Mark Langley (Head of Department of Performing Arts)

Personal Statement

Head of Department of Performing Arts and Subject Leader of BA Performing Arts. School of Music and Performing Arts.

I have a background in both educaiton and the industry. As a tutor my specialism is in voice, and I enjoy a career as both a voice coach, perfromer and writer/director alongside managing higher education.

Whenever people find out I am a voice coach, the next question is usually how did I become one? Well here’s the short version! I trained as an actor between the ages of 16 and 19, and I was working on my first touring productions when I decided to go to university. At St John’s in York I read Drama, Film and Television, but also some Phonetics and Linguistics. When I left university I worked in opera as a director and the combination of my studies, my acting skills and my work with opera singers meant other people asked me to teach voice. As a result, I have been a voice coach for over 20 years. I was the Lecturer in Voice at The Arden School of Theatre for many years, as well as working as a freelance voice coach for many radio, TV, film and theatre companies. I continue to balance my voice work with performance, because I think it is important that when I teach something, I should understand what it entails.

Being a voice coach is always fun and every now and then you are asked to go to work in Hollywood, or you get to work with an actor you really admire. But it’s not about fame, sometimes the best work is with a group of students, teachers or people who want to develop their voices. My website gives you some idea of the work I have done

www.marklangley.co.uk

Alongside my industry work, I have also been a manager of higher education for ten years and I work for QAA. Top quality higher education is my passion and the reason why I am here at Bath Spa University.