Meet Juliet Furness | Acting and Voice Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juliet Furness and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juliet, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I am an acting and voice coach. My work is supporting people to find their joy through play. One of my teachers once said – ”We used to be called Players before we were called actors- and we played.’ – Easy for kids- harder for adults. Lately I have been approached by Corporations for workshops-as the workforce post Covid is struggling- uncomfortable, disconnected, after all those Lockdowns. I hope my workshops can be part of the revival. Play was how we learned about ourselves and the world as kids- we get to keep learning as adults. We are still developing as humans all through life-play helps that exploration. Whilst not therapy we have always known that the arts had a therapeutic function. It keeps us in touch with ourselves, our vulnerability etc. So I am a little trepidatious to make such a bold claim but I do think my business helps revive when knocks have happened, when Joy is the antidote needed, pushing back self imposed limits, when you need to express, be a part of something, be creative, develop empathy, practice taking risks! Sounds like a lot of claims and like an advertisement but I think that is has a lot to offer and that’s what I try to deliver! I also work with actors of course and helping facilitate their creative freedom. There ‘s enormous joy in creative freedom! A peek experience-!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think I have a new way of working in the acting field. The traditional approaches date back to man called Stanislavski- at around 1920. Really Pre Film-approaches I use have come from my time in LA and NY. I was on a mad spree to expose myself to as much new intellectual property as I could. I was in NY 17 years so came back to NZ and was able to have a time just tinkering, exploring and trying to figure out how all these innovations could work together. It has been wonderful and difficult. That’s another difference-I probably will never stop tinkering. I try to get to NY every year for December and keep abreast of any developments. I am in class by 10am and stay till 10 pm at the Barrow Group-a brilliant school with over 22 teachers. So I sit in and get such inspiration from watching great teachers teach. I will always be studying I think. I’m addicted. So I won’t ever be able to say this is my approach- it just feels like a garden so it keeps growing! I also went to teacher’s college after NY and after I had been teaching for many years. Most acting teachers have not actually ever studied the craft of teaching as they usually come straight in from acting. So that was very valuable addition to my work- to have studied the learning process. It made me fervent about indivualised learning and so finally I am able to use all of the crazy different approaches I came across. Nothing is wasted .Some of the ideas come from the new understanding of how the brain fuctions. Some from NLP ,some from advances in psychology, Ironic processing, Buddhism- It’s exciting.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Walk up Mount Eden! -looks over the city- an old extinct vocano crater that has incredible views. Mount Eden village is also really cute and has great vintage stores, a weekend market, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, Epic book store. Then a wander through Ponsonby- again amazing recycled boutiques-great restaurants- Ponsonby central- which is a collection of bars and food outlets- there’s a little flower market in there as well and great gelato. Down to Britomart and sit by the water in one of the lovely seaside restaurants and watch the ferries unload all the travellors. Walk along Karahape road- a funky kind of main street and people watch. Have breakfast st St Kevin’s arcade- a lovely 1920’s shopping arcade with a glass atrium that looks over an area called Meyers Park- which really has a feel of 1920’s old Hollywood – palm tress and spainish inspried villas. Drive over the Devonport a pretty little seaside village which has classic kiwi Fish and Chips- or if you want to do a contarast and compare then drive also to Mission Bay and sample their Fish and Chips or eat at any of the many good restaurants there- Walk on the beach there – go for a swim, sit by the lovely old fountain. Drive round the sea bays. Go on a fery to Devonport if you just feel like getting some fresh sea air in your li\ungs. Or go over to Waiheke Island. My friends run the Auckland Sea Plans so I will always recommend that!!! Waiheke is famous for it’s vineyard tours and restaurants and beaches and just general bliss and Peace! I have run out of room…Ah- Point Chevalier beach- don’t miss-take sausages and bbq there overlooking the beach and Cormwall park- beautiful pastures and acres of trees…. Ok I’ll try to stop now…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jeremiah Comey- That is the person that is responsible for my being able to live for 18 years in America as I am originally from a tiny town in New Zealand. He offered me a position as his assistant coach at his film acting school in LA and subsequently sponsored me a green card to be able to remain and live in the USA. He has retired from the world of acting coaching but he is an extraordinary person- very generous, creative and a wonderful larger than life personality. Then there are a slew of incredible teachers that I was able to be around in New York- Seth Barrish and his wife Lee- now run a majorly successful acting school in NY, Seth is Anne Hathaway’s private acting coach. Tom Noonan- incredible actor and acting teacher, Carol Fox-Prescott- another incredible acting method I got to experience, Gary Austin- started the Groundlings in LA, no longer with us but will never forget his workshops, John Uecker- Tennessee William’s last literary assistant and student of Kim Stanley- so many many brilliant humans. I guess in a way I owe a huge shout out to America really as it just happened that I was lucky enough to be invited there and to meet some incredible, generous, inspiring Americans- who nurtured and validated and supported me. My two sons both born there and I must say whilst I love living in NZ I do still miss America. That wonderful American optimism! It’s uplifting and I was very fortunate in my time there.

Image Credits
Top two are class photos and bottom two are me teaching with students