Clare Davidson MFA is an acting coach, voice coach and theatre director with a worldwide reputation. She has worked with, and trained, many stars including Sting, Orlando Bloom, Diana Rigg, Mark Rylance, Dudley Moore and Pierce Brosnan, directed in London’s West End and off-Broadway, and held academic positions in colleges and universities in America and the United Kingdom.
NEXT IN LONDON
Observing the latest government guidelines on Covid-19 Clare will run the Masterclass with social distancing if required and masks if preferred.
Clare has devised a set of vocal and physical exercises that are not hindered by such restrictions.
There will be an addition of “mask work”, which will develop people’s physical awareness through their ability to consolidate a character and clear objective while wearing a mask.
Scene work will be as usual with an option for scenes to be chosen that accommodate social distancing and will benefit from a strong vocal tone. All exciting exploration!
10 SESSIONS ACTING MASTERCLASS, SEP 2022
An intensive course covering essential elements of an actor’s training. Text, scene work and improvisation are explored, along with physical and vocal exercises which develop the body and voice, enabling increased emotional and creative freedom. This consolidates an actor’s technique and increases confidence.
Suitable for all levels, from beginners to established professionals.
From Script to Screen at Joldwynds
An intensive 5 day residential course for those fresh to film or looking to build on their screen acting skills.
Join acting and voice coach Clare Davidson, and filmmaker Will Thomas Freeman for a fully catered residential course at Joldwynds, a 1930’s grade 2 listed Art Deco house situated in the glorious Surrey hills.
Our coaching covers pre-take preparation, acting for the camera and immediate post-take analysis. Students will leave with an increased understanding of the art of film acting, personalised exercises for the voice and body, and with filmed rushes for further study or use.
Course Dates: Sunday 28 August – Saturday 3 September 2022
Location: Joldwynds, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking RH5 6NS (Joldwynds)
Course Fee: £1875
Available Places: Limited to just 10
ACTOR’S SHOWREELS
Bespoke showreel scenes tailored for the experienced professional as well as those fresh to the screen, under our production company Freeson Films.
In collaboration with Film Director Will Thomas Freeman.
Enquiries to clare@claredavidson.co.uk
WORKING ON A SCENE
VISITING COACH AT PINEWOOD STUDIOS
Clare regularly teaches at Actors Studio on their 4-Week Screen Acting Masterclass at Pinewood Studios.
ACTING COACHING
To assist actors with their development of a role, Clare draws upon her extensive experience as a theatre director, and a vocal and acting coach on movies.
Clare offers script analysis, assistance with self-taping, auditions, dialects, voice-overs and showreels, and has developed a series of exercises which will ensure a strong emotional connection with free sound.
Although Clare loves to work in-person, she understands that some people cannot and so online coaching is valued and well catered for.
One or two hour online sessions are available, for one or two people, via Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp.
Monologues, scenes, self tapes and presentations can be rehearsed and critiqued together with vocal and physical exercises given and used to aid performance.
Voice warm-ups increase vocal range and clarity of diction which enable greater flexibility with text, and emotional freedom flourishes with diaphragm and body work.
To enquire about an in-person or online session with Clare, email clare@claredavidson.co.uk.
TESTIMONIALS
“She was an indispensible help to me.”
“Outstanding and unique in her field.”
“Her tact, knowledge and calmness in work was extraordinary.”
“Having known Clare Davidson for nearly 30 years I highly recommend her.”
“Clare’s experience is vast. She has coached me extensively and it is to her I owe much of my success.”
“She has always shown teaching of the highest calibre, and is now internationally acclaimed as a vocal and acting coach. We consider her unique in her field.”
“Recognising her outstanding communication skills she has earned a worldwide reputation as an acting and vocal coach and as such is unique in her field.”
“Clare Davidson has organised and run many successful acting workshops at the Actor’s Centre in London.”
“Her work as both director and teacher is held in high esteem by collegues and theatre practicioners in the UK, and her productions regularly receive critical acclaim.”
“Her extraordinary abilities in her field, both for motion picture and the stage, place her among the top coaches in the western world.”
“The result that she achieves with actors is truly remarkable. She has an extraordinary ability to help them express enormous intensity of feeling while they also achieve full believability in their acting… She also has an excellent command of Shakespearean text.”
Davidson has been my colleague at Oxford in the British American Academy Program and is a superb teacher; intuitive and articulate who brings great skill and compassion to her work.”
“Her teaching of acting and of vocal production is based in a comprehensive understanding of the connection between the imagination and the physical expression in the actor’s creative process. This is a rare quality in an acting teacher.”
“Clare is one of the bravest directors I’ve worked with. She is ever bold in rehearsals and encourages her actors to be bold as well. She has a wonderful way of drawing out the best from her cast by making them active participants in the creation of the piece. Some of my best and most fulfilling work as an actor has come under her direction. She holds a place of high esteem for me as both a director and mentor.”
“I have observed her work as a director in Norway and as a teacher in Santa Fe, New Mexico… bringing vision, experience and good humour to everything she does. She can enthuse both actors and students and is a terrific leader of teams. Her work around the world has given her a breadth of knowledge and experience that is rarely found.”
“Working with Clare is both delightful and empowering. She goes way beyond just using techniques and quickly identified how I could unlock greater creativity and choices.”
Sting, Pierce Brosnan, Stephen Rea, Dudley Moore, Liam Neeson, Stacey Keach, Brian Cox, Patricia Hodge, Lulu, Maureen Lipman, Jennifer Beals, Jim Broadbent (Academy Award 2002), Ian Charleson, Jennifer Ehle, Francesca Annis, Harriet Walter, Rachel Hunter, Louise Goffin, Jayne Brook, Sarah Miles, Eddie Kidd, Jodie May, Heather Mills, Orlando Bloom, David Austin, Jack Whitehall, Georgie Henley, Stephen Dorff, Kim Coates (Best Actor Dora Awards 2018).
“CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG”, directed by Ken Hughes, Dialect Coach for Heather Ripley and Simon Hall, who play Dick Van Dyke’s children.
“ACCIDENT”, directed by Joseph Losey. Acting and Dialect Coach for Jacqueline Sassard.
“BOOM”, directed by Joseph Losey. Worked with general cast (Pre-shoot).
“BRIMSTONE AND TREACLE”, directed by Richard Loncraine. Acting Coach for Sting.
“THE BRIDE”, directed by Frank Roddam. Acting Coach for Sting.
“WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT”, directed by Robert Zemeckis. Post-production work with Bob Hoskins.
“THE POWER OF ONE”, directed by John Avildsen. Acting Coach for Stephen Dorff, Simon Fenton and Guy Witcher, who play the three ages of PK.
PLUS TV & FILM STUDIOS INCLUDING: BBC, Warner Brothers, MGM, New Regency, Paramount, Actor’s Studio Pinewood
MIXING NETWORKS, London
THE ACTORS CENTRE, London
THE FREEHOLD THEATRE COMPANY, London, with Nancy Meckler
THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE, Covent Garden, London
SHARED EXPERIENCE THEATRE COMPANY, London, with Michael Alfreds
RIVERSIDE STUDIOS, London
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP FESTIVAL, London, with Luke Dixon
7:84 THEATRE COMPANY, England and Scotland, with John McGrath
FIELD DAY THEATRE COMPANY, Ireland, with Stephen Rea
KUMU KAHUA THEATRE, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, with Gene Schofner
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu, Hawaii.
“A NOISE WITHIN” CLASSICAL THEATRE COMPANY, Glendale, Los Angeles,with Art Manke
THE ACTOR’S GUILD, London
SANTA FE PLAYHOUSE, New Mexico
LONDON ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC ART (LAMDA), London
WEBBER DOUGLAS, DRAMA SCHOOL, London
BRITISH AMERICAN DRAMA ACADEMY (BADA), London
THE CLARE DAVIDSON ACTING PROGRAM, London & Los Angeles
THE ATLANTIC THEATRE COMPANY’S ACTING SCHOOL (NYU), New York
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
THE MID-PACIFIC INSTITUTE, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
THE GRAY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL, Navajo Reservation, Tuba City, Arizona
THE COLLEGE OF SANTA FE, Santa Fe, New Mexico
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, Biever Guest Lecture Series, New Orleans, Louisiana
THE NEW ORLEANS CENTER FOR CREATIVE ARTS (NOCCA), New Orleans, Louisiana
THE FLYING SWAN ACTING PROGRAM, Wesleyan University, Connecticut
ROYAL CENTRAL SCHOOL OF SPEECH & DRAMA, London
THE POOR SCHOOL, London
VOICE COACHING
Clare studied voice at LAMDA alongside Kristin Linklater and was taught by Iris Warren.
Over the years she has developed her own approach, through carefully chosen exercises, to compliment Iris’s fundamental beliefs for the development of a free vocal tone. Clare has used her vocal experience throughout her work with actors and business executives, and it has been a major contribution to her success with clients globally.
A Vocal Warmup. Six sessions for your voice.
PRESENTATION COACHING
To ensure confidence in the office and when speaking in public, Clare gives a series of exercises ensuring vocal dexterity and physical relaxation.
These processes will enable freedom of the breath and reduce stress, supporting the ability to talk effectively in any group situation. Presentation techniques are tailored to assist the needs of the individual or company.
PRESENTATION VIDEO CASE STUDIES
TESTIMONIALS
“You are world-class. A clear leader in your field…”
“The marvelous results I obtained from her classes proved to me the high regard her contemporaries have for her and abilities as a teacher.”
“I spoke with some of the attorneys who took her class and they raved about it…”
“The type of training I received from Ms Davidson was unusual, extraordinary and immensely helpful. Being in a sales profession, the use of voice and emotion is extremely important to understand and master; no book or sales course I had previously been exposed to gave me the scope and depth of understanding that I gained from her course.”
“Even though what she teaches is highly specialized, it has very broad application. I have seen her class profoundly benefit not just theatre professionals, but also business people, lawyer, civil servants, writers… I have learned so much from her, and she has fundamentally improved my teaching…”
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Morley College, London
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The Kingstree Group (UK) Ltd, London
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Hawaii State Bar Association, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
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University of Hawaii on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu
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The LAB School, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
