Paul Abelman, She’s Dead: Vocal use and variety

1. What are the aspects of voice production that an actor needs to keep in mind when he acts? How does voice help in characterisation? (Read up on the works of Cicely Berry and Patsy Rodenburg for reference.)

According to Cicely Berry, actors should aim to ‘make people excited by language and not just ‘explain’ it to them’, since the voice can bring both the actors and audience into an entirely new world, with just a change in the tone.

She also mentions that ‘words are thoughts in action, not inaction’. Furthermore, that thought must be thought over carefully and expressed just as how the actor feels it should at that point of time – there is no fixed way in articulating the line, since that would only result in a very false and forced delivery.

Thoughts must also be seen as something that carries the script forward and ‘brings it to life’. Thus, actors should react naturally to the situation (but of course, they would still have to use the lines on the script) thrown at them, even though they know very well where the story is heading to due to previous countless analyses of the script.

Take ‘She’s Dead’ for example. While the two actors playing ‘1’ and ‘2’ might be very well aware of what the next lines are and how each section is going to end, they must keep in mind the thought that they are supposed to be unaware of what the other character is going to say next, because in that way, their responses in tone to the situation would be very innate and it would be even more believable when the audience watches it.

Ms. Berry also says that for actors to ‘bring the audience somewhere’, they would have to focus on the way the say the words, not how ‘correct’ it sounds. To do so, actors would have to find the true meaning of the language involved and express it the way that the emotions involved are brought out, not just how well it had been articulated or how well a particular accent had been done.

Patsy Rodenburg’s approach was more about the ‘anatomy of the voice’ and it focused on how actors have to ‘find their centre’ so that their voice would not be constrained and drowned out by physical tensions due to the muscles in their bodies.

She also mentions that clarity is essential, and most people tend to mumble even though they think they are speaking loudly. This is due to the way that they position their jaws and most people usually tuck their chins in, thus muffling their voices. What is the most important, is not that the audience hears the actor’s voice, but is whether they can hear what words are said and how they are being said by the actor.


2. Is voice the most important ‘tool’ for an actor? Why or why not?

It actually all boils down to what play is involved. For example, if a play’s motive was meant to be brought out merely through actions and symbolic objects, voice would definitely not be something important to the actor. An extreme example of actions and objects being the ones which are the main tools of expression would be mimes.

However, in most conventional plays, dialogue is an imperative into bringing out the motivations of the characters and carrying the storyline forward, thus voice and the tone of it is very important for actors in that genre.

With the proper variations and tones of voice used, a script can be brought alive in the most appropriate ways. For example, a similar line could be used in various situations, if different tones are used for the appropriate scenes. This shows how voice can bring out the versatility of language and how it can be tweaked to fit any situation imagined.

Voice can also bring out the characteristics of the role the actor is playing. A character’s nationality, age, state of mind and so on can be guessed by the audience from the way that he or she converses. In a way, voice makes it more explicit to the audience on how a character is like and diversifies the play into a whole cast of different characters, instead of a troupe of clones in different costumes.

Lastly, voice can help the script make the all important connection to the audience. For example, if a dramatic, heart wrenching monologue were to be performed in a monotone, or worse, a chirpy voice, the audience would not only not feel for the character and script, they would be turned off immediately and stop listening to the story.

- Melissa