Free voice support at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Save your voice this Fringe. Free drop-in warmups, online voice resources, and accessible voice support.
Run by voice coach Alex Owen-Hill.
What this is
Every year, hundreds of performers lose or damage their voices at the Edinburgh Fringe. I’ve been performing at this Fringe for almost 10 years and an audience member for over 20 years. As a voice coach, every year I watch my fellow performers losing their voices and think “Someone needs to do something about this.”
But, there is very little easy-to-access, on-the-ground support to help you prevent vocal loss or find out what to do when your voice is already strained.
This August, I decided not to do a new solo-show and instead offer myself to my fellow performers as a point of contact for voice support.
This is the first time I’m running a program like this, so it’s a bit of a Work-in-Progress. I’m starting with free drop-in group warm-ups, daily advice videos, a voice community, and pay-what-you-can private sessions (if you need them) at your venue/location in central Edinburgh.
Who am I and Why am I doing this →
I’m Alex Owen-Hill. I’m a voice coach and performer (clown, musical improv, physical comedy, street performing, etc).
I’m doing FringeVoiceThing this year because… well, I’ve seen a great need for accessible voice care in the Edinburgh Fringe for years! I’m an Edinburgh local and I recognised the problem 20 years ago when I was a 17 year old watching stand-up and drinking at the back of free Fringe venues. And, while there are some great local voice coaches helping the situation, there just aren’t enough of us!
My great dream for this project is that my fellow performers can come out of this Fringe confident that their voice will be there when they need it, not afraid that the voice might fail them when they need it most. The Fringe can be a stressful enough place even without the worry that your voice might give out at any moment!
If you’re interested in my “credentials”…
- I’m a voice researcher, currently doing an MA in voice and investigating topics like neurodivergent masking and voice, character voice pedagogy, voice for street performance, and clown-through-voice.
- I’ve been a professional voice coach for about a decade and have been training to teach voice for… basically, my whole life! (my mum was Head of Voice at a leading conservatoire acting school and I used to sit in on her lessons when I was a child)
- My own voice teaching style combines elements of about a dozen different voice lineages, with a foundation in UK acting voice pedagogy (e.g. Berry, Rodenburg, Houseman, Linklater), Alexander Technique (e.g. McCallion), and voice science (e.g. Estill, Bozeman, Accent Method)… and I’m continually doing academic research to improve my teaching.
Latest warm-up video
Daily Drop-in Voice Warm-ups
Free · just turn upDrop-in group sessions, open to anyone using their voice: shows, street, front of house, tour guides. No booking, no cost. Times below update automatically as I add them.
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Group warm-ups are free and drop-in. One-to-ones are separate: a private session with me, booked in advance, pay what you can, and I come to your location.
Keep updated by email
WhatsApp community
I’ll post regular warm-up videos, voice tips, and answer your voice questions. Join the WhatsApp group and/or email list to stay updated.
Join the group →One-to-one sessions
Private, in-person and on-the-ground, in Edinburgh at your location, 45 minutes. Bring whatever you want to work on. Pay what you can.
Book a session →Self-guided Fringe Voice Course
I’ve created this short online course for fringe performers. Pay what you like.
Get the course →Ask a question
Anything about voice. I’ll answer common questions in my daily videos.