ABOUT
Katie Cunningham is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based actor, voice and dialect coach, and academic. Katie was born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northeast Georgia and has returned to the Mountain South region to make her home after more than a decade in New York City.
Katie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and appears regularly in the acting company at Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT), the professional LORT theatre affiliated with the University. Also for CBT/UTK: resident voice, text, and dialect coach.
Recent stage work includes: Helen Hubbard in Murder on the Orient Express, Judy in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Elvira in Blithe Spirit at Clarence Brown Theatre; Carrie Girl with the Resident Acting Company (NYC); Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at American Stage (Theatre Tampa Bay Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play); and multiple leading roles at Utah Shakespeare Festival, including Lady Macbeth; Maria in Twelfth Night; and Emilia in Othello. Recent film/television: Homicide Hunter, Lashes. New York acting credits: TACT/The Actors’ Company Theatre; Resident Acting Company; NY Fringe; Shallow Graves; and more. Other stage appearances: Asolo Rep (multiple seasons) and a host of regional stages across the country.
Recent coaching projects include productions at Nashville Rep, Clarence Brown Theatre, River & Rail theatre, and Southwest Shakespeare Co. Katie maintains a freelance voice, presence, and dialect coaching business, supporting clients in film and television, theatre, academia, and corporate settings.
Katie holds an M.F.A. in acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training and a B.A. in dramatic art and political science, summa cum laude, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Certified Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork and a PAVA Recognized Vocologist. Her writing and peer-reviewed research have appeared in The Voice and Speech Review, The Conversation, and The International Dialects of English Archive. Katie is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association since 2010, SAG-AFTRA, VASTA, and PAVA (Pan-American Vocology Association).