Acting Techniques and Public Speaking for Diverse Voices
Course Description
Tailored for the immigrant community, this course melds the fundamentals of acting with public speaking techniques. Participants will work on voice and body language, empowering them to articulate themselves with confidence both on stage and in day-to-day interactions. At the end of the course, there will be a public showing where you can invite your friends and family to see your work!
This class was taught in English in January 2024.
Course Objectives
- Introduce participants to foundational acting techniques.
- Strengthen public speaking skills emphasizing body awareness, vocal power, and clarity.
- Share the art of storytelling, helping participants identify what they want to communicate with their stories.
- Create a supportive environment where members of the immigrant community can bond over shared experiences.
Meet the Instructor
Iveliz Martel (She/Her): Actor & Journalist
Iveliz is a Chilean actor who recently graduated from the MFA in Acting program at the UW School of Drama. Iveliz is also a science journalist and has developed a career as a radio journalist in Chile where she interviewed public figures and scientists. She is passionate about using her acting training to provide tools for public speaking to members of the immigrant community whose voices are not usually heard. Some of her acting credits include Justice Salvo in The Merry Wives of Windsor at Seattle Shakespeare, Alegrías in Chalk at Yun Theater, Cassandra in The Oresteia at the UW School of Drama, and Buda Errante—a solo show created by herself along with Bradley Wrenn.
Iveliz's outstanding performance and Yun’s integration of performing arts with gender and immigration issues, which I’m deeply interested in, attracted me. I also wanted to improve my public speaking skills and overall expressive abilities.
Dian Dian, Ph.D., Lesbian Activist
Communication is very important for my work because I need to deliver the messages clearly to my clients and courts. I also got a tip from judges I knew that “acting skills are good for the legal profession."
Regina Song, IP Attorney
Public spaces need to get used to the diversity of sounds that inhabit this country because we all exist here. If we don’t speak up, then we are not perceived or noticed and therefore it is very hard to advocate for the things that we are interested in.
Iveliz Martel
