Speech + Accent Coaching
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Brendan is a voice, speech, and accent coach in New York City, and a member of VASTA. He works with seasoned actors and non-actors alike, helping guide each toward effortless, natural-sounding, and authentic vocal performances. Through his work with Knight-Thompson Speechwork®, Brendan pulls from his own experience as a performer to meet each client where they are, offering tools and methods unique to each individual's needs.
Recent projects include: GableStage Theatre Company's Sotto Voce (dir. by Nilo Cruz), ThirtySaints production of The Keeners (dir. by James Rocco and Barbara Grecki), private coaching for upcoming A24 film. Services:Accent Coaching for Actors / Productions
American Accent Acquisition (also known as Accent Reduction) Coaching for Public Speakers |
Testimonials
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“I’ve been working with Brendan for over a year now. His specificity and clarity when breaking down a dialect and inventiveness and joy when helping me integrate the work into the vocality of the character has become an integral part of my overall process. He’s inspiring and makes me want to work harder. Whether you’re looking for a vocal warm up, generalized dialect work or are working on crafting a three dimensional vocal choice for a character I would highly recommend him.” - EMORY COHEN, actor
"Brendan is an absolute gem. Unlike many accent coaches who simply go through the motions, he is genuinely focused on helping his students succeed. His method is powerful, effective, and delivers real results fast. His background as an actor makes his training especially sharp and engaging, and you can feel the care and attention he brings to every single session. As a tutor myself, I know how rare that level of commitment is. I couldn’t recommend Brendan more highly. If he takes you on as a student, you’ll notice the difference within just a few sessions." - GALA MANRIQUE, Spanish university professor and cruise speaker "Brendan is an amazing teacher. Reliable, sensitive, smart, professional, and creative. Mastering the American accent can be extremely challenging, but with Brendan, it's not only worth it but also a joyful experience you look forward to." - STANISLAV PASEKA, actor "Brendan gave me great trust as the actor and not only provided me with the resources I needed, but the options and colors to work with as well. This gave me the opportunity to create a voice and dialect that felt true to myself, the character, and the play overall." - STAVROS KOUMBAROS, actor |
"Brendan is a highly gifted dialect coach. Skilled, intuitive, patient, and kind. He’s an extraordinary listener, detail-obsessed without getting lost in the weeds, and because of his performance background, he knows exactly where an actor’s coming from. I’ve mentored him myself and have joyously watched him grow from passionate enthusiast to expert. I never hesitate to send people his way, knowing they will be in the best possible hands." - AMANDA QUAID, speech, voice, and breath coach
“Brendan is a rising star in the world of speech and dialects, astutely and unobtrusively improving every project fortunate enough to have his ear.” - CIARAN BYRNE, actor "It takes an artist's intuition to create a safe, grounded place to learn a new way to speak. Brendan brought that creativity and trust to our rehearsals, which allowed me to go through my full process as an actor, quickly adopt a dialect that much of the cast already had, and then reconnect with my intuition- all while discovering the heart of my character. I am deeply grateful for his professional, creative approach and cannot recommend him more highly." - KATE FLANAGAN, actor "Brendan takes the vulnerable and sometimes intimidating process of dialect work and turns it into a fun and engaging conversation between the actor and coach. He doesn’t critique, he builds up what you’ve already got while providing help and new ideas with enthusiasm and kindness. Brendan is a joy to work with, whose immense precision is matched by his patience and genuine pride in the actors he coaches." - COLE KAPLAN, actor "Brendan is AMAZING! He took the time to understand my world and my goals and then apply his knowledge to help me become better. This is a continuous game and I will not stop working with him specifically to level up my game any time soon. Working with him is a no-brainer and worth every penny if you are serious about performance, acting, and vocal training!" -DANNY GOLDBERG, Workplace Performance Strategist & Keynote Speaker |