Biography

Tovah Close is a theater artist and educator whose work centers on acting, voice, and embodied presence. Her artistic and pedagogical interests include breath work, vocal presence, dialects and accents, acting technique, student-centered assessment, play-based learning methodologies, and community- building. She approaches the classroom as a collaborative space for exploration, rigor, and joy, where voice and self are cultivated in tandem.

Before arriving at UVA, she held faculty appointments at Mary Baldwin University’s MFA program in Shakespeare and Performance and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts—New Studio on Broadway. She has presented workshops and guest lectures at University of Alabama, UVA’s Darden School of Business, The Governor’s School of North Carolina, A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory, Epic Theatre Ensemble, NYU Tisch High School Summer Program, Virginia Players, Light House Studio, and Live Arts.

As a dialect and vocal coach, Tovah’s work has been heard in productions at the American Shakespeare Center, Virginia Theatre Festival, 59E59, Mile Square Theater, Summer Theater of New Canaan, NYU Tisch, and UVA Drama. Her private coaching clients regularly book work in theater, film, television, and audiobook narration.

Onstage, she’s brought to life roles such as Heidi in What the Constitution Means to Me, Mary in A.C.T.’s A Christmas Carol, Dawn in Lobby Hero, Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest, Anne Hathaway in The Beard of Avon, and Helen in Orestes 2.0.

Tovah has completed pre-certification coursework in Knight-Thompson Speechwork and attended the NAAT Teacher Development Program. She holds an MFA from American Conservatory Theater and a BFA from UC Santa Barbara, and is a proud member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.