What is a dialect coach? What they do for actors, who pays, and how to work with one

A dialect coach is a specialist who teaches an actor the accent, voice and speech patterns a character needs, then listens to make sure they hold up in every take or performance. Wikipedia describes the job as "a technical advisor who supports actors as they craft voice and speech patterns for characters," across film, television, commercials, stage and voice-over (Wikipedia).

Most actors meet a dialect coach in one of two ways: a production hires one for the cast, or the actor books one privately to prepare an audition or build a new accent. This guide covers both, what each costs, how to practise between sessions and how to find a coach in Los Angeles.

The job titles overlap, and casting notices use them loosely. Strictly speaking:

• Accent is pronunciation: "a way of pronouncing a language that is distinctive to a country, area, social class, or individual." Dialect is the broader set of differences, including vocabulary and grammar, so an accent is usually a subset of a dialect (Wikipedia)). In practice a breakdown that asks for a "Boston dialect" almost always means the accent, since the words are already in the script.
• Voice coach means different things in different places. In the US it often means a singing coach or a teacher of relaxation and breath work; in the UK a voice coach may also work on text (Wikipedia). If you need an accent, ask a voice coach directly whether they teach accents.
• Dialogue coach is a separate profession from dialect coaching, though the titles get mixed up (Wikipedia).

On screen projects the coach researches real-world speech, shapes the actor's vocal choices, and then monitors the performance on set, in post-production or during dubbing. They often sit in video village and may log pronunciation notes for the post team (Wikipedia). Coaches interviewed by Sight and Sound describe the work in more detail (BFI):

• Research from real speakers. For Judas and the Black Messiah, coach Audrey LeCrone slowed down archival footage of Fred Hampton to map his sentence construction and rhythm.
• Prep time. Poll Moussoulides had up to four months to refine Daisy Edgar-Jones's middle-class Sligo accent for Normal People, and prefers actors to be ready by principal photography rather than having him on set throughout.
• Being the actor's ears. LeCrone listens for slips through 12-hour shoot days so the actor can concentrate on acting, and if one gets through she tells the script supervisor or director that ADR (re-recording the line later) is needed.
• Character first. Jill McCullough puts character and performance ahead of accent precision, and Moussoulides favours consistent near-accuracy over occasional perfection.

In theatre the coaching happens in rehearsal, especially before lines are memorized and again once the show moves into the performance space; coaches may also work with understudies and give notes at runs and previews (Wikipedia). A University of Minnesota Duluth course syllabus for student dialect coaches spells out the routine (UMD):

1. Find several varied recordings of native speakers so the director can choose how the characters should sound.
2. Build a sound sheet from the chosen recording and learn the accent yourself.
3. Run short tutorials (20 minutes in that syllabus) covering "every line and word spoken in the accent/dialect regarding its pronunciation, sounds, and lilt."
4. At rehearsals, listen rather than watch, give most notes in writing afterwards, and never comment on the acting or the blocking.
5. Listen again in the real space at tech, since acoustics change what the audience hears.

That syllabus also has actors stay in the accent for the whole time they are in the rehearsal room, breaks included. If you are cast in an accent role, expect the coach's notes to be about sounds, never about your acting choices.

Once you are cast, the coach is usually the production's hire, not yours. On film and TV the line producer typically engages the coach in pre-production; during the shoot it may be the unit production manager or production manager. Directors or showrunners may interview candidates, and actors or their representatives sometimes ask production to hire a particular coach. In theatre a director or artistic director brings the coach in and a producer or general manager negotiates the terms (Wikipedia).

Low-budget productions sometimes skip the coach and rely on a volunteer native speaker or self-study materials (Wikipedia). If you are cast in an accent role on a small project with no coach, it is reasonable to ask whether one is budgeted; if not, the self-study steps below and one private session are the usual fallback.

Before you are cast, you pay. Audition prep and long-term accent training are private lessons you book yourself.

When sides arrive with an accent you have not done before, one focused session is often enough. A Los Angeles coaching service says, "If you are an actor preparing for an audition, one session is typically sufficient," while acquiring a new accent for everyday use "will of course be more of a process" (Dr. Dialect). To get the most from that hour:

1. Book early. As soon as the appointment lands, so you have days, not hours, to practise afterwards.
2. Send the sides ahead and say which accent the breakdown asks for, including region, class and era if it gives them.
3. Record the session. Some coaches include the recording; Paul Meier's Zoom sessions come with a free audio/video download (Paul Meier Dialect Services). If yours does not, ask before recording.
4. Mark up the script. Playbill's coaches suggest writing your own symbols over the words where sounds change, in IPA if you know it (Playbill).
5. Rehearse slowly, then at speed. Read aloud slowly, speed up gradually, then improvise in the accent so it survives a redirect in the room (Playbill).
6. Put clarity first. Coach Joel Goldes told Playbill that "the first objective in performing any accent should be clarity" (Playbill). A casting director who cannot understand the line will not hear the accent either.

Most coaches work online as well as in person, which matters when a self-tape is due tomorrow (Dr. Dialect). The self-tape guide and cold reading guide cover the rest of the audition.

A coach's hour goes much further if you have done the listening first. Two coaches interviewed by Playbill, Dawn-Elin Fraser and Joel Goldes, describe habits like these (Playbill):

• Listen to real people, not actors. Use recordings of people who grew up speaking the accent rather than film performances. Watch mouth shape and how the face moves, too.
• Rhythm before words. Fraser starts with the accent's rhythm, timing and pitch pattern before any individual sounds.
• Change only what changes. Goldes points out that many sounds stay the same as your own accent; work on the ones that differ.
• One phrase at a time. Imitate a native speaker phrase by phrase, copying what you hear rather than what you assume they are doing.
• Use it in real life. Hold the accent in short everyday conversations, such as a shop counter or a phone call to a business.
• Build a repertoire before you need it. Learning accents outside a specific role builds muscle memory; Playbill's coaches suggest starting with a standard British or American Southern accent and choosing accents that suit how agents and casting directors see your look.

The free resource coaches point to most is IDEA, the International Dialects of English Archive, which Goldes recommends (Playbill). Dialect coach Paul Meier founded it in 1998 to give actors "real-life models they need for their characters' accents and dialects"; it now holds about 1,800 recordings from 135 countries and territories, more than 170 hours in all (IDEA). For a structured method, Knight-Thompson Speechwork runs workshops and publishes Experiencing Accents, a guide for acting in accent (Knight-Thompson Speechwork).

Practise on text you are allowed to use: your sides, or a published monologue. Offbook has monologue texts to rehearse with; the audition monologues guide covers choosing one.

There is no standard rate; coaches set their own prices and many publish none. Two published examples:

• Paul Meier (IDEA's founder) lists Zoom or phone sessions at $120 for 30 minutes and $180 for an hour for individuals, $160 and $240 for groups. Cancelling or rescheduling within 24 hours costs 50% of the fee (Paul Meier Dialect Services).
• Dr. Dialect in Los Angeles prices by the hour or half-hour on request, books on-set work in half- or full-day blocks, and asks for 12 hours' notice to cancel a weekday session and 24 hours for weekends and holidays (Dr. Dialect).

As arithmetic, not a quote: one audition session at Meier's hourly rate is $180, and three sessions to build an accent from scratch would be $540. Ask any coach for their rate, minimum session length, cancellation policy and whether a recording is included before you book. Compare that against a group class: Arlo's LA Acting Class Price Index shows what ongoing classes cost in Los Angeles.

Anyone can call themselves a dialect coach; there is no licence. Wikipedia notes that in several countries dialect coaches are among the few production staff who are not unionized (Wikipedia), so there is no union roster to check either. Look for:

• Formal speech training. A UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television faculty profile for a Los Angeles speech specialist, for example, lists the International Phonetic Alphabet, Knight-Thompson Speechwork and Linklater voice training, plus membership of VASTA, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (UCLA TFT). Knight-Thompson Speechwork keeps a Find a Certified Teacher directory on its site (Knight-Thompson Speechwork).
• Credits in the medium you need. Coaching a stage production and protecting an accent through ADR on a film are different jobs; ask what they have coached and in which medium.
• Real-speaker sources. A good coach works from recordings of native speakers, the way the coaches above describe, not from film performances.
• A method you can take home. Ask how they teach: sound changes, IPA or their own notation, recordings of your lines. Goldes' approach is to teach you to make the unfamiliar sounds, which retrains your hearing (Playbill).
• A trial session. One audition session is a low-cost way to see whether a coach's method works for you before committing to a package.

Coaching a minor in California needs a state permit. Anyone who provides coaching, lessons or similar training to a performer under 18 for a fee, "including but not limited to acting, singing, dance, voice, or similar instruction services," must hold a Child Performer Services Permit. It costs $198 (renewal $166), lasts two years, and working without one is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, up to a year in county jail, or both. The Labor Commissioner keeps a searchable list of permit holders (California DIR). Parents should ask a coach for their permit and check it; the child actor guide covers the rest of the paperwork.

• Arlo's coach listings. Private coaches filtered to dialect and accent, with rates, in-person or online format and when each listing was last checked.
• Your acting teachers. Teachers at LA studios and university programmes often know which speech specialists their students use. Degree programmes teach voice, speech and dialects as part of the curriculum; the acting school vs. classes guide explains the difference.
• Online coaches anywhere. Since most coaches teach over Zoom, the best match for a specific accent may live in the region where it is spoken.

Once you can do an accent well on request, it belongs in the special skills section of your résumé; the acting résumé guide explains how to list it there. Voice actors use the same skills for character and commercial work; see how to get into voice acting.