Olivia Darnley

Olivia is an actor, voice artist and coach with a passion for helping others find confidence, clarity and authenticity in their voices. She gained her MA in Drama from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland after completing a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at the University of Birmingham. Her acting career spans both stage and screen, with performances in the West End, on Broadway, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the Royal Court. Screen credits include Grantchester, Call the Midwife, Miss Marple and Doc Martin. Olivia regularly works as a voiceover artist and audiobook narrator. As a coach, Olivia has over ten years’ experience teaching Accents, Voice, Public Speaking and Communication Skills. 

She has trained at UCL and with Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and co-authored “The Working Voice: Vocal Health and Effective Communication”, a guide to how professional voice users – from actors, to teachers, to barristers – can speak with ease and impact. Her teaching style is practical, encouraging and rooted in an understanding of both performance and professional communication, helping students find authenticity, authority and flexibility in their voices. Olivia’s classes are supportive and energising, drawing on her experience as a performer to help students strengthen technique while developing freedom, confidence and ease in their work.

“I love helping students build confidence through an embodied, practical understanding of accent and voice, and guiding them to find the joy of communication through genuine, authentic expression.”