The Dialect Resource

An indispensable resource. Her ear is flawless. Her taste, impeccable. Her knowledge, boundless. Most importantly and most rare for a dialect coach, she is an extraordinary collaborator who actually understands the actor's process.

Gillian's expertise goes beyond the sounds and rhythms of the dialect, so an actor is not just imitating the sounds but truly understands why the dialects are the way they are.

...high marks to Center Stage for the four week rehearsal period and the thorough preparation of the cast, which has the benefit of coaching on dialect from Gillian Lane-Plescia, one of the most respected and widely consulted experts in the theater business.

You cannot imagine how GRATEFUL I am that this dialect subject has captured your interest - you are doing a great service to American Theatre. You know as well as I do how dialects continue to mutate and evolve - a lot of tapes I used to rely on now sound stilted and historical to me.

Thanks VERY much for the excellent Welsh tape. You really do an excellent job.

I have found your primary-source recordings, and your analyses of them, to be invaluable resources over the years.  I have often needed to learn numerous accents rapidly, for audiobook and other work, and I don’t know what I would have done without your recordings. As I contemplate moving into the field myself, I appreciate more than ever both the high quality of your work and the judicious approach that you offer.

Thank you for all of your wonderful work. It is much needed, and appreciated.

Gillian Lane-Plescia's tapes [are] great. Clear breakdown of melody line, vowel and consonant shifts and generally first rate native speakers in spontaneous conversation. Gillian points out the idiosyncratic differences for each speaker. She also keeps updating material. I have had good success with actors who used her CDs, with or without my instruction. I just had an actor who tackled Polish and did a marvelous job. Since I was the dramaturg and director I did not have time to coach her. Of course, she was hardworking, talented and had a good ear, but still Gillian gives you a good foundation. I also used her material for the Donegal dialect for Dancing at Lughnasa when I was the director and had time to coach. Great results there as well.

Bravo for all your excellent work.

I love how your tapes capture real people speaking about real life instead of performers showing off their personal finesse.

I am so happy to finally find your website! I love your Standard British disc. It helped me to achieve what I was told was an almost flawless accent for a production I did of Betrayal last summer in Berkeley. Thank you.

I've just used your Cockney tape for a show I directed and dialect coached and I found it vastly superior to the other options!

I have your Standard British CD and think it is the best accent guide I have ever found. I used to tape the BBC, rent documentaries and invade my various neighbors' privacy to record the particular accent I was looking for as the standard guides are so dry and lifeless . . so thank you for your approach. It makes my job so much easier!

I have purchased many of your CDs and really enjoy them; yours is the most accurate/real/user friendly system I have found so far.