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

3. 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.)

With reference to ‘Voice and the Actor’ by Cicely Berry:

An important aspect that an actor has to keep in mind is the size of the theatre and the emotional size of the character. By considering the acoustic properties of the theatre, an actor can gauge his volume. For example, aiming his or her voice is very important. By aiming a voice half to two-thirds of the way into the audience, sound will spring up and fill the whole area.
The physical size of the character too plays a part, as the tone and volume of a person’s voice is usually determined by the body size. By taking into considering your size and volume, an actor can fix a comfortable voice for himself and the audience.
A crucial emotion that actors should avoid within themselves is unease. Fear and nervousness is very sensitive on the voice, as it results in tension in the upper part of the body: neck and shoulders. Bad posture can also cause vocal problems. If your back is not straight, the opening of the ribs is restricted. This will liquefy the solidity of the tone.

With reference to ‘The Actor Speaks’ by Patsy Rodenburg:
Actors should remember to utilize all the parts of their body for resonance. This is important in emitting a clear, fluent and powerful tone to the audience.
Any tension in the jaw will prevent the projection of voice, as words will be stuck in the mouth. In addition, muscles of articulation cannot work clearly, causing unclear speech. More simply, if an actor’s mouth is not opened properly, speech will be muffled and will lose its comprehensibility. Similarly, with a tense tongue, words are swallowed and muffled. Slighter tension on the tongue will allow it to be controlled easier.
In conclusion, actors should be fully comfortable on stage in their costume and role, as this would prevent and tension within them.







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

The voice is a vital tool for actors, but, there are also many other tools and important aspects that are as vital as the voice. Another important tool will be the body, where movement and physical interaction are carried out from. The body facilitates all movement and is a crucial ‘tool’ that sends out emotions and experiences to viewers.

Certain forms of theatre do not utilize the voice, but mainly action. Genres of theatre such as silent film and mime focus on physical movement and interaction. For example, in Charlie Chaplin’s comedic films, he uses his body to showcase various actions that are humourous and funny. In addition, the capturing of sound for films was only mastered by the 1920s. These films without sound have been very well received by viewers and this shows that body can exist without voice.

However, voice is also important, as it can represent many things about a character. For example, an actor with a powerful and deep voice should be act as a sick peasant but should play as a more authoritative individual, due to his strong and commanding voice. The tone of voice of a person is usually difficult to alter, as everyone has their own specific voice box. But, the movements of people can be improved by proper training. This shows that a voice of a person is fixed and will determine his or her role in plays even without training or lessons.

Lastly, in my opinion, I feel that the possession of both a good voice and a good body for action is the most important, as in modern theatre, an individual without a good voice but with good action will not be well received as well as an individual with vice versa.

- Isa Ong