowledgeable!
I really liked the way that Stephanie guide you in this subject.
Excellent!!!!
She has been working with my daughter for two months now!! My daughter looks forward to her sessions each week. Stephanie has given us very helpful information about this business as well as helping with acting.
Amazing! She is the best coach. She still works with her and helps her to grow and improve. Recommend you to choose her.
We live in a small town and needed an acting instructor. The closes instructors are about 4 hours away. Was not sure about finding one online but I am so glad we made the decision to try it!! Stephanie has been great. She is very knowledgeable about this business. My daughter is very happy and exited about working with her.
Show MoreI had a fun time working with Stephanie. She's so helpful when it comes to the business side of the industry but also very good at mixing both acting techniques you should know as well as how to approach the industry. I learned a lot.
Stephanie is genuine, caring, kind, patient and extremely knowledgeable. My typically shy teenage daughter thoroughly enjoys her time with Stephanie and appreciates her guidance and instruction
Stephanie is a great instructor! She's a very nice person, is willing to change lesson plans at your own personal request, very helpful, makes you feel comfortable and shares a lot of great advice.
She was very informative throughout all the lessons we had and I'm sure will continue to be.
Stephanie is fantastic! By chance, stumbled upon takelessons.com while searching for an acting coach in our area. My son had always done group classes locally since he was in 1st grade. But online; never! Stephanie's resume jumped out at me along with her accolades and credentials. The fact that she had a history with child actors was icing on the cake. She is great with him. Full of excitement and great pointers. This is only his 1st round of lessons. I foresee a long relationship her. Tony's? Oscars? We'll take it! And Stephanie will be right there in the front row with us.
Show MoreStephanie is fabulous. She has such depths of experience and is gracious in sharing her guidance and expertise with my daughter.
Stephanie is focused and knowledgeable while still being kind a relatable. She knows her stuff and has great nuggets of information to pass on. I can't wait for my next lesson!
The vest acting lesson I've taken. Got a lot of useful information I wouldn't have known about. Can't wait until the next lesson
Stephanie is very knowledgeable and helpful. I am very excited for the future
Stephanie is one of the most amazing people I have ever spoken with, she is funny, caring and brilliant! She want the best for her students and often go out of her way to do so. I have learnt so much from her and I want to keep learning more from this amazing lady. I hope she can help you as much as she have helped me.
So why are you sitting here reading this last paragraph book a lesson and start learning!
She adapts to each student. And is very supportive.
Excelente teacher!
Really good technique and lovely personality.
Stephanie was very personable and down to earth. You can tell that she is extremely knowledgeable in the field of acting. I'm looking forward to more sessions with her.
I'm awfully shy, but Stephanie made me feel extremely comfortable and at ease. She has an amazing personality and is really funny! I am beyond happy to have chosen her as my instructor. She truly cares for her students and wants nothing more than to guide them down the right path. I can't wait for my next lesson with her!
Show MoreStephanie really is so great! She gives you all the tools to succeed and make the success in the film industry seem much more of a feasible accomplishment
As a professional actor of 10 years, Stephanie provided great refreshing advice as well as new insights to help nail auditions. Highly recommended
Stephanie is a remarkable instructor. She is so down-to-earth and encouraging that it makes learning easy and enjoyable. I always look forward to attending her sessions with enthusiasm because I know I'm going to like it and get a lot out of it.
Stephanie really is so great! She gives you all the tools to succeed and make the success in the film industry seem much more of a feasible accomplishment
I thought I was too old to try to follow my dream and do some acting. Stephanie has gotten me prepared so I have the tools I need and I cant believe I just got a role in a short film. At 57 years old!
Amazing instructor! Personable, professional, fun and so informative about the industry. As a working actor herself she knows her stuff. Great with kids. She went out of her way to email exetcises, and important details we needed. Couldn't have asked for a better match!
Show MoreI'm having such a fantastic time learning with Stephanie!! She's a rolodex of information, meaningful lessons and insightful suggestions. I really value her honesty, one of the things that's so important to me. Every class leaves me with wanting to learn more. My energy and excitement hasn't waned since I began. Here's to many more fantastic lessons!! Cheers!
Show MoreStephanie is incredibly organized and has an excellent understanding of a student's strengths and weaknesses. This enables Stephanie to efficiently focus the lessons on the areas that need improvement as well as exploit the student's strengths so that she/he can maximize performance. My daughter was well prepared for her LA Guardia HS auditions after only 5 lessons.
Show MoreShe has coached me through 2 off-broadway shows and now i just booked my first film! Really funny, kind and knows so much!
The first lesson was great! Looking forward to the next!
I'm a beginner and can be nervous in front of new people but Stephanie was very informative and was able to put me at ease. I would recommend her to EVERYONE whether you are experienced or not.
We had known Stephanie since my daughter was 11 years old, and Stephanie had directed her in the show / role that, until today, my daughter considers to be one of her favorite. She loved working with Stephanie then, and so choosing her as daughter's acting coach now when she needed help with Shakespeare material was a no-brainer, especially knowing Stephanie's love for classical theater, and her level of expertise with everything Shakespeare. Last week Stephanie also helped daughter to prepare for a very challenging audition she was very much looking forward to, - with outstanding results. My daughter is planning on having regular lessons with Stephanie leading up to her college auditions next year. She is amazing, and my daughter absolutely loves working with her.
Show MoreStephanie is amazing! She always got me so excited about acting and I can't wait to take more classes with her when I have time!
So Far, everything is great!
Just took a class with Stephanie and it was incredible! What a joy to work with, she will make you feel completely comfortable and by the end of the lesson I felt a new confidence in my acting ability. Stephanie will give you those "aha" moments we get when we are really learning from the 1st lesson. Highly recommended!
Show MoreVery organized and knowledgeable about the theatre audition process.
Stephanie is very knowledgeable, fun and helpful! I can't wait until my next lesson!
So much good information. With Stephanie I feel that once I do walk into an audition. I am confident that I will nail it with her teachings.
My 9 year old daughter was excited yet nervous about her first lesson with Stephanie. However, that all immediately went away upon meeting her friendly and smiling face! We both agree this is going to be so much fun!!
I came to her wiht a heavy Russian accent and she helped me to have it less and also to be more clearer with an american style of speaking which really helped me at work as i interviewed for a better job and got it!
Stephanie is a great teacher. I don't have a large support system and she not only gives me techniques, tips, tricks, amazing break throughs in my acting, but she also has become a cheering section for me. Because of her and because of the amazing reel she made for me (she does one for all her students) I have booked a commercial campaign! She's awesome!
Show MoreI was a student of Stephanie's in LA a long time ago but I firmly believe it is because of what she taught me that I booked films and TV job over the years. She is no BS, bt yet is very loving and supportive and sometimes actors need not only a teacher but someone to believe in them. I can't rate her highly enough!
Show MoreThis lady is really awesome- not only did she help me prep for my Juilliard audition but she actually gave me tips on an accent on one of my monologues that made all the difference. I think maybe I had a 50/50 chance to get in before I worked with her, but after- wow I felt great and my audition was great and I got accepted too!
Show MoreI am so in love with Stephanie I would recommend her to everyone! I am just opening the door to acting and she makes me feel so comfortable in my skin, grounded and confident. She is honest and won't bull shit you just because your "paying her". Amazing advice and she answers my emails of questions any day of the week as well as done research multiple times to help me look for schools. 20/10 stars baby!!
Show MoreOMG!!! What can I say??? Not enough that translates into the awesome experience we've had with Stephanie! She's very brilliant, talented and honest about everything she does and her teaching methods. I have nothing but praise and am so thankful we found her. My daughter has learned so much, as have I, from her sessions!! FANTASTIC person…… that's all I have to say about that!
Show MoreI have been having the time of my life with Stephanie as my teacher! She is extremely informative, has an awesome attitude and goes out of her way to help me succeed in any possible way!! I HIGHLY recommend her for ANYONE and EVERYONE!!!!
She's a great teacher!
The best I have seen dealing with dialect coaching - we did lessons via Skype and she helped me not only tone down my Indian accent but also to learn a British one!
I cannot say enough about how amazing Stephanie is! She's extremely attentive to each actor's individual needs so you are able to delve more deeply into your work, be it a scene, monologue, or new accent. I am definitely looking forward to working with Stephanie again!
Show MoreStephanie is a gifted teacher. I learned a lot about my craft from her. You'd be hard pressed to find a teacher as patient and gifted as her. Not to mention the great price!
Stephanie is an amazing Acting Coach/ Teacher. The best I've every worked with. She creates a very fun and comfortable environment for her actors, but knows when to get serious, and when to raise the stakes. Stephanie is persistent in getting her actors to the point of really understanding the characters and the difference I've seen her bring out is remarkable.
Show MoreI was sent to her by a director working on Broadway. After an hour not only had she taught me an Irish accent, but she had made it fun, real and low-pressure. She can do many accents too so she can illustrate what she means. She easily is the best accent teacher I have ever had!
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