TESTIMONIALS
Rob Lutfy
Associate Artistic Director
Cygnet Theatre
I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa many times as a dialect coach and assistant director. In rehearsal she was always thoroughly engaged, extremely helpful, and very disciplined. She is very sensitive to the process from all sides. Vanessa has a great passion, endless energy and patience. She is that rare form of artist that gets the whole picture. She is both visionary and truth-finder. Her choices are bold and clear, but perhaps best of all, she works from a place of understanding and humility, always passionate, always positive, always searching, never settling. As a director I have been inspired by her work and in awe of her great talent. My actors love and respect her. She has become a dear friend and someone I deeply trust.
Elan McMahan
Musical Director
Moonlight Stage Productions & The Old Globe Theatre
Vanessa is an amazing dialect coach. Not only does she have an incredible amount of knowledge, she is an absolutely delightful teacher and communicator. Additionally, her extensive musical knowledge makes her extremely valuable; Vanessa understands language and she also understands the subtle modifications necessary to make musical sense of dialect, diction and expression.
Larry Raben
Stage Director & Actor
Moonlight Stage Productions
Vanessa was an invaluable resource and tool when mounting Titanic. She clearly and patiently guided our actors through over a dozen very specific regional dialects. She was always delightful and I highly recommend her.
T.J. Dawson
Actor & Producer
3-D Theatricals & Moonlight Stage Productions
I honestly can't say enough about Vanessa. I was doing a role for a second time as she took my weak Scottish brogue and turned it into something truly transformative. She made it easy, fun and also helped me as a singer listen to the dialect like a musician would listen to music. Helping hear things I hadn't before. If you are on the fence about where to go for a dialect coach, run, don't walk. She's truly the best.
Ralph Johnson
Actor
Cygnet Theatre, Moonlight Stage Productions, The Welk Theatre
I have been so fortunate to work with Vanessa on several occasions relating to different projects in which I portrayed British or German characters. Her approach to teaching is encouraging, supportive, understanding, and most importantly, produces results. She makes herself available for one-on-one sessions both during and away from rehearsals. She has provided me with online and printed resources which I have saved and continue to use. Vanessa is a joy to be around and a treasure to learn from. Her teaching and dialect work in many theaters in San Diego enriches our acting community.