Today's blog is a call for help. I don't have an answer for this one. But I have noticed a phenomenon of stage voices. It's when people put on a fake voice when they're onstage. And it's usually the same voice no matter what the character is.
I know two women who change their voice into this falsetto screeching. Maybe they think it's dramatic? I know two men who put on an English accent. Maybe they think they sound posh? I know another woman who puts on a baby-voice. Maybe she thinks it's sexy? I know another man whose voice turns into a nasally whine onstage. I have no idea what he thinks he's doing.
I don't know. But I know that all of these people have very normal, lovely voices during rehearsals and when I talk to them offstage. WHY do they have this affectation when onstage????
having given notes on stage voices, a lof of actors are completely unaware that they're doing it. in trying to make an effort to speak clearly and distinctly, people can move into a different kind of speaking -- whether in register or in accent, as you mention. which sometimes makes an actor *more* difficult to understand.
ReplyDeletei think these choices done consciously and with purpose can be very helpful though. in many cases with our productions, actors need to do this kind of thing to distinguish between multiple characters, so they'll lighten their tone or make certain consonants more distinctive, or what have you. i guess what i'm trying to say is for actors to be aware of these kinds of choices and to make a concentrated effort in making the choices clear, distinct, and purposeful.
Oh yes, accents and registers can totally help if someone is playing different parts. But as you said, they're done consciously and worked on.
ReplyDeleteSo then how can we fix the unconscious actors?