“Natsuko is a teacher who can lead an actor to the realization of his or her fullest artistic potential. She is a remarkable artist herself with a profound understanding of human nature and of the creative process. I cannot recommend her highly enough to any serious student of acting, or, indeed, of life. I have trained at least 100 teachers and Natsuko is among the three or four who I recognize as a Master Teacher of the work known as Freeing the Natural Voice.”
“A gifted and caring teacher with a wonderful sensibility”
“Her experience as a teacher and actor transmute into a soulful and practical wisdom that she offers, without reservation, to her students. Her training methods are honest, rigorous and I have never seen anyone not move forward!”
“A gifted and caring teacher with a wonderful sensibility”
“Natsuko Ohama is beyond a doubt one of the finest teachers and practitioners in her field. Her knowledge is extraordinary and her work with her students is sensitive, compassionate and wise. I have worked with her myself and the experience was revelatory and memorable.”
“Natsuko is the personification of commitment.”
“Natsuko is my teacher, fellow actor, student, and friend. She is a magical practitioner and a practical magician. She has worked and tended Linklater voice into a breath of her own…an original voice to help you find yours!”
“Working with Natsuko Ohama: She makes the crooked seem straight and the mystery is made plain. Her work is transformative.”
“Whenever I find myself stuck or doubting in my work I turn to Natsuko’s teachings. She helped me bring a depth and confidence to my art that will serve me the rest of my life, and I can honestly say I would not be on the artistic path I am today without her.”
“Natsuko creates a world in which an actor can find himself in the text and the text within himself. She is an absolutely invaluable resource”
“Natsuko is not only the most inspired and most insightful teacher of voice and acting that I have ever met, she is also the most comprehensive. Her experience, wisdom, technique and talent are unsurpassed, and she is able to attend to every aspect of the performer’s craft, from the practical to the emotional to the psychological, and everything in between. An uncommonly gifted actress and communicator, Natsuko is the real deal and the complete package. Work with her!”
“Natsuko teaches the actor to fully understand and appreciate the subtleties of connecting thought to sound; that whatever we are living through at each moment will, to a very great extent, determine how we create sound. She is unique, and a source of inspiration to those fortunate enough to study with her.”
“I didn’t realize how important having control over my vocal range would be to my television and film roles, but working with Natsuko has given me the tools to take direction and adjust my vocal tone and quality immediately on set. Our time working together has been invaluable to me as a performer.
What she teaches goes beyond just vocal coaching or acting training and when I leave our sessions I am physically prepared and emotionally connected to my voice, my character and the material. I don’t think I would be where I am today without the tools she teaches her students.”
“Our sessions with Natsuko are fundamental to our training. she is a wizard. She can take us so many places in our imaginations and land us centered in our bodies and voices.”
“The work on breathing and voice with Natsuko was profound in its effects on my whole being and presence as a performer. I gained a deeper understanding of my instrument and discovered a new relationship to my voice. As the work progressed the whole structure of my face
and countenance seemed to transform before my eyes.”
“After years of pushing and forcing my voice towards true expression, Natsuko taught me to “be” and allow my breath to inform me. Her teaching, while powerful, seems as effortless as my learning. I have grown in unspeakable ways because of her…”
“Natsuko taught me so much more than freeing my voice. Her witty anecdotes inspired my soul, and her Breath exercises allowed me to profoundly connect with my body. Natsuko helped me realize the deep importance of the art of acting to advance humanity. I have been fortunate to have worked with great teachers in the US, Europe, and Asia, and Natsuko remains my favorite teacher.”
“Listen, if you want to take your acting to the next level, not just your voice, but your acting, then go work with Natsuko. She’s an extreme talent, an artist of this caliber is a rare find. If you want to push the boundaries of what you can do then go work with Natsuko!”
“Natsuko Ohama has more than the ability to free your voice. She will help you to unlock powers within yourself that will surprise you, to say the least. You will discover a connection to language through breath that will become the foundation of every role you ever play. Here is something that you can apply to everything you do as an Actor!”
“When clarity and decisiveness are needed to prepare for a role; to find the voice of a new character, Natsuko is who I return to for that instruction again and again. There is no one else who makes me feel eager to stumble through the hard work of preparation. Breath, voice, intuition and intellect all meet up together and are fostered in her care. She is a strong and significant influence in my work.”
“Since beginning work with Natsuko two years ago, I’ve discovered her technique has helped my breathing, strengthened my voice, and to my surprise, enhanced my acting. I faithfully continue practicing her exercises, which give me an active, yet focused and relaxed, body, mind, and spirit. I apply her philosophy and energy into every aspect of my life. Thank You Natsuko.”
“Natsuko has helped me find my right to breathe and to live each breath with my own truth. She is a master at helping the actor to discover the bottom of the text; what lies beneath and to bring a rich voice to each character with one’s own uniqueness. She is a wizard. After a session, I have no idea what has happened exactly, but I am deep in the world of the character and deep in the work and I am trusting myself much more that I was before that session.”
“Natsuko Ohama is the most brilliant teacher I know. She has been my Master Teacher for 27 years in Shakespeare and in Voice, and I deeply value the growth and inspiration I enjoy each time we work. As a director, actor and teacher, Natsuko has developed the LA Women’s Shakespeare Company right alongside of me she helps raise the bar for every member of our company. I always count on Natsuko to bring me on to the next level of inquiry. She has a huge intelligence and a stellar curiosity, and is an amazing artist. I love working with her!”
“Natsuko is the real deal. Her unwavering commitment to the process without any attention to the end result gives, of course, the best results.”
“Natsuko has opened up another door for me. I was always distrustful of any kind of speech work. My fear was that I would start to sound fake, that speech class meant planning out how to pronounce things and therefore losing the creation of the moment. With Natsuko of course the opposite is true. She helps you open the creative channels, so that your true voice can emerge. It is your own opinion, your imagination, your story and history, your vibration that she helps to unleash, so that all of it becomes a part of the character. In this way she is just as much an acting teacher as she is a teacher of voice production. The two go hand in hand! For me it was a revelation!”
“I knew immediately that Natsuko is a true master. She has been of immeasurable help and I will continue to look to her for her insight, instruction and guidance.”
“Natsuko Ohama is as a teacher as she is a person original and brilliant. Her talent as a teacher, performer and fellow human shines deep, wide and far. Anyone who has the opportunity to study with her is a lucky person, indeed!”
“I knew immediately that Natsuko is a true master. She has been of immeasurable help and I will continue to look to her for her insight, instruction and guidance.”
“As a yoga teacher I use my voice a lot, but to my utter surprise, after working with Natsuko I was even able to sing. Her work was freeing and grounded at the same time. She created an ease in my body/voice that has stayed with me.”
“I’ve known Natsuko since the time I started acting professionally. She is absolutely the best teacher I’ve ever worked with. I love her!”
“Natsuko’s class opened doors to my understanding of language interfaced with performance. She showed me how words can be embodied through visualization and breath. Not having performance training, Natsuko gave me an organic way into how language can be absorbed, interpreted and then narrated by the body. She makes classics feel not like text out of a distant past; she somehow links the present and universal into the moment, the sonic nature of text, its breaths, its images understood anew in the student’s mind. Her attention and earthiness makes a student safe to explore beyond the usual limits. My writing world and the way I understand language was expanded after working with Natsuko.”
“Natsuko has a generosity and skill as an actress that is exceptional. Her voice work with actors is pure genius. She has brought real illumination to me and to many others, but too few. She’s required.”
“I would entrust myself completely to Natsuko’s guidance. She possesses a centered demeanor as a teacher and director, and is immensely talented in both fields. She offers great clarity to those with whom she works, focusing intently on their needs. Her observations of actors work are insightful and provide a platform for growth. I have never forgotten what I have learned from her, and use it in all my work.
I feel extremely blessed to have shared time with her.”
“While Renaissance dance is not Natsuko’s foremost field of interest, her creativity and natural artistry filled her body with a life and authenticity that was hard to drag ones eyes from..She had integrity and humor and was deeply supportive to myself and the group. Work with her!”
“One of the most extraordinary creative women that I have met. And God knows I have high standards.”
“Run don’t walk to work with this extraordinary teacher. Natsuko Ohama will help your acting, not just your voice.”