Anna Beecher
Voice & Presence
Coaching for Writers and Storytellers
I work with individuals and groups who want to perform their own texts with more confidence, clarity and presence. I can also work with you if you'd like to generally be more at ease with public speaking.
I've prepared prose writers and poets to give readings, interviews and other public engagements, coached slam poets and storytellers and delivered large group workshops. I firmly believe that delivering one's own writing well is about a set of teachable skills.
In a session with me, we'll look at things like:
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feeling comfortable and present in your body
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preparing the voice for speech
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breaking a text into distinct moments
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creating and painting a connection with the audience
We'll also explore your 'performance self',
finding a way for you to perform that feels
comfortable and authentic for you.
Reading my own work aloud has always been nerve-wracking for me. With Anna's help, I was able to feel so much more confident in my own voice as a writer and a performer of my writing. She gave me so many tools that I turn to again and again--whether I'm teaching or giving a reading or pitching my novel.
Katie
I was lucky enough to be coached by Anna Beecher before a reading that was very important to me and that I was very nervous about. Anna was able to use her expertise to draw my “performance self” out and she did so with all the compassion of someone who still remembers how shaky it can feel to be a novice at public speaking/reading. She gives a lot of practical, straightforward tools like posture and breathing techniques which enable you to more easily project, exude confidence and capture audiences’ attention. I’d highly recommend that anyone who has the chance to work with Anna on reading / performance skills do their writing that favor.
Aimee
Image: Anna preparing storytellers before performance
(The Cut Project, Young Vic Taking Part)
My Background
I come to this work both as a performer and an author. My background is in theatre (see page) and I also have performed widely as a storyteller and poet, with gig experience ranging from schools tours to noisy pubs, festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude to competing at the UK National Poetry Slam Final at the Royal Albert Hall. As an author, I understand the particular demands placed placed on writers giving readings and other public engagements.
I teach other writers an accessible, distilled version of the performance skills I have learnt over the last two decades. I love seeing other writers gain the techniques and the confidence to get up in front of others and bring their work off the page.