What makes a voice masculine or feminine? What does it mean to have a “gay” voice? with Kevin Whitmire

Speaking Of... Conversations on Voice, Speech, and Identity with Ryan O'Shea

On this episode of Speaking Of… I’m chatting with my friend Kevin Whitmire, an actor and teaching artist based in LA.

Kevin and I start off by talking about performance and how he changes his voice for each role. We then dive into his question: what makes a voice masculine or feminine?

What follows is a fascinating conversation about what constitutes our most “real” voice and how speech and acting coaches can reinforce stereotypes about how certain groups of people do – or should – speak.

We also talk about having a “gay” voice, feeling uncomfortable when you hear yourself on a recording, and the vulnerability of speaking aloud.
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we mentioned in the episode at https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast