Locals fine-tune acting skills

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Actress and voice training coach Pauline O'Kelly gave a group of Mossel Bay aspirant actors lessons last weekend.

O'Kelly had an acting career encompassing stage and television.

Formally trained at university, O'Kelly's passion is Shakespeare.

In her coaching at the weekend, she encouraged the actors to make their voices interesting by varying the pitch of their voices. She likened this to undulating waves as opposed to a boring monotone or "flat pitch".

Based in Cape Town, O'Kelly has a friend in Mossel Bay, whom she visits frequently.

On these visits to Mossel Bay she gives coaching to would-be actors for free. It is her way of "giving back" to the community.

She collaborates with Gemini Model and Talent Agency, based in Mossel Bay, with the coaching. The actors are signed with the agency.

O'Kelly is service oriented and practical in her approach to acting. There is nothing "diva-ish" about her. In her example to those she coaches, she encourages them to remain humble and see their talent as a service to the audience.

Pauline O'Kelly shows how one can be expressive, using only the eyes.