Voice Coach - Hypermobility Specialist - Citizen Artist
Hello and thanks for visiting my website.
I am a voice coach working across the UK in Theatre, Film and Television. Additionally I work with private clients to find deeper connections to their voice and breath.
I specialise in Hypermobility, EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), Nervous system dysfunction (Dysautonomia), MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) , Long Covid, PoTS and other autoimmune and chronic conditions.
What is a citizen artist?
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" - Cesar A. Cruz
While performance training has traditionally been reserved for a small percentage of the population, I believe the power of the voice, story and expression should be for everybody.
Informed by a lifetime in my own chronically pained body, I specialise in voice and the nervous system: our body's stress reactor and first response. In 2021 producing the first research into expressive voice and breathwork as an accessible tool for patients with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, presenting my work to EDS Support UK in December 2023. From working one-on-one with chronically ill people to collaborating with platforms such as EDS Support UK and other charities, please get in touch if you would like to know more.
A lifelong performer, I began voice training from a very young age as a classical singer. I began my actor training at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama before studying Shakespeare & classical language with voice legend Kristin Linklater at KLVC in the wilds of Orkney, Scotland in 2014. Moving to New York in 2015 to study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Manhattan, I trained intensively in voice, Adler technique and movement under the guidance of instructors such as Alithea Phillips, Dayle Towarnicky and Andrew Wade.
Since then I have taught in jails and prisons in London and NYC bringing acting, voice and writing workshops to uplift and amplify voices who are often disregarded and spoken for.
<Collaborations include Drama Club NYC, New York Dept of Correction Fine Arts Division, Rikers Island, Stella Adler Outreach, HMP Holloway, HMP Wandsworth>
Graduating in 2018, my first film as an actor, The Birthday Cut directed by Eva Midgley won Best Drama at the New York Shorts International Film Festival 2020, Official Selection at LA Shorts 2020 and Official Selection at Toronto Shorts Festival 2020. Since then, due to health and a pandemic I have focused on sharing the power of voice but am always open to accessible ways to perform.
In 2020, back in London and foreseeing another respiratory condition piling onto NHS waiting lists, I returned to Central School of Speech and Drama to complete a Masters degree in Voice. My area of research is chronic illness, nervous system dysfunction, storytelling and voice, both the research and degree were awarded distinctions.
I live in Penzance, Cornwall and work part-time to manage my condition. I deliver voice workshops tailored to any level, both in person and remotely and travel for work (with a bit of notice!)
Since moving back to the UK, I have worked with: Central's MA Advanced Theatre Practice course, Trinity Laban Musical Theatre BA, Synergy Theatre Company, London Studio Centre Musical Theatre BA and co-led London's Park Theatre's Act and Play Youth Company. In 2022 I coached New Old Friends Theatre Company's break-neck farce "Crimes on Centre Court" and guest tutored at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Acting and Musical Theatre MA.
In Cornwall, I am part of the iconic Minack Theatre's Education Team, co-leading the 2024 Shakespeare Festival and collaborating on vital community outreach projects with a trauma-informed approach.
Voice Coaching
A VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association) member and graduate of Central's Voice MA (MAVS), I help people to connect to their voice, breath and body.
Here are some examples of areas of focus:
Corporate Clients:
- Finding confidence and connection through your voice
- Public speaking toolkit
- Communication skills and finding presence
- Working towards promotion
Actors
- Audition prep
- Embodying text
- Accent coaching
- Drama School Audition Preparation (students have won places to Central, LAMDA and more.)
Therapeutic / Restorative Work
I specialise in working with people with chronic illness and chronic pain. Including EDS, Long Covid, PoTS, anxiety and panic, re-finding the voice after loss, pre-natal/post natal breath + voice (preparing for labour) and more. I work with individuals to unearth their voice, re-connect to their body and find grounding through breath and sound, offering a non-judgmental environment to explore.
If you are interested or have questions please fill out the contact form or email imogen@imogenroux.com, concession rates are available.
Client testimonials below...
Client Testimonials
"I have had a fear of public speaking since I was a girl - and now have a job where I use my voice to speak to the public.
Imogen was able to help teach me how to be confident through the power of voice. I have learnt the importance of breathing - and have used the techniques in my everyday life to help me with stressful situations as well as my day to day job.
The sessions were both incredibly relaxing and uplifting - and I felt five inches taller after! Imogen is a very patient, understanding and knowledgable teacher - who makes the experience incredibly comfortable. I very much look forward to the next sessions post-lockdown!"
N.C
"Following some respiratory problems, I have been working with Imogen on regaining my voice.
She is knowledgeable, mindful of what I can and can’t do, but at the same time astute and challenging, which is just what I need."
A.J
"Imogen is an incredibly insightful and empathetic tutor who taught me new ways of approaching Shakespeare as well as contemporary text. Both technical, and intuitive.
She helped me awaken my body and explore my performance using embodied and voice reflexes, some of which I didn't even know existed.
She never hesitated to encourage me to grow in my acting, but also treat mty cultural diversity as an asset rather than a handicap in performance.
This experience was so much more than coaching!"
A.S
News and Updates
Practical sessions for Hypermobile bodies - coming soon!
Following on from my first webinar for EDS Support UK about the Hypermobile Voice, we are planning the follow-on session of practical techniques. In the mean time...if you haven't checked out the webinar yet, here is the link: https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/information/voice-breath-and-ehlers-danlos-syndrome/. Sharing the research and my own story allowed me to connect with people around the UK and US who have experienced these issues with both their physical and expressive voice. Thanks for the platform EDS Support UK.
Still no word from the medical world....
Presenting The Hypermobile Voice to EDS Support UK
I was thrilled to share my research into how Hypermobility affects the breath and voice to finish off 2023.
The webinar recording will be available soon and practical sessions to follow so please keep your eyes peeled for updates! Coming soon...
A gentle comeback
Last December I graduated from Central's Voice MA course.
With my research area focused on "misfitting" in the space as a body with a chronic illness, I knew that unlike my classmates, the course would take a physical toll on me. I'm still starting up again after nearly nine months but the thing about hEDS is....it's always another thing!
Keeping students safe is something I care deeply about, particularly in drama school settings where we are told there is "one way" far too often. Now that drama schools are encouraging more diverse student populations, we must include guidance and support to ensure that the students can access the work once they have been allowed into the room.
I will be offering pedagogical workshops about disability and actor/voice training. If you are interested in a workshop for your school or self or would be interested in collaborating around access for disabled bodyminds in drama schools and the industry, get in touch at imogen@imogenroux.com.
Research: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Voice
DO YOU have Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
DO YOU know anybody with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)?
I’m researching Voice, Breath, Storytelling and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and looking for participants to answer a questionnaire.
This is my dissertation research for my Voice masters at Central and a subject that couldn't be closer to my heart.
Voice and breath work is something which helps me manage my EDS: the slips, trips, faints, bad sleep, gastroparesis, dizziness, MCAS attacks, isolation...I could go on…
This research is currently only open to people with Hypermobile EDS as even within this one subtype of EDS there is so much variability and frankly I’m very tired.
You can just fill out the form below (5-10 mins) and not participate in any workshop, or do both, it’s up to you.
PLEASE share as much as you feel comfortable and take this invitation to share your story!
FORM:
https://forms.gle/x7oAG3ZikYfie1AY7
IMPORTANT
If you have a JHS diagnosis and/or suspect strongly that you have hEDS please do feel free to participate. It takes us an average of 14 years to get diagnosed and I trust that you know your body even if you can't get to the right specialist and/or get them to listen etc.
*Please feel free to share*
Responses will of course be anonymous.
Thank you very much,
Imogen
New Music Alert!
Check out When You're With Me: by the wonderfully talented Inside Origin
In between lockdowns I had the pleasure of working on Inside Origin's song When You're With Me.
Have a listen at https://soundcloud.com/insideorigin/when-youre-with-me or click the image above.
The Birthday Cut WINS Best Drama at NYSIFF
The Birthday Cut took the prize for Best Drama at the New York Shorts International Film Festival.
Huge congratulations to all involved!
The Birthday Cut has been officially selected for the New York Shorts International Festival
Watch 'The Birthday Cut', a beautiful short film directed and written by Eva Midgley as part of New York Shorts Festival.
On his sixth birthday, a timid boy watches as his diametrically opposed grandmothers clash, his father bends to their will, and his fed-up mother lashes out with a long-held family secret...
https://www.nyshorts.net/film-program-10
Lockdown Letters:
School to Prison Pipeline
During lockdown prison visits and programs have been cancelled indefinitely. I've tracked down my former students to continue our community through writing. We write freely, we catch up and sometimes a theme comes along. We've been talking about the School to Prison Pipeline.
The Show Must Go On...The Radio!
The Spark is a new radio show I have developed for the men of HMP Wandsworth.
With Covid ongoing, I've been busy configuring an interactive radio show where we use a different piece of writing each week to spark conversation and inspire writing.
Thrilled to be coaching for the Remote Acting Forum
Remote Acting Forum is a professional acting coaching workshop happening every Saturday on zoom with international coaches (John Stocks, Cato Crumbley, Adam Martin, Lucas Brahme, Imogen Roux)
The RAF mission is to keep our community alive while the theatres remain shut.
Please see Remote Acting Forum on Facebook for this week's zoom link.
PT: 9am
EST: 12pm
GMT: 5pm
A poem for Rikers
A teaching poem about breath I wrote for the men and women currently on Rikers Island.
I always incorporate voice and breath work in my teaching and students tell me it becomes a vital part of their day.
This piece was part of a series of NY Dept of Correction teaching artists asked to deliver work remotely during the pandemic.
All rights reserved.
Space Tape festival selection announces
Yuma Slowbinder's Three Part Anthology SPACE TAPE is officially selected for the following:
DIAMETRALE. Experimental Film Festival 2020
Tallahassee Film Festival 2020
The Birthday Cut has been officially selected for Toronto Shorts International Film Festival
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