Draft:Lyn Kidd

Lyn Kidd is an Australian teacher of acting, voice and character technique. Author of The Jungle of Sounds, Kidd is also the founder and principal of The Actors Workshop, in Brisbane Australia.

Early life
Kidd was born in Brisbane and spent her childhood years in Gladstone. Her primary education was at the Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, while she attended secondary education as a boarder at The Range Convent and High School, Rockhampton.

Kidd spent her remaining teen and early adult years in Sydney, Australia. There she experienced a serious motorcycle accident leaving her bedridden. She was nursed by her sister Gail who was a hairdresser in Double Bay, Sydney. One of Gail’s clients was speech and drama teacher Dorothy Goldie who, upon hearing of Kidd’s accident offered a selection of her personal literature favourites while she recovered. To her surprise Kidd had difficulty reading due to her dyslexia. Goldie introduced her to phonetics which changed her life. After an arduous two years recovery Kidd was again able to walk.

Education
From 1975 to 1980 Kidd attended private classes with Dorothy Goldie at Bellevue Hill, Sydney. Sitting for her exams through the Australian Music Examinations Board, she fulfilled requirements for an Associate Diploma of Speech and Drama. During this time Kidd discovered a passion for teaching and subsequently taught children speech and drama at various schools around Sydney.

During June of 1976 Kidd happened to enter a wrong room whilst visiting the Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Sydney. Inside a six-week workshop was being conducted by American Acting Teacher Stella Adler. Embarrassed that she had interrupted the proceedings Kidd slid into the back row of an unoccupied seat and witnessed Stella workshopping prominent actors and directors. This singular experience was a defining event for Kidd and the inspiration for seeking out Australian teachers that taught the Stella Adler technique, itself an interpretation of Stanislavski’s System. The workshop had been organised by the Peter Summerton Foundation and one of its organisers Jone Winchester took Kidd aside, respectfully reprimanded her presence and explained it was a private event. Kidd apologised and left, unaware that several years later this figure would become her next mentor in life.

In 1980 Cleo magazine's fashion editor Rosena O’Casey and her then assistant Deborah Franco informed Kidd about Jone Winchester (also known as Joan Winchester) and Brian Syron running masterclasses in Stella Adler technique. Upon meeting them, Jone quite precisely recognised Kidd from years earlier. Thus, Kidd trained in the Stella Adler Technique from 1981 under the tutelage of Jone Winchester and Brian Syron at The Actors Masterclass, Edgecliff, Sydney. She then continued for a further two years at the Spare Parts Studio privately with Jone Winchester.

Jone Winchester was President and founding member of the Peter Summerton Foundation. It was formed to help and promote cultural growth for Australian actors and especially, directors. To its board members she recommended Kidd and fellow student, (now Australian photographer) Jane Burton Taylor be awarded scholarships in 1982 and 1983 as assistant teachers to international master teacher and director Yevgeny Lanskoy.

In 1984, Kidd was again awarded the Peter Summerton Foundation Scholarship to be assistant teacher to Rowena Balos, master teacher in voice and speech from the United States of America. Kidd and Balos continued their working relationship and friendship up until Rowena’s death in November 2018. In 1985, Kidd was awarded the Kerry Packer’s Publishing and Broadcasting Film Company Ltd (PBL) scholarship to study film and television technique in Sydney with film and television teachers/actors Rae Allen and Bibi Besch. During this time Kidd taught private classes with actors and conducted further acting workshops for children, as well as supporting herself through still photography work and TVCs.

The Jungle of Sounds
Whilst in Sydney, Kidd decided to write an educational book for children shaped by her experience with dyslexia. Her idea was to incorporate Australian animal vocalisations for the pronunciation of each consonant sound. To pursue researching her book Kidd boldly decided to leave Sydney for Natural Bridge in the Numinbah Valley bordering the state lines of Queensland and New South Wales. Thus between 1988-1990 she studied birds and bird sounds with the assistance and guidance of Peter Lehmann, ranger at the National Parks and Wildlife Services Queensland.

Meanwhile Rowena Balos travelled to Australia yearly conducting vocal workshops. Each year Kidd would receive Rowena as her guest in between workshops thus she become familiar with Kidd’s book concept and research. It was after completing her research into each consonant and corresponding bird sound that Rowena suggested that the combination of both their experiences would benefit its co-writing. Thus, Kidd traveled to America in 1991 where she co-wrote with Rowena whilst teaching voice, breathing and relaxation techniques at Rowena Balos’ Studio in West Hollywood.

Kidd returned to Australia to begin preparations for opening her own acting school. Over the following two years, Kidd and Rowena continued drafting and subsequently, The Jungle of Sounds - A Journey Through The Magic of Language was published in 1997 by Antipodean Educational Press.

The Psychology of Character
Kidd created The Psychology of Character as an acting technique whilst living at Natural Bridge researching The Jungle of Sounds. Over a period of three years Kidd attended therapy class with intent of learning about herself and exploring the aspects of human character. What become apparent from the sessions was the understanding and development of character which could be utilised by actors.

The Psychology of Character as an acting technique laid the foundation of core teachings for The Actors Workshop, which she opened in 1994 with co-founder Michael Caton. In 1999, the course curriculum of The Actors Workshop was accredited through the Australian Qualifications Framework as an Advanced Diploma of Film, Television and Theatre Acting.

Awards
Kidd has been an international guest teacher to both the Philippines and the Solomon Islands and has worked extensively with the Queensland community sector.