+ Welcome!

We welcome your interest in the upcoming Fitzmaurice Voicework® Teacher Certification Programs.

The program will be taught by Lead Trainers as well as Assistant & Associate Teachers of Fitzmaurice Voicework®.

Details about the application process and the program are below.

+ Application

The application site will prompt you for:

• A description of your prior experience with Fitzmaurice Voicework: when, where, with whom. How much experience of Fitzmaurice Voicework do you have, and in what form(s) (e.g., group classes, individual study, workshops; personal use; teaching)?

• A brief list of your experience with other vocal and related methodologies, and why you are interested in the Fitzmaurice approach.

• A description of why you wish to do the Certification Program.

• There will also be an area to upload your CV/resume/photo.

In addition, as part of the application process, please ask a certified Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework (with whom you have worked) to email a recommendation for you to attend this program. Recommendations should be emailed to the Director of Certification (Cynthia Bassham) at certification@fitzmauriceinstitute.org within six weeks of submitting your initial application.

Requests for consideration as a working intern or for scholarships must accompany your application.

We suggest that you submit your application materials as soon as possible. The group size is limited. Please note that this is a two-year program. We only accept applicants who are able to commit to both parts of the same program. Except in emergencies, you will not be able to transfer between programs at any time after starting, nor, after completing Part 1, transfer into Part 2 of a later program. Final selection of applicants for the program will be made no later than three months prior to the certification. Late applications will be considered on a space-available basis only. A waiting list for the program will be maintained until it starts.

+ Prerequisites

While not required, it is preferable that applicants have a graduate degree, such as an MFA in Theatre or a related discipline, and a minimum of one year’s experience teaching voice, including some experience teaching Fitzmaurice Voicework. Professionals in related fields are welcome to apply. Although our focus is on the sounding body and voice in the theatre, people engaged in related specialties (including doctors, speech pathologists, voice therapists, acting teachers, directors, singers, actors, dancers, movement specialists, yoga teachers, healers, lawyers, community leaders, and social justice workers) have successfully incorporated our work into their fields.

It is important that you get as much experience with the work as possible before committing to the Certification Program. Those who have not yet studied with any certified Fitzmaurice teacher must attend a minimum of two (2) Fitzmaurice Voicework workshops or undertake equivalent study with a certified Fitzmaurice teacher before the start of the Certification Program. See the Calendar of Events at www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org/workshops for some options.

Those who have had significant experience studying with a certified Fitzmaurice teacher must also attend at least one workshop taught by a Lead Trainer before the start of the Certification Program.

Exceptions to these requirements are made at the Director of Certification's discretion.

+ Program Overview and Schedule

Our Teacher Certification Program leads to Certification as an Assistant Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

The program is both conceptual and experiential. In order to give adequate coverage to the material, and to give participants time to practice teaching this work, the Certification Program is in two sessions of four weeks each. Participants also work with an assigned Mentor during the two interim year.

The regular workdays are Mondays through Fridays, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, with some individual tutorials or optional sessions that may fall outside of these times. However, the start day for both parts will be Saturday (a seven-day week). And the final day each year will end on a Saturday (a six-day week).

While the basic work continues throughout the program, each week has a different emphasis. The projected sequence of weeks is as follows:

Part One

• Week 1. Presence. Values. Touch. Vocal function and health. Destructuring detail.
• Week 2. Destructuring into Restructuring.
• Week 3. Energy work. Advanced Destructuring and Restructuring Applications. Vocal Variety.
• Week 4. Culture, and Identity. Teaching Practice.

Each participant will receive one tutorial each week.

Interim Year

Teaching Practice with Mentor support. Written report.

During the interim year, participants are required to teach the work (not necessarily in academia) and have monthly contact with an assigned Mentor, as well as write a report on their experience teaching the work.

Some additional work in the interim year may be required for some participants.

Part Two

• Week 6. Presence. Voice with movement. Singing.
• Week 7. Speech and Text.
• Week 7. Performance.
• Week 8. Teaching with Feedback. Wrap.

Each participant will receive one tutorial in each of the first 2 weeks.

A written report is due within 2 weeks after the final participatory day, before certification is awarded.

+ Health Protocols

Proof of vaccination will be required (i.e. CDC card, digital vaccination card, etc.) for all participants and trainers. We’ll take additional health measures such as masking, social distancing, sanitization, temperature checking, etc. depending on CDC guidelines.

+ Fees

All fees are payable in US Dollars only.

Program Fee: $800 deposit due within one month of acceptance into the program to hold your space. Balance due: $11,000.

1% per month interest on the Regular payment plan and 2% per month interest on any Extended or customized payment plan is payable on late payments.

All housing, travel, meals, supplies (yoga mat, zafu, books) at your own expense.

A few partial scholarships for the certification program are available, particularly for those without full-time employment. A few discounted working internships are also available, generally for current or recent full-time graduate students of the Lead Trainers of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

All payment plan, scholarship, and internship requests should be emailed to certification@fitzmauriceinstitute.org. These requests must also be submitted, in writing, with your application materials when you apply for the teacher certification program.

Other Fees:

• Mentor Program: Sliding scale (maximum $100 per session) during the Interim year.
  At the end of Part 1, you will be assigned a Mentor. You will arrange monthly mentor sessions of one hour each, either in person or video conference. The fee is on a sliding scale based on your ability to pay (maximum of $100 per monthly session). The fee will be negotiated between you and your mentor and is payable directly to your mentor. Your mentorship will formally end one month after the end of Part 2.

• Dues: $100/year with initial payment due during Part 2 of the Program.
  Covers exclusive access to members-only pages and individual promotion on the Fitzmaurice Voicework website www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org. In addition to your bio and contact information, this includes listing any public Fitzmaurice workshops or classes that you may teach; website development and maintenance; subsidized Associate Teacher assessments; development of new courses, services, and outreach initiatives; and subsidized attendance for all certified teachers at our Teachers Symposium and our Freedom & Focus public conferences.

+ Payment Details

All payments for the Certification Program should be made in US Dollars. We will invoice you by email for scheduled payments. Payments are to be sent to Fitzmaurice Institute, Inc, business@fitzmauriceinstitute.org, via Zelle, bank wire transfer, Wise, Remitly or PayPal: (go to www.paypal.comand click 'Send'.)

After payment of the deposit of $800, your remaining balance of $11,000 may be paid in one of these ways:

Regular Payment Plan: Note: 1% per month interest will be charged on late payments.

Four payments of $2,750 within twelve months.

Extended Payment Plan: Note: 2% per month interest will be charged on late payments.

Two payments of $2,000 each followed by seven payments of $1,000 within twenty-six months.

Customized Payment Plan:

Interns, scholarship recipients, and others can negotiate this with Cynthia Bassham (certification@fitzmauriceinstitute.org)

+ Cancellation Policy

If, after paying, you need to withdraw, all requests for refunds must be made via email to *certification@fitzmauriceinstitute.org.*

If your refund request is received within three days of the receipt of your deposit or tuition, you will receive a refund of all monies paid by you.

Please note that in all cases above as well as in the following paragraphs, any and all bank or PayPal fees paid by us in order to receive your payment(s) will be calculated individually and will be deducted from your refund.

Refund requests that are received three days following the receipt of monies and up to 38 days prior to certification:

You will receive a refund of all monies paid minus $300. $200 of this amount can be applied towards either of the next two certification programs, dates and locations TBA (but not any certification program thereafter).

Refund requests that are received between 8-37 days prior to certification:

You will receive a refund of all monies paid minus $500. $300 of this amount can be applied towards either of the next two certification programs, dates and locations TBA (but not any certification program thereafter).

If your refund request is received between 1 day and 1 week prior to certification:

You will not receive a refund unless we are able to replace you from the waiting list. If we are able to replace you, you will receive a refund of all monies paid minus $800. $500 of this amount can be applied towards either of the next two certification programs, dates and locations TBA (but not any certification program thereafter).

Your ability to apply credit to another program is contingent on space being available in that program.

Please note: there are no refunds on or after the start of the certification. Full payment for the two-year program will be required, even in cases of withdrawal from the second session of the program. Class size is limited, and you will not be replaced.

If you have any questions about fees or payment plans, please contact Cynthia directly at certification@fitzmauriceinstitute.org.

+ Funding

If you need further documentation for funding or leave, etc., download this information from the link at the top of this page. Also consider copying from www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org some or all of the following:

• Information about the work in the About section
• Catherine’s and Cynthia’s bios
• Bios of the other Lead Teachers
• List of institutions and locations where the work is taught
• Catherine’s article, "Breathing is Meaning"
• Interview with Catherine Fitzmaurice by Gene Douglas
• Marti Runnels’ article, "Shake, Rattle, and Role"

Enclose these pages with your funding application to your grantor, and direct them to our website for more information.

+ Travel, Housing, and Board

Travel, housing, and board are the sole responsibility of each participant. We recommend checking with airbnb.com, or tripadvisor.com, or local sites for housing.

+ Certification as an Assistant Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework

Certification as an Assistant Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework is given to participants after the close of the second session of the program upon satisfactory completion – attending and fully participating in all sessions of the program, as well as the interim year Mentor Program, and completion of all required written work.

+ Certification as an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework

While it is optional, many participants who complete the Teacher Certification Program continue their development to be considered for certification as an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. Details are available upon request.

Certification as an Associate Teacher is not guaranteed. Certification as an Associate Teacher is awarded to those who, in the view of the Director of Certification and other Lead Trainers, have an affinity for and understanding of this work demonstrated by their ability to embody and teach the work.

New Associate Teachers may be given the opportunity to teach together with Lead Teachers in national and international workshops.

+ Certification Renewal of Associate Teachers

No renewal is required for Assistant teachers. Those at the Associate level must apply for Certification Renewal every five years (until three renewals have taken place). Requirements for renewal consist of 25 hours of attending, assisting /observing, and/or teaching at Fitzmaurice Institute events. These include Certification, Advanced Trainings, Shake the Earth, Symposium, Freedom & Focus, and other FI programs.

This ensures that Associate Teachers are familiar with the most current aspects of the work.

+ Background

Catherine Fitzmaurice (Founder of Fitzmaurice Voicework®): Catherine’s interests lie in the aesthetics, psychology, and healthy functioning of the voice as well as its potential for communication and healing.

Catherine has presented her work internationally at major theatre, medical, and consciousness conferences and at theatre-training establishments in Australia, Bali, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, England, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Wales, and the United States. She has held teaching appointments at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London University’s Goldsmiths College, the Juilliard School's Drama Division, Yale School of Drama, New York University's Graduate Acting Program, American Repertory Theatre/Harvard University’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, the American Conservatory Theatre, USC, UCLA, and elsewhere; and has held consulting appointments as voice, text, and/or dialect coach at Canada’s Stratford Shakespearean Festival, New York Shakespeare Festival, Lincoln Center, the Guthrie Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, the Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, the McCarter Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, and many others.

Catherine's published articles include “Breathing is Meaning,” “Structured Breathing,” and “Breathing Matters.”

Catherine holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Theatre Studies from the University of Michigan; the Diploma from the three-year training program at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London; the Diploma in Dramatic Art from London University; and the Certificate from the International Phonetic Association (IPA). She has completed several bodywork and energy training programs, including Reiki Master’s level and Barbara Brennan Healing Science Advanced Studies, and is a Certified Core Energetics Therapist.

Cynthia Bassham (Director of Fitzmaurice Voicework Certification Programs):

Cynthia Bassham has been teaching for over thirty years and has been a full-time lecturer at UC Irvine in voice, speech, and acting since 2005. She has taught and coached at several other institutions including American Conservatory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She also teaches privately—mainly in the Greater Los Angeles area. Cynthia is also a professional actor with extensive credits, including originating the role of "C" in the world premiere of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women directed by the author. Cynthia is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and VASTA.

Cynthia holds a BA from the University of Washington and an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She was designated as an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework in 2004. She has taught in the certifications since 2006 and was designated a Master Teacher in 2011. Cynthia became Director of Certification in 2015.

For bios of our Lead Trainers explore www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org for more information.

Fitzmaurice Voicework:

Fitzmaurice Voicework for performance helps voices to develop in healthy ways and to become limber through efficient bio-mechanical functioning. The work assists with restoring balance to breathing and encourages voice use that integrates the body and the creative imagination, presence, spontaneity, vocal variety, language, clarity, and the potential for intelligent choices. All of this leads to more effective and enlivening communication in a performance context.

These same benefits apply to many areas beyond theatre and film. The work helps people in all walks of life become more present and communicate more effectively. Voice and speech clinicians use the work, and many people use it as a means of holistic self-development.

Uniquely combining classical vocal techniques (modified bel canto) and Catherine’s specific adaptations of Reichian bodywork, yoga, shiatsu, and other somatic training, energy healing, and meditation systems, Fitzmaurice Voicework is taught widely in the United States as well as internationally on six continents by over three hundred certified teachers.

For more information on the work, on our teachers, or on public workshops and classes, see www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org and/or email us at info@fitzmauriceinstitute.org.