Freeing the Storytellers Voice

A voice course for storytellers with Michael Harvey and Pauline Down

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The voice is at the heart of our storytelling practice yet many of us have a pretty meagre grasp on how to work with it and develop it. This workshop will equip you with simple and effective techniques and attitudes that will help you tell with resonance and spontaneity, make clear and supple contact with your audience and get more satisfaction and joy from your practice as a storyteller.

This is an experiential course that will transform your performances by giving you the tools to develop your own authentic and embodied storytelling voice in the company of two highly experienced performers and facilitators. We will be working on how we can actually make our voices clearer and more free and bringing the energy and flexibility of your voice into the heart of your storytelling. There will be a mixture of whole group, small group and partner work.

Michael Harvey has worked all over the world telling traditional stories and leading workshops. His storytelling home turf is the physical and mythological landscape of Wales and he has worked extensively with the production company Adverse Camber touring the award winning show Hunting the Giant’s Daughter and Dreaming the Night Field. He has won a Major Creative Wales Award and was a member of the 3rd Labo at La Maison du Conte storytelling centre in Paris.


Pauline Down is a voice teacher, singer and composer. She is a founder member of the Natural Voice Network and leads community choirs, holds individual and small group sessions for building confidence and vocal skills and is a leader in the field of singing and health. Pauline also has experience in theatre and performance and has a passion for performing poetry as well as close harmony a cappella singing, most recently with the Chalk Circle Collective and the vocal trio Bread and Roses. She also features on a forthcoming CD with Frankie Armstrong and Friends.

Possibly one of the most powerful and massively enjoyable courses I’ve ever done. Michael and Pauline guided, participated and taught with lightness and held ‘power’ lightly.

Over many years I have done many courses. I do not remember anything better.

Focused, practical, informative. Michael and Pauline’s depth of experience and watchfulness

Incredible development of a true voice which was freed and development of speaking on the breath.

Excellent course which enabled me to discover an authentic, clear voice and begin to storytell for others for the first time.

I loved the facilitation style, the easy way in which the space was held for us each to explore whatever aspects we were working on. There was a good balance between structure and flexibility.

A great opportunity to explore the complexities and depths of the voice and apply it to storytelling. A well facilitated course with movement, sound and laughter

I’m going away with some specific wide-ranging tools that will absolutely help my storytelling

I now have a tool kit for approaching vocal release, character development and have a deeper understanding of how breath informs the storytelling - quite literally, phrase by phrase.
— course participant feedback