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"Chloë Dirksen is credited as dialect coach, and she has done a good job: All the actors sound convincingly Irish, at least to American ears, but can be clearly understood — which is important when every word is a revelation." - Aileen Jacobson, New York Times, May 12, 2016

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Chloë Dirksen is an actress, presentation coach, and dialect coach. She is happy to be back living in Toronto after having lived and worked in New York for 13 years, followed by Nairobi, Kenya for 3 years.  After receiving her BA in Literature and Linguistics from the University of Toronto, Chloë completed the two year Professional Actors’ Workshop at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City.  She was fortunate to study speech and dialect there with two renowned coaches: Leigh Dillon and the late K.C. Ligon.

Chloë’s background in the study of Linguistics gives her a deep understanding of phonetics and phonology; coupled with her training as an actress, she is uniquely qualified to assist actors in learning dialects and accents of all types. 

Chloë has been privately tutoring actors for many years, and has recently begun working with entire companies as well.  She is available to work via video chat and in person.  See the contact page to reach her.

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As Production Dialect Coach:

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"St Kilda" by Jody Christopherson, dir Isaac Byrne.  Torn Page, Twin Cities Horror Festival, So-Fi Festival, Edmonton Fringe Festival. Scottish Accent

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“AMP” by Jody Christopherson dir Isaac Byrne. AFO's SoCo Lab/Bushwick Starr, NY Society Library Grant,  HERE Arts Centre, Canoe/Chinook Tour.  Boston Accent

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“Greencard Wedding” by Jody Christopherson and directed by Morgan Zipf-Meister. Goode Productions. Here Arts Centre, The Studios of Key West, The Brick Theater, Filmgate Miami, Carrie Morris Performing Arts.  Ryan McCurdy - New York Innovative Theatre Award Winner of Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role.  Dublin Accent.

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“The Night Alive” by Conor McPherson, directed by Stephen Hamilton.  The John Drew Theatre, Guild Hall of East Hampton. Dublin Accent

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Testimonials

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"Chloe's first commitment is to character. Of course she is meticulous about the specifics of a regional dialect but, more that that, she's dedicated to using the voice as one crucial component of building a compelling role. Anyone can be a great technician, but Chloe's love for storytelling and her deep understanding of an actor's creative process is what sets her apart from other coaches." - J. Stephen Brantley, actor: "The Night Alive" (jstephenbrantley.com) 

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"I have been lucky enough to work with Chloe on dialects for several productions. She is uniquely qualified for the job having a background in linguistics and also being an incredibly talented actress. She approaches the work with a thoughtful balance between character and technique; and has helped me to create a voice for my characters that serves my own choices and the given circumstances of the play." - Jessica Mortellaro

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"My problem with the Irish accent was most evident when trying to move from an West Irish country accent from my previous dialect experience to my current one of a city-dwelling Dublin accent.  Working with Chloe Dirksen on "The Night Alive" was most important in recognizing those small but important differences for my character of Maurice.  She could instantly hear the distinctions and correct me in the most supportive way; offering examples that I could instantly understand and apply.  Chloe, being actor herself, never intruded on my process and always allowed for my character find his own voice.  She was an invaluable asset to my performance and the production as a whole." - Tuck Milligan, actor: "The Night Alive"

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"With no prior dialect training on my part, Chloe had me speaking like a local in just a few short sessions.  When we started I was apprehensive since I've been performing for years and had never done this type of work, but Chloe was extremely knowledgable, helpful, and non-judgemental which completely set me at ease.  She made herself available to answer any questions and in general is super fun to be around. I would recommend her to anyone!" - Morgan Zipf-Meister, actress and director: "Greencard Wedding"  

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"Thank you Chloe so much for really listening to me as a writer and finding ways to develop full characters in Greencard Wedding through the accent work you did with our cast. Class, age, place became so specific after we worked with you. I really appreciated the way that you tailored our sessions to each actors individual needs and made them feel empowered to ask questions. Your support and patience made rehearsal fun for those who had a proficiency for accent work and those who didn't. People always truly think our actors playing Irish characters are actually Irish afterwards. That's key for the audience to buy into a show like this." - Jody Christopherson, Creator/Performer, "Greencard Wedding"

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