Anna-Helena McLean | ‘A Voice Lesson (Orla Descends)’

Split-stage, immersive music theatre updating Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando' through a contemporary lens. This work in progress combines stories of women spanning 4000 years to open the door on a forgotten path. Nin is a 12 year old who is overwhelmed by the world outside but who also really wants to be a performer one day. She goes on a journey to look for her authentic voice and makes unlikely friends on the way. It's a charming, subversive and musically delicious feast for everyone.

The multimedia performance culminates with an interactive sound-art installation opening up the magical inner workings of the creative process for everyone to try for themselves.

Kendell Foster AV & Sound
Sandeep Gurrapadi tenor and performer
Dom Harwood AI artist
Marina Hata performance researcher
Zahra Mansouri costume
Anna-Helena McLean cellist and performer
Liv Penny film and edit
Erin Nicole Washington film actor

Snape Residencies provide time and space for creators at all stages of their careers; a supportive environment to create, be curious, and try out new ideas. Open Sessions offer a unique chance to go behind the scenes and experience work-in-progress created during the Residency.

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Supporters contributing towards Residencies include:
PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund.

About Anna-Helena

Anna-Helena read Drama and Music at Royal Holloway University of London with a specialism in solo cello and performance. She is an established music theatre and ensemble coach, composer and director, running her unique approach to acting and voice training called the ‘Actor - Chorus - Text’ (ACT) Ensemble Practice since 2007. Now a world-class independent and feminist actor training methodology, ACT INTERNATIONAL runs out of an Italy-based centre (Centro Anidra) offering rigorous training programmes to international applicants every summer.

Formerly a principal of the Gardzienice Theatre Association in Poland (2000-2007), Anna-Helena played the lead in Metamorphoses & Electra and toured worldwide (LaMama ETC NYC; Meyerhold Centre Moscow; Getty Centre L.A; Barbican London) as well as leading an Ancient Greek Orchestra (Orkiestra Antyczna) and the Academy for Theatre Practices (APT) in Gardzienice.

Anna-Helena is currently engaged as a Doctoral Candidate in Performance Practice at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and was most recently a Voice Tutor on the Acting Studies BA Hons course also at Guildhall. She is also a supervisor for MA students in Classical Acting at Central School of Speech and Drama and guest lectures at Rose Bruford College since 2020.