How did you start off in the arts?
Everything I have done in the field of voice came from a stammer I wrestled with as a child. I attained fluency later in school and realised that I was a talented mimic and was drawn to all things performance. When I left school, I started working with people who stammered. At 16, on being introduced to the giants of Western voice conservatoire training, I understood the role voice work could play as an intervention for developmental and psychogenic stammers. There was no turning back – I have been teaching ever since.

What is the best piece of advice you have for drama students and graduates today?
There is a dire need for presence in our interactions on/off stage. The most effective way of achieving that is to remember that whatever we say to each other could be the last time we say it – so speak as though it is your last, personally and professionally.

What would you change about the industry?
Increase government funding. Arts education is essential to society. To quote Kahlil Gibran, this industry involves “work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth”.

What is the best part of your job?
Witnessing my students develop an appetite for language and, in other cases, a fluency in their speech.

What is the one skill that every successful theatre professional should have?
Understanding how to listen. Listening develops trust, encourages patient responsiveness and, in performance, enables a show to live. When we listen fully, we can respond effectively and that can have a lasting impact on someone. Every word we say is physical and has life; as Tom Stoppard said: “If you get the right ones in the right order, you might nudge the world a little.”

Could you give a tip that readers could put into practice today to increase their mental and physical well-being?
Mentally, reading can be your informant of the human experience and your best friend. Physically, all movement is medicine. Keep moving for your mind, muscles and voice.