Creative Spotlight | Linda Nicholls-Gidley
Published on 06 November 2020
Tell us a bit about who you are and what kind of creative work you make
I’m an actor, director, voiceover artist and a voice and accent coach. I spent most of my time pre-COVID coaching actors all over the world. My work takes me to film sets, theatres, recording studios and drama schools. Last year I worked on the national touring productions of Saturday Night Fever and Shrek as well as Sydney based projects such as ‘Counting and Cracking’ which premiered at the Sydney Festival and ‘Once’ for Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Currently I am running a series of workshops called Accent Olympics.
Are there any special processes, techniques or tools you use to make your creative work?
When I am teaching accents and dialects, I use a technique called Knight Thompson Speechwork (KTS). I am one of only two certified teachers of KTS in Australia and 50 worldwide. The technique focusses on recognising muscular processes and exploring speech as a physical action rather than mimicry of sounds. This process allows an actor to focus on creating a realistic character that speaks in a certain way, rather than focusing on getting a sound change right. I love using colour when I’m coaching and I’ll often use particular colours for particular vowel sounds, for example the colour red has an ‘eh’ sound in it, so I’ll underline those ‘eh’ vowels in red, or I might underline ‘ee’ words in green. Colour is a great way to help identify sound changes. 
What is a creative project that you’ve worked on that you’re really proud of? Why?
A project that I’m really proud of is a production of ‘Pramkicker’ by Sadie Hasler that I directed, accent coached, co-produced and also recorded voice over for. We had an amazing team of female artists on the project and the production was received well by audiences and reviewers alike.
What creative project are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a production of ‘Molly Sweeney’ for Clock and Spiel productions which will open in December at the Flight Path in Marrickville. I’m also working on the development of a verbatim theatre piece called ‘Silenced’, which deals with the way small statements can take away our belief that we have a voice. In early December I will be performing in a project with a group of artists in the USA who are putting together an online performance called ‘Seasons of Struggle, Harvest Of Hope’.
What has been the highlight of your creative career so far?
Working on the international touring production of ‘How to Train Your Dragon – Arena Spectacular’ was a career highlight. Who doesn’t want to go to work with larger than life dragons every day!
What’s the most challenging part of working as an artist / creative?
What’s challenging at the moment is that we just don’t know when the theatres will be able to reopen properly, and while we are all creating what we can, there is a theatre shaped hole in my life.
Where can we find out more about your work and get in touch?
Instagram: @vocovox
Website: www.vocovox.com.au
Facebook: @linda.nichollsgidley
Accent Olympics: www.trybooking.com/BJGUF