Vocal Direction for the Theatre

Nan Withers-Wilson (1951-2016) taught courses in Dramatic Literature, Voice and Diction, and Stage Dialects at Loyola University Chicago. Withers-Wilson’s Vocal Direction for the Theatre was the first book to be written on how the theatre voice specialist functions as a collaborative artist within the production process.

Withers-Wilson was a stage voice and dialect specialist whose credits include regional and Off-Broadway theatre, television, and film. Her Chicago credits included work with the Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Northlight. Prior to her teaching career, she acted with the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, the Buffalo Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, New York, and the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky. She held a BA from the University of Iowa, an MA from St. Louis University and a Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.