Voice Acting syllabus...'A short Organum for the Theatre' Bertolt Brecht (1948) "To show is more than to be." - Brecht, Schriften zum Theater [1] [Theatre is] … live representations

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Voice acting (2014) LAMDA The Dean Kriel [email protected]

VOICE ACTING Curriculum Facilitator: The Dean Kriel 1. Syllabus Overview Students will learn about performance through the discovery of and interaction with concepts of sound. Using their voices to apply these concepts practically, they will develop character and stories for group and individual performance. They will acquire the skills to use their bodies and voices together as one instrument to practice the tools of performance as a craft and continuous process of creation. These sessions are designed to make them aware of themselves and of the world around them, to be sensitive to their partners and

learn how to work successfully in a group. The key learning strategy is improvisation and how listening is inextricably linked to speaking. Though product driven, encompassing an official LAMDA certified exam and end-of-term theatre performance, ideally the program is designed to engage the creative potential of the participants, to nurture an enjoyment for art and expression, and encourage them to feel less inhibited and comfortable to work in groups.

2. Student Requirements (boys and girls) Black t-shirt, dance pants, secret socks and leather soled shoes Notebook, HB pencil, yellow marker, eraser, ruler 3. After one term, participants are expected to have learnt how to:

- Write and perform in their own work - Operate back stage for their colleagues - Learn the intricacies of working in a drama production

4. One session usually takes the following shape (50 minutes): 05 Recap on previous work 15 Vocal warm-up 05 Dramatic terms that will be the focus of the session 10 Exploration through activity 10 Contextualization of dramatic terms and activity together 05 Meditation 5. Examinations 21, 22, 23 June 2014

Morning Lower Upper Secondary 09h30 Dean Voice Phume Dance Lola Poetry 10h20 Change-‐over 10h30 Lola Poetry Dean Voice Phume Dance 11h20 Break 11h40 Phume Dance Lola Poetry Dean Voice 12h30 End

Afternoon Lower Upper Secondary 09h30 Phume Dance Lola Poetry Dean Voice 10h20 Change-‐over 10h30 Lola Poetry Dean Voice Phume Dance 11h20 Break 11h40 Dean Voice Phume Dance Lola Poetry 12h30 End

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Acting as translation: negotiating with the language of acting

Voice work is both a way of creating theatre as well as the medium through which the actor interprets the dramatic text -‐ Lizz Mills, South African director (DRM4030W Theatre Voice Course Outline, UCT 2011)

To the students As your acting coach I will endeavor to develop in you a culture of continuous technical development and support. To be engaging, interesting and artistic takes dedication to enhancing your technique and control of your voice within performance. On stage your voice must change, it is not the same as the voice in which you speak on a daily basis. This is not a matter of changing the tone of speaking louder; it is a way of being and of understanding that takes time to achieve. Your audience demands absolute

vocal clarity when they listen to you, and though when you speak you may feel confident that you are communicating with them, you might forget of the duality of performance: speaking and listening. Your ear is your voice’s access to improvement, expansion and interpretation: listening is as important as speaking. After you listen to yourself speaking you might notice a few areas where work needs to be done. This is your own interpretation and only a result of what you already know. So you invite

another person or a group to listen to you and give you their advice. In this group you listen to others and share your knowledge, and together this group builds a bank of knowledge, support and integrity – this then becomes the company of actors with whom you perform with on stage. Your own accent is your interpretation and gives the text a distinct, individual and unique flavor – but don’t let that get in the way of clarity in your speech.

TERM TASK: Voice as Material Through an understanding of sonic concepts and vocal production, you will create a vocal score that you will learn for performance.

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TERM 1 SYLLABUS OVERVIEW Theme Resources Activity Assignment Broad Objectives Interpretation Technical Skills Knowledge 1 Setting goals -Step by step

warm-up

Reading for the theatre

Memorize warm-up

Focus Breath Working stage areas

2 Voice craft: rhythm

Brechtian theatre

Listening Explore style Resonance Principles and influences of Brecht

3 Improvisation: the creative state

Vocal process The given circumstances

Engage the imaginary

G3: two characters in the story

4 Character Character traits My Character’s bucket list

Record your own

Understand character

Diction Motivate movements of characters

5 Sound in performance

Synopsis of the play

Crying Baby, Barking Dog

Memorise words Memorise words Verse structure G2: outline of the story of the book from which the prose was selected

6 Vocal mis-en-scene

The elements of sound

Immediacy of Character

Apply techniques Make sense of written word

Varying pitch, intonation, tone and colour

Understand character and situation

7 Choreographing sound

Sound in space Kannusadhakam Locate your scene within the play’s context

Immediacy of character in a situation

Audibility and clarity

Physical and vocal characterization that describes character and appearance within the scene

8 Rehearsing the performance

Emotional cocktail

Subtext (thoughts and feeling)

Modulation Reasons for staging

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9 Individual Critique

Emotional memory

Reveal progression of thought

Sustain thought to the end of the phrase

Integrate knowledge and skills consciously

10 Dress rehearsal Constructive criticism

Feedback Take back the feedback

Detailed world Energy and enthusiasm

Sense of ownership

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TERM 2 SYLLABUS OVERVIEW Theme Resources Activity Assignment Broad Objectives Interpretation Technical Skills Knowledge 1 Voice care -Theatre spaces Recover previous

work Learn hand-out Engagement

2 Principles of Brazilian dramas

Augusto Boal Icons for scenes The sounds of Brazil

Explore form and context

Articulative organs

Fundamental differences between verse and prose

3 Play-making Structure of the play

Vocal Assessment

Read script and report on two characters

React to the imaginary

G5: sight-reading to be provided by examiner with one minute to prepare

G5: Knowledge of the plot from selection

4 The sonic landscape of the play

Full script Visualizing Imagery

Draw your character

Detailed relationships with others

Movement G4: figures of speech (alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, antithesis, pun, simile, metaphor)

5 Oral traditions and classical vocal texts

Objectives and tactics

My Character’s biggest secret

Pause, volume and pace

G5: Phrasing and pausing (sense/ emphatic/ rhythmical/ metrical/ suspensory/ caesural/ emotional)

6 Conceptual mis- Brazil’s history Exercise Eye contact with Stresses and Understand

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SYLLABUS CONTENT IN SESSIONS 1. Ideas of drama, voice and acting 2. Style 3. The Given Circumstances 4. Character 5. Objectives and obstacles; Tactics; Expectations 6. Scene-study 7. GOTE: Acting with another person 8. Subtext 9. Emotion and State of Being 10. Critique and feedback vocabulary

en-scene objectives using character traits

the audience patterns context and period

7 The performance company

Research discussion

My Character hears the voices of their parents speaking through them when…

Transformation Awareness of space

Physical and vocal characterization that describes mood within the scene

8 Rehearsing for performance

Kannusadhakam Subtext within context

Sensitive interpretation

9 Group critique Their most beautiful and ugliest body parts

Apply feedback Reveal progression of mood

Sustain vocal power to the end of the phrase

Demonstrate understanding of the material

10 Production rehearsal

My character’s biggest secret

Create a credible sense of reality

Confidence Self-awareness

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1. Ideas of drama, voice and acting

Without continual work and stretching, the breath and its support lose power within days of inactivity … Even four days off can mean that by the fifth day the basic vocal instrument is underpowered and will need greater effort from you in order to get back up to performance level. (Patsy Rodenburg, The Actor Speaks)

Always work barefoot 1. Stand with the balls of the

feet on the floor 2. Rotate ankles individually 3. Play with weight between

balls of the feet and on the heal to find balance

Liberate tension in the arms 1. Feet apart 2. Stretch arms to the sides 3. Shake fingers to shoulders 4. Shake feet to pelvis 5. Lift and drop shoulders 6. Circle shoulders, taking the

whole body as you throw each arm individually. Then allow it to place itself and find a natural position

7. With dropped shoulders, hold hands behind the back and lift arms away

Warm spine connects a body 1. Bounce the knees, return

to stillness without locking. 2. Stand with legs close

3. Undulate the spine 4. Widen feet, slump and lift

the spine using support 5. Repeat cross legs on floor 6. On hands and knees,

hollow and hump the spine Feel the throat for no tension 1. Chin to the chest 2. Massage the jaw and the

back of your neck 3. Swing head from one

shoulder to other 4. Lift a balanced head 5. Head falls back, jaw free.

Lift the head back onto the jaw with your hands

Always gentle on the jaw 1. Bunch up the face and

release, several times 2. Massage the face and

around the jaw hinges 3. Smile and drop, with a

space of two fingers between the lips

4. Chew for 10 seconds

5. Stretch the tongue out and let it slide back in, slowly, repeat several times.

In the wings: think rib cage

1. Feet wide apart, spine up and bent knees

2. Hand above groin and breathe in enough to move the hand away for five breathes

3. Hug yourself with arms crisscrossed, tenderly reaching for the shoulder blades

4. Bend knees and flop over from the waist

5. Breathe in deeply 6. Arms drop and slowly

come up 7. Stand centered, open up

the arms in an embrace 8. Energy must flow out the

arms, with an open chest and feeling sensations of breathe in the back

Tension falls away during the floor position exercises 1. Lie on your back, soles of

the feet parallel on the ground

2. Thighs unclamped and relaxed

3. Move the head gently from side to side

4. Lift and drop the shoulders 5. Push the spine into the

floor and release 6. Hands on the ribs and help

ease out the breath 7. Unclench the jaw 8. Stretch the tongue 9. Take deep breaths 10. Lie the calves on a chair,

unclamped and at angles (The weight opens the lower back for deeper connection to emotions)

11. Flop legs over the torso in a baby scream position

12. Let them go and dangle 13. Come up, not violently

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2. Style and rhythm

Resource: read 30 Steps to Classical Acting The more stylized the event, the more rules the audience must accept to be able to appreciate it. The world of the play has a distinctive way of working.

While character makes us different, style brings us together. Your character needs to make strategic choices within the limits of the space.

Working as the actor into the character is like going from being a tourist to a local, so that eventually everything in that world seems natural to you.

The table above illustrates how elements of c) voice craft are the connections between a) principles of rhythm and b) ideas of style.

Activity: play the following icons for scenes

• First (date, proposal, meeting) • Sacrifice (hurting me but helping you) • Announcement (something is starting or

ending) • Revelation (finding truth outside yourself) • Epiphany (finding truth inside yourself) • Resurrection (rekindling love or life)

• Betrayal (the moment afterwards) • Absolution (in the presence of something

greater) • Seeking safety (wanting home) • Friday morning • Sunday Evening • Initiation

• Celebration • Confession • Temptation • Holiday • Interrogation • The Bet

Home task: vocal assessment

a) Pace Pitch Physical relationships Intensity/weight Width/length c) Tempo Register Listening Stress/emphasis Phrasing b) Animal behaviour The execution of a dance Distinctions in fashions A manner of speech The form of architecture

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Ideas from 'A short Organum for the Theatre'

Bertolt Brecht (1948)

"To show is more than to be." - Brecht, Schriften zum Theater

[1] [Theatre is] … live representations of reported or invented happenings between human beings … with a view to entertainment. [9] … representations of such different sorts hardly ever depended on the representation's likeness to the thing portrayed [22] …we invite into our theatre [all people] … while we hand the world over to their minds and hearts, for them to change [25] Even the wholly anti-social can be a source of enjoyment to society so long as it is presented forcefully and on the grand scale. [35] We need a type of theatre which … employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself. [58] For the smallest social unit is not the single person but two people. In life too, we develop one another. Brecht was aware that at different periods of history, the idea of entertainment was deductive of the culture in which people lived in. From ancient tragedy, Brecht was interested in the idea of theatre deriving from 'ritual', where he believed 'situations [were] to be constructed according to varying points of view'. He asked of his generation '…have [we] failed to discover the special pleasures, the proper entertainment of our own time?' For the first time in recorded history, the stage offered plays from different periods. The idea of empathy and emotion was so central to how an audience was expected to identify with a piece of theatre, to the point that it became a convention, rather than a response manifested by the play. Brecht thought of the theatre-makers of his time to have a 'lack of any worthwhile content [which] was a sign of decadence'. He wanted to transform theatre from a 'means of enjoyment into an instrument of instruction'. Brecht would suggest that theatre, then, is to accept that what you are seeing is an illusion or fake. By accepting that it is not real but

being able to believe in it is where theatre can instill ideas of change. He wanted the audience to be active participants in the drama, rather than people who seem to be 'relieved of activity and like men to whom something is being done'. He didn't care for theatre that sought to 'move' the emotions of its audience, as people are hardly 'moved' by events in real life. Alienation, in his work, is used to stamp out the familiarity that protects the audience from their grasp of the world around them. Ellis Shookman, of Dartmouth College wrote of the relationship of Brecht and the linguist Roland Barthes:

By showing both the evil of war and its social remedy … Brecht teaches theatergoers to make history, Barthes argues, rather than passively suffer its imposition. Brecht thus solves what Barthes polemically calls a traditional aesthetic "the problem of participation." (Shookman, 461)

Brecht's was for the workingman - 'the new class of workers whose natural element is large scale production' – who he felt had been

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exploited by the bourgeoisie. Brecht’s theatre conveys the joys of its existence in a scientific age,

where life is driven by technological advances. The effect of epic theatre was "mediate", teaching its spectators socially critical lessons by first changing their attitude toward - and within - the theatre. (Shookan, 465)

1. Theatre should be a conscious experience. 2. Theatre should edge as close as possible to the apparatus of

education and mass communication. 3. Spectators should be able to swap a contradictory world for one

that they scarcely know they could dream of. 4. Staging should put the necessary beauty before any elegance. 5. Unlike in life, the play is made of episodes, which are

rearranged for the storyteller's ideas to find expression. 6. The story is the focus of the performance and completes all the

gestic incidents that fit together. Each story point should be knotted in a way that they are easily distinguishable from each other.

7. That which is more intricate, richer in communication and is more contradictory will be more productive of results.

The acting process should leave the spectator's intellect highly

mobile and free from social conditioning. According to Shookman’s reading, in terms of Saussure's linguistics, Barthes defined Brecht's epic theatre as "not so much to express reality as to signify it". Thus the distinction between expressing and signifying action describes Brecht’s self-conscious style of acting (Shookman, 463).

1. The source of creation must lie both in reality and in imagination.

2. The learning process must be coordinated so the actors learn from each other.

3. The actor must ask questions dialectically and from the views all people.

4. Observation informs the act of imitation, and the actor looks at people as though they were playing him their actions.

5. The actor masters character by first mastering the 'story'. 6. Representation must be second to what is represented. A

representation that alienates is one that allows us to recognize its subject.

7. The actor shows how he imagines the character to have been. His attitude, feelings or gestus, are not those of the character, and thus the audience’s are not that of the character either.

8. Everything is matter-of-fact, without pretending that the events on stage have never been rehearsed. However, the actor must commit to memory his first reactions, reserves, criticisms and shocks, so that they are not destroyed in the final version.

9. Physical attitude, tone of voice and facial expression are all determined by social gest - all highly complicated and contradictory so they cannot be rendered by any single word and emphasize the entire complex.

10. The actor is a narrator of the character by vivid portrayal, always knowing more than it does and treating time on stage as different to time on the play.

11. Empathy can be a useful indulgence in rehearsal, but is only one of many methods that should be used, and should not be used in performance.

12. Any changes should be marked, for example, if an actor begins to sing, he should mark the change from speaking and 'drop in' or 'break into song'.

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3. The Given Circumstances To put yourself 'in the shoes' of your character, you can look for the information the writer has hidden in the dialogue, the introduction to the play and/or notes from previous directors. Look at the actions of your character or the situation they are in, and decide how this determines their behavior. Speak their words over and over and decide what sort of person uses this language. Look at the text of other characters and what they say about you. Look for answers that can help you to understand your character's dreams and their way of thinking and how to 'see the world through their eyes'

Ø Who and how old am I? Who are you (to me)? How does this inform our relationship? Ø Where am I – geographically and psychologically? Ø When does the play take place: the time, the day of the week, the year in history and its relation to historical events. Ø What is going on now and will be in the future? What happened before? What baggage are you carrying?

Activity: visualizing imagery: 1. Note a simple, precise and focused visual 2. Place your hand on the core and speak out the imagery 3. Find the energy of this space and speak it 4. Commit with interest

Why Where Who How Why

What: Instruction

When

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Ideas from ‘The Actor Speaks’

Patsy Rodenburg (1999) 'Proper voice work is very physical. It involves the use of the entire body. It is not arduous and athletic, like, say, dance training. Yet it does require an awareness of the body an dhow it aids you in producing an ever expanding range of sound' (8) By unlocking and releasing tension, you are overcoming fears and breaking habits that can open up choices for you on stage. 'You aren't training to reinforce what you can already do but to move into new and dramatic areas of change.' (11)

Pushing or pulling back head Locking knees Shoulder tension Slumped or rigid spine Tight or clenched jaw Breath held too high Tight throat Incoherent speech Closed chest lifted or collapsed Held rib cage Pushed abdominal area Clamped thighs tighten lower back Unevenly spaced feet Unready position

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How the body works with sound Body placement, the angles and positions of limbs contribute to the production of a strong voice. Breath system (rib cage, diaphragm and core muscles) powers and carries the voice and when adjusted it produces an infinite variety and richness of speech tones. Air passes from the lungs into the Larynx (a shell-like container of the vocal folds) to make sounds. Manipulations of the Speech muscles (jaws, mouth kips, tongue, soft palate) turn sound

--Basic centering-- Finding the center is finding a state of being with complete physical balance of tensions. The center position permits the breath nd voice the work at their most free and efficient levels with natural support. With this in mind one can transform freely from character and return.

1. Stand feet parallel, energy on the balls of the feet

2. Knees unlocked, spine up right

Breathe and support Breathe is organic to thought and space Constant support Emotional connection Free and placed voice Tone Perfect pitch and harmony There is power and freedom from releasing breath from you and giving sound to the audience. 'If you can feel the sensation of your own voice, it's not releasing out of you.' (67) Pushing the voice down into the throat and chest restricts range.

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from breathe into articulate speech. You gather inspiration as you breath through your nose. This is a longer, more sustained and relaxed breath than the shorter, fragmented breathes through your mouth that suggest panic or stress. The air fills the lungs and the rib cage opens around the center of the body, without force. If your body is centered, the diaphragm sends a release down to the groin. The abdominal muscles work the air so that it supports the sound. As the air leaves your throat it vibrates the vocal folds if they change shape or density and thus change pitch and range. Now you are voicing and not just breathing. After it has made a single note of sound, the breath leaves the body. It can be amplified through the resonators of the chest, throat, nose, head or mouth.

and shoulders released 3. Head onto chest 4. Let weight take body over to

flop from the waist 5. Come up slowly 6. Look out and walk around the

room with purpose 7. Stop keep the movement in you

imaginatively 8. Push against a wall, look into it 9. Release shoulders and breathe

to feel the lower breathe 10. Now push against another actor 11. Lift a chair over your head 12. Chair above you, release the

shoulders and breathe. 13. Sense of weight should enlarge

your sense of capacity 14. Throw an imaginary ball to

establish rhythm 15. After a few catches, stop and

center. 16. Repeat with voice or text 17. Now you have the point of

reference from which to transform

Devoicing: operating the voice on half power because not all the vocal folds are being energized, thus the quality is muffled. Glottal attack: smashing the voice, restricting range to find energy but sounds hard and aggressive Squeezing throat: pressure that narrows the throat sounds thin and choked and essentially disconnect from the entire process of breathing.

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4. Character Many theorists across the world have opposing ideas about how an actor should approach character. Stanislavksi stressed for actors not to judge your character, Brecht encouraged it. But before looking at your character

through any of these ideas, think of how you identify with them as a person you have met for the first time. Then, look at them as an audience member would: the type of person or idea they represent and how they would fit into your life.

What is important is to be investigative, imaginative, inventive and insightful. Work with detail and make them as interesting and unique as you are.

Activity: 1. My character's bucket list 2. My epitaph would say… 3. Their most beautiful and ugliest body parts 4. Describe pain 5. The character's biggest secret 6. I hear my parents voices speaking through me when...

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THE EGO TYPES

The… Motto Core desire Goal Greatest fear Strategy Weakness Talent Also known as Innocent Free to be Paradise Happiness Punishment Do things right Boring, naive Faith, optimism Utopian,

dreamer Orphan All are equal Connect with

others To belong To be left out Solid virtues Loss of self in

effort to blend in Realism, empathy, lack of pretense

Solid citizen, good neighbor

Hero Where’s a will, a way

Prove through courage

Improve the world

Weakness, vulnerability

To be as strong as possible

Arrogance, Competence and courage

Dragon slayer, the team player

Caregiver Love others as yourself

To protect and care for others

To help others Selfishness and ingratitude

Doing things for others

Martyrdom and being exploited

Compassion, generosity

Saint, parent, supporter

THE SOUL TYPES The… Motto Core desire Goal Greatest fear Strategy Weakness Talent Also known as Explorer Don't fence

me in Freedom to find who you are

Authentic, fulfilling life

Getting trapped, conformity

Journey, escape from boredom

Aimless wandering

Ambition, true to one's soul

The seeker, pilgrim.

Outlaw Rules are to be broken

Revenge or revolution

Crime Powerlessness Disrupt, destroy Crossing over to the dark side

Radical freedom The rebel, revolutionary

Lover You're the only one

Intimacy and experience

Be with what they love

Being alone, unwanted

To become more attractive

Please others Passion, commitment

The partner, friend

Creator To create that of value

Imagining is possibility

To realize a vision

Mediocrity Develop skill, express vision

Perfectionism, bad solutions

Creativity and imagination

Artist, inventor

THE SELF TYPES The… Motto Core desire Goal Greatest fear Strategy Weakness Talent Also known as Trickster YOLO To live in the

moment To have a great time

Being bored or boring others

Make jokes Wasting time Joy The fool, comedian.

Thinker The truth will set you free

To find the truth Understand the world

Being duped, ignorance

Self-reflection Study forever and never act

Wisdom, intelligence

The expert, detective,

Magician Things happen

Understanding the universe

Make dreams come true

Negative consequences

Develop a vision and live by it

Becoming manipulative

Finding win-win solutions

The visionary, healer,

Ruler Power is the only thing

Create a successful community

Exercise power

Chaos, being overthrown

Unable to delegate

Responsibility, leadership

The boss, leader

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5. The root of emotion is the seed of action. Your character acts because they want something: an objective. Emotion stems from whether that is achievable or not. S/he acts in response to how s/he feels towards the obstacles in his/her way. The more you

desire something you can't have, the longer you can hold an audience's interest. Tactics (below) are the specific maneuvers you employ to get closer to your objectives. What points of view is the writing putting

together for the audience to determine its subject? These expectations are drive by the relationship between your character’s objectives and the obstacles they face, and the subject of the play.

(TELL) break the news clarify command compare confess confirm contradict correct cue in declare

deny direct instruct level with notify order preach promise prove suggest teach

(ASK) investigate entice verify hunt for seek plead urge interview dare challenge

negotiate summon cross-examine petition grill test beg nag (GIVE) bribe befriend

share promise help out invite please barter tempt suggest retreat welcome worship

solve flatter award support (SHOW) unmask confide reveal protest offer guide

assert introduce entrance inspire blame baby bring to life shine a light on paint a picture re-create sulk

demonstrate (MAKE FEEL) startle flirt dismiss terrify cherish repel shut them up banish sooth

tickle destroy disgrace torture charm celebrate guilt-trip caress bruise brighten tease

Activity: Exercising objectives and tactics with another (the obstacle) using character traits Learner/leader Salesman/statue 1. With a partner, choose an icon scene (objective) and a character pair (tactics).

e.g. Betrayal (take in the wrong direction): teacher/taxi (tell/correct) 2. Determine an active response you want to get from your partner.

e.g. “I want them to turn left”. 3. Encourage adrenaline through physical activity, then slow down without stopping. 4. Stop. Find each other, but retain the movement within your body. 5. Make eye contact and find what you are looking for in your partner. 6. Blow up a balloon After each line spoken, blow a balloon until it explodes or ideally,

until you achieve your objective.

Mother/manager Convict/cleaner Teacher/taxi Politician/pensioner Geek/guide Beggar/businessman Reader/reporter Dentist/defence-force Sleeper/singer Phantom/farmer Invalid/imbecile Nudist/neighbor Gossiper/guest Bed-wetter/trend-setter

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6. Scene-study The rhythm of speech, the use of silence, pauses, stutters and other vocal techniques, the grain of the voice and how it affects performance – these are concepts that enable the communication of type and persona. In a scene study, the actor looks for all the opportunities he has in the text to tell the story with his voice and body. Roland Barthes called sound “a supplementary instrument of representation,” that would reinforce the lifelikeness of the image. Before sound came to the cinema, “silent acting was

always supplemented, not only by live musical performance, but also by the voice of the lecturer, sound effects, and even live spoken dialogue” (Wojcik, 74). Movements across the stage may appeal to the audience’s need to see action, but the qualities of his voice are what give reason and purpose behind the physicality. We identify the voice with proximity, the here and now. Listening in on the conversation gives us the illusion that we are there and that it can be trusted. Anything is possible on stage, so long as you substantiate it. For

example, in Hindi cinema, as Neepa Majundar has discussed, there is a double articulation in the use of playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar that allows for a split between the visual persona and the singing voice. And although audiences recognize these are two different actors playing different roles for the same character, they have no less trust in this character’s authenticity. Thus, speech defines the very essence of presence, but in another dimension removed from our perception of physical reality.

Activity: A crying baby, a barking dog Aim to obtain a relaxed and centered body and you will acquire the physical energy needed in speaking

1. Release tension 2. Locate energy source 3. Balance body 4. State of readiness 5. Physical and vocal freedom 6. Heightened physical state to carry dramatic text 7. Characterized body still free to use voice 8. Own the body, own the space

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7. GOTE: Acting with another person Good acting relies on good listening, and then responding to what you are hearing. Not only in words, but through body language and the subconscious signals sent from one actor to another. Actors can build the scene together by investing in each other’s contributions and responding to their proposals, using them to shape a relationship on stage that demonstrates to the audience the characters’ status and power in relation to each other. How people use language can lift someone

or pull them down. In any scene when two characters are speaking, or not speaking, who holds the power? If a character can achieve their objectives, they have power and the ability to manipulate others to get what they want. Power can shift, though, and the more often it does, the more interesting it is to see on stage. Power can be agreed upon, and the two people will understand it because according to the laws of their society or the culture they live in. It can be abusive and one person can

force another through intimidation. Power can be rewarded or earned through knowledge or a character's connection to someone important. Social status could be visible by your social views or how society or your culture views you. Physical status can refer to your dress and posture. This affects how an audience understands the character and their function within the scene, and in turn the function of the scene in the plot.

Activity: the immediacy of a character.

1. Divide a monologue into three parts and provide a time frame for each (morning-afternoon-evening / 1am-3pm-4h30pm) 2. Note what changes the text indicates in the character’s attitude (objective, obstacle, tactic) to their surroundings. 3. Focus on two lines for each frame and clearly differentiate each of these frames in speech, with rhythm of speaking. 4. Switch between each of the three frames in consecutive order and then going backwards. 5. First aim to achieve clear distinctions for each frame in your voice. 6. Ask a partner to call your frames out at random, e.g. 1-2-3; 3-1-2; 3-2-3-2-3-2-1-2-1-2-3, etc 7. With this partner, try listening to each other and reacting with which frame you feel is an appropriate answer to what you have interpreted

them to be asking in their own frames.

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8. Subtext and ambiguity VISUALIZATION Subtext exists between the lines. These are vocal intonations and physical movements that suggest something other or explain more than what is said on stage or in the script. In the context of traditional Indian performance, the idea of psychophysical acting, is that the actor will visualizes and transform into a character by entering another creature's body (244). She will look at the words like she would look at any other creature and try to become it by understanding its breath pattern. TIME Nirvana yoga is a process of growing beyond illusion to attain at-‐one-‐ment with absolute reality, through which the yogin withdraws completely from daily life to achieve a state where he transcends time (kalalita) (251). When there is an interchange between energy and thought on stage, the audience's perception of what is happening is challenged. What the actor is telling the audience is in contrast to what the words are telling them, by sharing the same physical space with them but taking them beyond the physical into his imagined world.

CHARACTER In Kutiyattam, three sets of temple servants have the right to perform. Cakyars play male roles, Nambiars provide accompaniment on large copper drums, and Nangyars play the female roles (246). In kathakali onstage vocalists deliver the entire dramatic text in a unique form of singing (sopanam) (247). According to Padmanabhan Nayar, the result of the presence of such a deep, yogic, psychophysical connection through the vayu is that the actor becomes a ‘musician inside’. So if the actor plays the ‘right note inside, then the bhava comes out from the inside. . . (260) To produce conflict, play the action according to what the character says he wants, and the counter action by being aware of the character’s interactions with others. Play with the notes of your vocal interpretation of the text, and seek those that will connect your audience’s assumptions of your character to the hidden meaning you want them to ponder. RASA-‐BHAVA This aesthetic theory posits that the “taste” of the various ingredients of a meal are like

what the actors bring towards the audience, and offer as the ‘meal’ to be tasted. The goal of visualizing and connecting the audience in an illusuion beyond the physical state can be achieved when the actor reaches a state in which the doer and done are one, where practice seems ‘effortless’: ‘I act, yet it is not I but Being acts through me’ (Chaudhuri, 1977, p. 252). The dancer is danced; the song sings the vocal artist. Wherever the actor’s attention (eye) is directed, the actor’s mind/heart/awareness is fully present and embodies the state of being/doing (bhava) specific to the dramatic context in each moment (255). It is more a process of interpretation, practice and being than one of understanding and outlined application. Bhavas-‐rasas and their facial expressions 1. delight -‐ the stimulant 2. laughter -‐ the comic 3. pain -‐ compassion 4. anger -‐ the furious 5. courage -‐ the heroic 6. fear -‐ the terrible 7. disgust -‐ the sickening 8. wonder -‐ the marvelous 9. at-‐one-‐ment -‐ the peaceful

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Activity: breathe the physical things you do to create action (kannusadhakam) In each moment of ‘emphasis’, as the actor ‘breathes through the eyes’, her breath serves as the vehicle through which she ‘becomes’ this ‘other’' (248). Without a verbal word of instruction the teacher may, by pointing to or pressing certain parts of the body, make the student understand where the breath/energy should be held or released (260).

1. Sit cross-‐legged on mats with a lengthened spine and focus the gaze directly ahead. 2. Places the thumb of each hand gently on the lower lid, and the index finger lifts the upper lid. 3. Take turns to trace patterns with the index finger in nine patterns as you try to keeps focus on the finger. 4. Sit on a chair and repeating a short, simple phrase as if in dialogue 5. Intone and color your voice to describe your thoughts. 6. Define the distance in time of your intention by looking at a clock and setting a time limit. 7. Assume the kathakali’s basic position with the feet planted firmly apart, toes gripping the earth 8. Think of creating a dynamic set of internally felt oppositional forces as the energy is pushed down from the navel through the feet or toes into

the earth, while it simultaneously pushes up through the spine or torso 9. Aim for a supporting and enlivening upper body, face, hands and arms.

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9. Emotion and States of Being An agitation of the mind, a feeling or a passion: emotion can be described as an excited mental state, each with its own distinctive thoughts, psychological and biological states. When externalizing emotion, an actor wants to reveal it through the performance without explaining it. These are some variations of each: • Anger, fury, animosity, violence • Sadness, grief, loneliness, depression • Fear, anxiety, edginess, phobia, panic • Enjoyment, joy, pride, pleasure, mania • Love, acceptance, trust, infatuation • Surprise, shock, amazement, wonder • Disgust, contempt, aversion, revulsion • Shame, guilt, regret, mortification Jealousy is not an emotion, but rather a state swinging between two emotions:

perhaps contempt and loneliness? There are virtues (hope, faith, courage) and vices (doubt, sloth, temper) that are rather regular behaviors or habits that inform a person's temperaments and moods. States of being are connected to our sense and can be influenced by our reactions to the texture of clothing or objects, smells and the tastes in one's mouth. The sights we see and what we hear are strongly connected and can be shown through muscle tension and breathing patterns. Primary states of being are intense and require strength, commitment, openness and truth to access and express on stage. Because we live most of our lives in secondary states of being, primary states of being can seem unfamiliar and difficult to know when achieved. Secondary states are

like a protection that our bodies choose so that we do not exhaust ourselves. Imagine being intensely in love and intensely hating something for a whole day. Note that anger is not a state of being, but an emotion as a result of a state of being. Primary states of being can refer to the two sides of our brain: a) Left hand pure primaries are uncontrollable: I am… falling, betrayed, lost, in pain, enraged, asleep, fat, stupid, hungry, untalented, sick... b) Right hand pure primaries are positive and light: I am… ascending, flying, a believer, see my love, worthy of greatness, am loved, lust, not alone, alive...

Activity: accessing and holding an emotional cocktail 'Now, get out.' 1. Run to inspire physical readiness 2. Lie flatback and clear your mind and give awareness to your body. 3. FInd your centre and breath energy towards this point. 3. Feel your heartbeat, allowing it to inspire emotion by accessing your private life. 4. Breathe past your heart to place yourself in a scientific body. 5. Take the acquired emotion and place it somewhere in your body. Pair it with sounds inside and outside of the room. 6. In a state of readiness, speak your text 7. Sustain and control the emotions - repeat with three emotions

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8. Potential to change the mood 9. Several emotions blend 10. Residue from the main emotion 11. Residue from explosion 12. De-brief Activity: Emotional memory 1. Think of a moment in which you experienced this emotion. 2. Use your senses to recall it It is important that you only do this in rehearsal, and not performance. 3. When you find a state of being, breathe into it and try not to control it.

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10. Critique and feedback vocabulary

“Refusing a full lunch, he agrees to sit and have coffee … Hudson barely speaks, and, when he does, his speech is stilted - the words come slowly. He speaks in a new monotone, markedly different from the vocal variation in the scene from Pillow Talk. His physical movements are small and deliberate . . . There is a hollowness to his voice and to the scene as a whole.” (Wojcik, 73)

Technique: Physical architecture of sound Interpretation: investigation before delivery Understanding 1.

Passion Projection of vocal

energy Sincerity Sharing with the audience

2. Balance Rhythm Shifts in points of

crisis Development

3. Images Volume Suspension of

disbelief Relation to space

4. Texture Rooted voice Playing the

character Presence

5. Shape

Connection of breath and feeling Emotional journey Flow

6. Mis-en-

scene Phrasing

Story points (lift and separate major and

minor events) Structure: beginning,

middle and end

7. The other Listening Action and reaction Memory of lines

8. Drama Pitch Intentions and risks Moments of tension

and release

9. Focus

Muscularity of the mouth: Annunciation

and articulation Complexity, depth

and layering Externalizing the through line of

emotion

10. Trust Eye contact Strong choices Engagement

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Examination Assessment Criteria:

Age Examination requirements

Interpretation Technique Knowledge Skills focus

4,5 6,7

Intro Introductory Toy or object Expression, confidence, sense of the words

Sustained audibility and clarity

Concentration throughout conversation, adequate and appropriate responses

Memory and communication

Preparatory Picture, photograph or postcard

Preliminary Book

8, 9, 10

Entry En Awareness of character, sustain focus, memory of words, sense of the words

Audibility, coherence, informed use of space

Describe character, their mood and appearance,

Level 1 1 Prepare a devised scene: 1.party/ performance/ picnic 2. Using a mobile/ umbrella/ ring *2-‐3mins

Define and engage in a scene with character, situation and clear structure.

Audibility, use of performance area, body language

Discuss dramatic structure; reasons for choices

Explore style, form, character, subtext, context, suspension of disbelief, immediacy of character, credible sense of reality; voice, diction, movement, acting process

2 Prepare a devised scene: 1.visitor/ discovery/ rescue 2. Using a map/ watch/ key *2-‐3mins

Discuss reasons for choices; identify beginning, middle end; describe changes in character

3

Prepare a devised scene:

Discuss reasons for choices; identify

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1. Combine forgetfulness/ anger/ greed with teacher/ TV presenter/ chef 2. Using a wallet/ photograph/ letter *2-‐3mins

beginning, middle end; describe changes in character

Level 2 4 1 scene: LAAV2/L2 1 scene: choice *3-‐4mins

Understand situation, mood changes, thoughts, sense of reality, awareness of others

Modulation; sustain clarity, vocal power and thought, characteristics (stance, gesture, facial expression movement); creative use of space

Character’s feelings, reactions, movements; situation; reasons for staging

5 1 scene: LAAV2/L2 1 scene: choice *3-‐4mins

Character’s feelings, reactions, movements; situation; reasons for staging; working areas

Level 3 6 Emotional awareness; illusion of spontaneity (3D); understand text, subtext, context, intentions, objectives; sustain focus, involvement with others and situation

Physical/vocal response to text’s demands, projection, breath support, vocal freedom; style and accent; detailed movement, posture, stance, gesture

Summary of play, describe characters, analysis of character objectives

Physical/vocal Summary of scene,

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response to text’s demands, projection, breath support, vocal freedom; style and accent; detailed movement, posture, stance, gesture, clarity of diction

describe characters, analysis of character objectives; style and period of (author’s) writing

8 Physical/vocal response to text’s demands, projection, breath support, vocal freedom; style and accent; detailed movement, posture, stance, gesture, clarity of diction

Summary of scene, describe characters, analysis of character objectives; style and period of (author’s) writing; process of character development; understand life/work/importance of principles of Stanislavski/Brecht/Gordon-‐Craig

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LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 1: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY [NOTES] Introduction Establish rules Establish rules Establish rules Warmer Divide into two teams Divide into small groups Divide in pairs Focus Discuss LAMDA and the

play Discuss LAMDA and the play

Discuss LAMDA and the play

Warm-‐up Warm-‐up part 1: Stretch arms up, breath 5 times Drop heavy arms, breath 5 times Roll down for 5 counts Hands touch the .floor, stretch legs over five counts Bottom to the ground, roll onto back Knees up, breath 5 times Knees to chest, roll side to side Legs up to tremor over 5 counts Sitting position, breath 5 times Hold ribs, breath in and push the area out by shaking ribs, repeat 5 times Build speed repeating the sounds ‘s-‐f’ until a peak, letting out a long breath on ‘z’

Warm-‐up part 1: Stretch arms up, breath 5 times Drop heavy arms, breath 5 times Roll down for 5 counts Hands touch the .floor, stretch legs over five counts Bottom to the ground, roll onto back Knees up, breath 5 times Knees to chest, roll side to side Legs up to tremor over 5 counts Sitting position, breath 5 times Hold ribs, breath in and push the area out by shaking ribs, repeat 5 times Build speed repeating the sounds ‘s-‐f’ until a peak, letting out a long breath on ‘z’

Warm-‐up part 1: Stretch arms up, breath 5 times Drop heavy arms, breath 5 times Roll down for 5 counts Hands touch the .floor, stretch legs over five counts Bottom to the ground, roll onto back Knees up, breath 5 times Knees to chest, roll side to side Legs up to tremor over 5 counts Sitting position, breath 5 times Hold ribs, breath in and push the area out by shaking ribs, repeat 5 times Build speed repeating the sounds ‘s-‐f’ until a peak, letting out a long breath on ‘z’

Give handouts of the warm-‐up, describe the vocal process

Exercise Listening: stage areas Listening: stage areas Listening: stage areas Contextualize Breathing is life and breath

patterns of character Breathing is life and breath patterns of character

Breathing is life and breath patterns of character

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Text Patsy Rodenburg Warm-‐up Patsy Rodenburg Warm-‐up Patsy Rodenburg Warm-‐up Activity Running in a circle,

interpret the rhythm of different drum beats

Running in a circle, interpret the rhythm of different drum beats

Running in a circle, interpret the rhythm of different drum beats

Works very well for younger group to follow

Homework Stage areas and warm-‐up 1 Stage areas and warm-‐up 1 Stage areas and warm-‐up 1 Meditation Listening exercise Breathing Rest LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 2: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework Review warm-‐up Review warm-‐up Review warm-‐up Recap Stage areas Stage areas Stage areas Focus Action and response Alienation and points of

view Alienation, point of view, response, active participants, working class

Warm-‐up Warm-‐up 1 and resonance Warm-‐up 1 and resonance Warm-‐up 1 and resonance Activity Analyzing Music Analyzing Music Analyzing Music Contextualize Resonance is sharing Analyzing rhythm History: tribes – Greek –

Shakespeare – realism – modernism – avant-‐garde

Less theory and more practice

Text Style and rhythm Style and rhythm Style and rhythm Activity Devising scenes Devising scenes with icons Identify icons for scenes Homework Warm-‐up Warm-‐up Warm-‐up Meditation LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 3: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework Review warm-‐up Review warm-‐up Review warm-‐up Recap Style and rhythm;

resonance warm-‐up Style and rhythm; resonance warm-‐up

Style and rhythm; resonance warm-‐up

Focus Transformation Inspiration and tourism Transformation, tourism, layering, inspiration

Students can sculpt each other as characters

Warm-‐up Chanting vowels Y-‐buzz

Chanting vowels Voice pyramid

Chanting vowels Voice pyramid

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Y-‐buzz Exercise This is actually a…

Astronauts and aliens Partner-‐push (this is my voice) Is there more

Tourism

Less physical contact

Contextualize Given Circumstances Given Circumstances Given Circumstances Text Listen to a short story and

devise it Short story listening comprehension

“Cats” – first read through More time to play

Activity Create a new world Who, where, what, when, how, why?

Who, where, what, when, how, why?

Homework Draw a character from this world

Meditation Sleep in this world Inspiration Transform your view LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 4: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework Review warm-‐up, cat script Review warm-‐up Review warm-‐up By this time students must

have paper to refer to Recap Given circumstances Rhythm and style Given circumstances Focus Different characters in

animations Famous characters Archetypes Show a video and discuss

character types Warm-‐up Voice pyramid Relax and be available to

inspiration Voice pyramid

Exercise Broken telephone

Sing song Pass the beat

Partner-‐push (this is my voice)

Contextualize Whispers A certain sound that does this….

Acting in relation to the other

Text Captain of the Sands Voice-‐over “Cats” Do away with unnecessary text activities, get straight to the work

Activity Voice-‐over Record and playback the voice

Voice-‐over

Homework The story of an orphan All warm-‐up Character activity Meditation No mum or dad Listen and learn Layering (conditioning and

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rehearsed futures)

LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 5: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework Character drawings Character descrition Energizer: Wa-‐Skidda Recap Rhythm and style Rhythm and style,

archetypes Rhythm & style, scene icons, archetypes

Focus Who, where, what, when, why

Expectations Verbs (tactics), objectives, expectations, obstacles

Textual examples

Warm-‐up Energizer: Wa-‐skidda Energizer: Wa-‐skidda Breath, resonance, voice pyramid

Exercise Stealth Objectives Objectives before the blow Contextualize Story-‐outline:

1. Intsomi 2. Icon 3. Character (pair up) 4. Verbs

Story-‐outline: 1. Place:

farm/class/theme 2. Icon 3. Archetypes (pair up) 4. Objective

Story-‐Outline: 1. Script 2. Icon 3. Archetypes 4. Objectives

Hand out at lesson before

Text Captains of the Sands Devised script The Velveteen Rabbit Students that miss lessons need resources to catch up to the work

Activity Recall and perform given circumstances

Document given circumstances

Document given circumstances

Homework Characterization Flesh out the story Flesh out character Meditation Character Style Objectives LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 6: LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework Character Style Objectives Recap Warm-‐ups Focus Revision Pulse Pulse Warm-‐up Consonant run Facial muscles, humming Tongue twisters

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Exercise Singing An orchestra in my mouth Consonants as emotions (courage, laughter, fear, anger, delight, wonder)

Contextualize Warm-‐ups in singing Visualize breathe: 3 consonant poems in 3 emotions

Hum-‐ icon : betrayal

Text Captains of the Sands Devised script The Velveteen Rabbit Activity Audibility: “I Can’t Hear

You” Audibility test Choreograph the sound

Homework Review Review Review Meditation Listening Listening Listening LESSON PLAN -‐ SESSION 7: 15 March LOWER PRIMARY UPPER PRIMARY SECONDARY Homework “Down in Bahia” song Review Memorize lines Recap Style and rhythm Style and rhythm My Way Home song Focus Sound in space Sound in space Sound in space Warm-‐up Sounds and face Resonance and diction Resonance and diction Exercise Everybody chorus Who/where/what review Immediacy of character Contextualize Duck Duck Goose Attitudes Text Captains of the Sands (A) Devised script The Velveteen Rabbit Activity Audibility: “I Can’t Hear

You” Audibility test Choreograph the sound

Homework Review Review Review Meditation Listening Listening Listening

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Bibliography Rodenburg, Patsy. The Actor Speaks Wojcik, Pamela Robertson. The Sound of Film Acting. Journal of Film and Video, Vol. 58, No. 1/2 (SPRING/SUMMER 2006), pp. 71-‐83 Shookman, Ellis . Barthes's Semiological Myth of Brecht's Epic Theater Author. Monatshefte, Vol. 81, No. 4 (Winter, 1989), pp. 459-‐475 Jost Hermand and Marc Silberman ��. Brecht Today. Monatshefte, Vol. 90, No. 3 (Fall, 1998), pp. 296-299 Os Comediantes and Bridal Gown David George, fall 1987

Documents

Voice Acting syllabus...'A short Organum for the Theatre' Bertolt Brecht (1948) "To show is more than to be." - Brecht, Schriften zum Theater [1] [Theatre is] … live representations