Born in Ireland, educated in England- a love of singing, language and a dialectically itinerant life, lay the foundations for Majella's career choice. She has worked as a voice/dialect coach for over twenty years. Prior to that she spent a very rewarding time in Education before pursuing her enthusiasm for voice and love of accents at The Central School of Speech and Drama.
A teacher all her life, Majella believes in building a professional relationship with an actor/client that is both enabling and confidence enhancing. Encouragement remains a key tenet of Majella's approach and being open to discover the most effective and productive route to learning. A sense of humour is another vital ingredient.
" I first worked with Majella on my revival of Mike Leigh's 'Abigail's Party' which played Hampstead Theatre and the west End in 2002. Where possible, she has worked on every production of mine since. She is simply brilliant at assisting the actors inhabit their characters through the dialect rather than be strait jacketed by it. Even if an actor believes that an accent may be beyond them, Majella's gentle encouragement and clarity of teaching ensures that they find a voice they did not even know they had, imbuing them with enormous self-confidence and skill. i could not recommend Majella highly enough and I very much look forward to working with her on many more projects"
The Ferryman – The Royal Court/ West End/ Broadway
Force Of Change, Loyal Women – The Weir
The RNT:
St George and The Dragon, Light Shining on Buckinghamshire, The Seafarer, Aristocrats, Pillars Of The Community, Translations, Anything Goes, Scenes From The Big Picture
Hamlet – The Barbican
The Donmar:
Aristocats, Faith Healer, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, A Little World Of Our Own, Days Of Wine And Roses, Father And Sons, Coriolanus, City Of Angels
Miss Saigon – Prince Edward Theatre:
Ruined: My City, Before The Party – The Almeida:
The Young Vic:
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Bingo, Twelfth Night
The American Plan – Manhattan Theatre Club
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre:
On The Town, Running Wild, To Kill A Mockingbird, Hobson’s Choice, Ragtime, Hello Dolly!, The Beggars Opera
Sunny Afternoon – UK Tour
Abigail’s Party – Hampstead Theatre
Pygmalian – Broadway
Journey’s End – Broadway
West End:
Jerusalem, Handbagged, Our Boys, The Ladykillers, Jeeves And Wooster, Some Girls, Guantanamo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jane Eyre, Chicago, After Mr’s Rochester, Wicked