accents & dialects - the more versatile Southeast actors are, the more opportunity presents itself

I love working in the Southeast region of the US as a casting director, filmmaker, and teaching artist.

The opportunity for actors to work in the film/television industry here is immense. However, many of the projects filming in the Southern region have stories that are centered in other places...and natural Southern accents may not work for these projects.

For example:

• A film shooting on location in Nashville, TN has a story that takes place in New England. Local actors with Tennessee accents will need the craft to translate their natural dialect into that of the Northeastern region.

• A series filming in Atlanta, GA has a story-line based in NYC but requests a neutral dialect (not Georgia southern and not too New York either).

• Turn: Washington's Spies, filmed in Richmond, VA, took place during the Revolutionary War mainly in New York and Philadelphia. At that time in history, there was an amalgam of dialects and accents as people were immigrating from many parts of the world.

To succeed, Southeast actors must have the awareness of their own natural accent, the story's time period and place, and a practiced craft to transform their own dialect.

Here is an excellent 3-part Accent Expert series addressing this nuanced & important aspect of the acting and casting craft.

It is our responsibility, as screen artists, to understand the complexity and history of dialects too...we are storytellers after all. Plus, it's fun to hear the host dialect coach, Erik Singer, turn his own accent on a dime (in the above video).

Accents & dialects may make a difference in an actor being considered for a project, but they are never the only factor. If an actor is right for the role and there is enough time, an opportunity for the performer to work on the accent before being hired or filming will come.

Fin.