Rena Cook

Associate Professor School of Drama - Voice, Speech, Dialects; Performance Area Coordinator

MA 2000 Voice Studies from Central School of Speech & Drama, London
MFA 1991 Directing from University of Oklahoma
MA 1982 Guidance & Counseling from University of Tulsa
BA 1972 Theatre Education from the University of Arizona

(405) 325-8957
203 FAC
renacook@ou.edu

Rena Cook is an Associate Professor of voice, speech, and dialects in the School of Drama at the University of Oklahoma where she is also Head of Performance. As a professional dialect coach she has worked on such shows as Cabaret, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Great Expectations and The Grapes of Wrath.  Rena holds an MA in voice from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and an MFA in Directing from the University of Oklahoma.  Before returning to OU, Rena taught at the University of Kansas and Oklahoma State University and was the vocal coach for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and is Editor-in-chief of the Voice and Speech Review.  She is the co-author of the book Breath in Action: the Art of Breath in Vocal Communication.  She has presented workshops through out the US and the UK.

Read the "The Voice Coaches" from the October 2006 article in Dramatics.