In these monthly two-hour workshops, taking place on the first Monday of the month, you will explore different ways of changing the gender of the voice. You will start with some warm-ups, and then there will be an opportunity to choose a technique that will let you explore either your lower or higher vocal register.

After the technique workshop, there will be a short break, and then a relaxed conversation practice session that will provide an opportunity to meet other people working on their voices, and allow everyone to practise the techniques from the previous section.

There is no need for participants to commit to all three sessions, each one will cover a self-contained topic, with exercises to take away and use at home, but we do require that you book in advance, as the sessions have been very popular in the past.

This workshop is primarily aimed at:

– Trans people not currently eligible, or able to afford, voice therapy, but who are interested in accessing this support.

– Trans people with some previous experience of altering their voice, who want community support and feedback.

– Gender-non-conforming or gender questioning people, looking to explore or expand their gender expression options.

The workshop will be led by:

Laurie Owen (he/him)

Ioanna Georgiadou (she/her)

Nat Thorne (they/them)

Read on to find out more about Laurie, Ioanna and Nat:

Ioanna (pronunciation: Yianna) has been the lead specialist voice therapist at the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health for the past 7 years. She loves her job very much! She is originally from Cyprus and she has lived and worked as a voice therapist in Cyprus and the USA. She now lives in Sheffield with her partner, teenager daughter and greyhound. She absolutely loves hiking and bouldering in the peak district!

Dr Nat Thorne was an LGBTQ+ journalist for 16 years before completing a BSc with the Open University and moving onto a Masters in Psychology Research Methods. They then completed a PhD examining the effect of language on the mental health of non-binary people. Nat now works as the Education, Evaluation, and Research Associate at the Nottinghamshire Centre for Transgender Health and is also the chair of Notts Trans Hub

Laurie Owen is a Nottingham-based trans theatremaker. He incorporates trans voice training techniques into his solo show, Some Other Mirror, and is passionate about building trans solidarity and community in Nottingham. Laurie trained in Theatre and Performance at The University of Leeds, has taught and practiced improvisational theatre with MissImp for 6 years, and is an associate of local theatre company, Chronic Insanity. He is a member of the Nottingham Playhouse Youth Board.