Testimonials

TESTIMONIALS

Aaron Glenane - Actor

Snowpiercer, Shantaram,
The Claremont Murders, Interceptor, 2067, Picnic at Hanging Rock

"Nick is not only one of the most comprehensive and knowledgeable dialect coaches in the country, he is also incredibly articulate in guiding the actor. His coaching is supportive, specific and not only about finding the right sounds, but finding the character's voice. If you want to take your work to another level - talk to Nick!"

Henry Szeps, OAM - Actor

Mother and Son, Travelling North, Number 96,
Colditz, Mission Impossible

Elvis, Lone Wolf, No Escape, Home and Away

"I can only marvel at Nick’s acute ear for sounds, his thorough preparation, his gentle and reassuring manner, and his insightful follow-through as the season progresses. I am very happy to recommend Nick Curnow. He is a valuable asset to any company where plausible dialect is important."

GARRY McDONALD, AO - ACTOR

Offspring, Rabbit Proof Fence, Moulin Rouge, Mother and Son, Ginger Meggs,The Norman Gunston Show, The Quatermass Experiment.

"I found Nick Curnow to be very helpful in my preparation for two roles requiring very different accents. He is a very encouraging and effective tutor. "

Josh MCConville - Actor

Elvis, Lone Wolf, Wakefield, Mr Inbetween, Home and Away

"Nick's expertise and teaching methods are unparalleled, guiding me through the nuances of a wide range of human dialects with patience, precision, and a deep understanding of linguistic subtleties.

Nick's passion for the craft is evident in every session and his personalised approach creates a safe space to "fail gloriously."

His support and encouragement have not only improved my skills but also boosted my confidence in performing dialects on stage and screen. Nick is truly an amazing coach, and I am immensely grateful for his guidance and dedication.

Andrea Solonge - Actor

Prosper, Class of '07, Hotel for No-Hopers, Privileged

"Nick has helped me establish an incredibly strong foundation of knowledge around specific dialects in the early stages of my career, through to this day. He truly equips the actor to be self-sufficient, and teaches in a way that is engaging, EXCITING and specific to the actor’s needs. Nick’s guidance allows me to approach my work with such confidence and freedom; he is easily one of the best voice & dialect coaches I’ve had the pleasure of working with - Australia is lucky to have him!"

Valentino del Toro - Actor

Gabriel, Red, Horror Haiku, Distance, The Slap,
Terra Nova, Underbelly Files: Infiltration

"Nick Curnow is my go to guy for all accents. Having worked with him over the years I have grown to trust and respect his mastery of coaching.
"Not only does he offer his coaching expertise but also educates in the history and origin of the accent which makes all the difference when coming to understand the ‘culture’ and therefore the ‘character’.
"I have worked with Nick on accents for several auditions in Arabic, Russian and American but I was very grateful to have him in my corner for Italian in ‘Underbelly’ and Spanish (Canary Island origin) for the film ‘Distance’."

Nisrine Amine - Actor

C*A*U*G*H*T, Wellmania, The Secrets She Keeps,
Here Out West, Here Come the Habibs!

"In a past life, methinks Nick and I were best friends living in a New York loft apartment talking the days and nights away in a heavy Bronx accent. Because that's what it feels like every time I do an accent coaching session with him; it feels like a couple of old mates using vocal expression and hand gestures and tongue-twisting and heightened palate-awareness.

"There is also so much joy in every session with Nick. He is an absolute treasure to work with, highly professional yet personable, and I have valued our working relationship over the past five years more than anything. I have been a professional actor for a number of years now and whenever I need to brush up on my accents, or learn a new one from scratch, Nick has always been there. He explains things with such clarity and simplicity and is super patient. Highly recommended!"

Noel Hodda - Actor

Janet King, Out of the Blue, The Bet,
E Street, Soins and Daughters,

"I have worked with Nick on a number of occasions. He is an expert in his field and he shares his knowledge with an ease and thoroughness that makes getting results easy. His manner is engaging, his enthusiasm infectious and his skill is marked. He would be my default 'go-to' guy for dialect coaching."

Peter Rowley - Actor

Mortal Engines, Power Rangers: Ninja Storm/Dino Thunder,
The Tommyknockers, Xena: Warrior Princess, Neighbours

"I arrived on set with the notion a Southern Irish accent was required but no it had been shifted to the North...aaaaaaaargh!!!!!! Then Nick Curnow emerged from behind my wall of self induced fear and with a calm presence assured me all would be fine.

His manner and knowledge of dialects was amazing as he softly imparted sounds in one ear whilst the director shouted action in the other. It all seemed to fall in place ... thanks to Nick!"

Chantelle Jamieson - Actor

Wellmania, Crownies, Peter Rabbit 2, Rip Tide, House Husbands, Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away

"Nick is an excellent dialect coach. He has a knack for not only nailing the finer phonetic details but also giving very apt insight into the placement, rhythm and tone of each dialect. When I was cast as a French woman in a show, I wasn’t sure how to attack it without sounding like Pepe le Pew, but Nick made it simple and believable. Since then, Nick has been my first thought when tackling dialects for auditions. He even transcribed a very specific English dialect just for me.
Thank you Nick!"

Anna Crawford - Director

“Nick Curnow’s way of working is very muscular: he knows how to get the best out of an actor in a very short pace of time. Nick arrives in a rehearsal room and can troubleshoot with accuracy, ease and speed whilst respecting and supporting the creative choices of the team. He is detailed, encouraging and clear in his approach: actors’ voices, dialects and confidence are in safe hands with Nick. He’s a director’s dream.”

Demitrios Sirlas - Actor

"I go see Nick, we work for an hour. I head to my audition the next day, bang...I get the Job. Nick recognises your strengths and strengthens you weaknesses. I highly recommend you spend time with Nick before your next big audition."

Lulu McClatchy - Actor, Comedian

The Portable Door
"I had the pleasure of having Nick dialect coach me when I needed to perform with a Northern Irish accent. He is extremely talented. He is very patient and explains the accent in a way that made it quick to learn and easy to understand. Extremely professional, he has a wonderful attention to detail, I would recommend him on any set and will definitely be calling in the future when I next need help with a show or audition."

Mojean Aria - Actor

The Enforcer, Shayda, See,
The Last Manhunt, Reminiscence, Danger Close
Heath Ledger Scholarship Recipient 2017

"Working with Nick allows me to be calm about the technicality of the accent being done and opens doors for me to focus on what I want to do with the character"

Stephen Peacocke - Actor

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Hercules, The Newsreader,
Danger Close, Little Monsters, RFDS

"The first time I saw Nick was on stage. At that point I didn't know him and was wondering how the director had managed to fill the play's one American speaking role with an American actor. I later realised he was just a bloody Aussie with a flawless accent!

"Needless to say Nick has a gifted ear for accents and unique skill in helping actors to achieve solid, natural dialects in their work. That he has such an extensive background as an actor only helps the process. If you need to brush up on your Standard American (or any other of the many accents he works with) I highly recommend Nick to get you up to industry standard without much fuss."

TIM DRAXL - ACTOR

In Our Blood, A Place To Call Home, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries,
A Few Best Men, Supernova, Swimming Upstream

“I had the great pleasure of working with Nick during Mothers and Sons at the Ensemble Theatre. Set in New York, I felt quite abreast of the accent, having lived in the States for several years but not until our first rehearsal with Nick was it brought to my attention how much of a West Coast accent I had adopted - not to mention the occasional Australian vowel slipping out.

"With Nick's attention to detail and exceptionally keen ear he was able to pin point specific recurring problems and give me concise and easy to follow exercises which enabled me to resolve the problems and deliver the accent with greater authenticity. Nick has an incredible understanding of accents and dialects and a gift in deciphering their minute regional differences."

Jeremy Lindsay Taylor - Actor

The Dry, Romper Stomper, Underbelly,
Something in the Air, Home and Away

“I cannot recommend Nick highly enough! He is patient, generous, detailed, and always brings a sense of humour to the work… when we are relaxed and safe, that's where the magic happens.”

Stephanie Drapeau - Actor

The Orville, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Sanitarium, Day 5, The Leftovers

"Nick's got the magic ear for sound and has a wonderful way of adjusting his teaching to your style of learning and integrating.
"I've witnessed a complete turnaround in my ability to discern the subtleties of what makes the accent authentic. This has created a natural metamorphosis of the way my words flow from me in relation to the character we've been working on.
"His style and warmth make the process enjoyable and I look forward to the next accent we'll take on together!"

Jordan Dulieu - Actor

Everything In Between, One Night, The Legend of The Five,
My Pet Dinosaur

"Nick has been an amazing coach throughout the several years he has coached me in various dialects. He has an incredibly precise attention to detail and is able to very clearly articulate his teachings. No matter how big the script, whether it be an audition or a feature film, Nick understands the importance of absolutely nailing an accent and his dedication to perfection never wavers.

"I have always felt extremely comfortable and encouraged by Nick, even when I have absolutely no idea, his patience and precision is unmatched. It has been my absolute pleasure working with Nick and look forward to continuing my work with him.

"Because of his lovely nature I am happy to call him more than a coach but a mate (who happens to be fantastic at accents)."

Bel Deliá - Actor

The Tangle, The Tunnel, The House, Scratch,
Horror Haiku, Love of My Life

"Nick Curnow is one of the most skilled accent coaches around. I have had the pleasure to take in a few accents classes with him and he has an ability to not only teach you the required skills for a large range of accents but also uniquely give you an understanding into their origins. I've also always loved working with Nick as a Director. Would highly recommend him to anyone!"

Julian Garner - Actor

Prosper, Head On, The Twelve, Janet King, Killing Ground, Top of the Lake, Home and Away, Top End Wedding, Children of the Corn

“Nick had a great ear for the little details that can give away a non-naturalised accent (Standard American in this case). He had very practical and simple advice, plus encouragement that helped me and the rest of the cast pull off a very believable accent.”

Natasha Beaumont - Actor

Inception, Ruben Guthrie, Peep Show, EastEnders, Little Fish, All Saints

"Nick was an essential component to our rehearsals in an American accented
production. He has an awesome ear for detail and can articulate fine nuances of
inflection with great clarity. He is also a total pleasure to work. I would absolutely
recommend him."

Saphira Moran - Actor

"Passionate and committed to excellence – words that describe my workshops with Nick Curnow. Nick has a clear love of and a keen ear for accents and acting. He brings a wonderful energy to each session. While he keeps the coaching sessions light, they go a long way in accent and character development with focus on the nuances and the detail. I would recommend Nick to anyone serious about acting, voice, character development and accent."

Kate Skinner - Actor

Bump, Home and Away

"Nick is a wonderful dialect coach and the first person I recommend every time. He has extremely detailed knowledge of an astounding number of accents and he can approach his training from a variety of entry points to best suit the needs of the student."

Gael Ballantyne - Actor

Lambs of God, Time Trax, Neighbours,
Sons and Daughters

"Nick is a charming and sensitive teacher of dialect. He has an incredible ear and is able to explain the vocal changes with clarity. I have never worked with a better dialect teacher."

James Beach - Director

"Nick Curnow, with great generosity and precision, can bring out remarkable improvements in approaches to dialogue and vocal work in a remarkably short space of time. He is at all times respectful to process and brings his own considerable talents as a performer to working with actors in ways that they and the whole rehearsal room can appreciate."

Conrad Le Bron - Actor, Acting Coach

Paper Friends, Then That Happened,
The Reckoning

"Nick has an extraordinary understanding of dialects from all over the world and an even better ability to teach dialects to another; allowing his students to make it their own. He first helped me with the infamously challenging Northern Irish accent and ever since then I have recommended him to everyone for dialect work. I recently used his friendly services for an Argentinean accent and in only an hour and with his precision as a coach, I was able to construct a very accurate dialect for a last minute casting. What makes him unique is his effectiveness at passing on detailed knowledge and understanding of dialects and empowering the actor to confidently use them. He is the best dialect coach I've come across."

Ian ZammiT - Artistic Director

"Nick was a delight to have on board for the production: his knowledge & skill with accents and dialects and grounded confidence made him very easy to work with and learn from. Our cast became engaged and articulate in wrapping their words around 1940's Australian, English and Japanese dialects within just a couple of workshops, and Nick kept the atmosphere light and enjoyable in working on even the toughest of idioms. I highly recommend Nick for similar work and look forward to working with him in future!

Courtney Powell - Actor

"We had an incredible dialect coach in Nick Curnow, and if you ever have the chance to work with him, jump at it!"

Bruno Xavier - Actor

"I have had a number of sessions with Nick Curnow working on my Standard American accent. It was an enriching experience where he was able to identify my individual needs and highlight the particular areas that needed work. He has a great ear and his specificity with the work is fantastic. I experienced results within a short period of time and I would highly recommend him for any kind of accent coaching."

Anne-Maree Magi - Director, Teacher

"Nick always performed his duties with utmost dedication. He was consistently reliable, well prepared and demonstrated incredibly efficient time management skills. Moreover, he is an extremely patient, encouraging and inspiring voice coach and possesses a real gift for helping actors develop their vocal abilities.

"Nick is a consummate professional, a pleasure to work with and I strongly recommend him for any future productions."

Helen O'Leary - Actor, Voice Over Artist

In Our Blood, Packed to the Rafters,
Love My Way

"Nick's help was invaluable in my quest to nail the American accent. Working 1 on 1 with him was so enjoyable. I particularly appreciated how thorough he was with specific mouth placement & consistency in substitutions that were required. Our Australian musculature is very specific & Nick guided me beautifully in simple solutions to make the appropriate adjustments, all the while encouraging the private work I had already done.

"If you need to nail an accent get a personal session with Nick. Trust me it will be money very well spent. If you're determined to achieve real precision with dialect Nick will help you realise your goal.

"Experts know what they are doing, that's why you ask for their help. Nick just happens to be an expert as well as a really great guy who is encouraging, positive and prepared to go the extra mile for all his clients."