I'm an actor, not a singer ...do I still have to do that yoga stuff?
Yes, yes you do.
But why?
Because you are a wind instrument. All actors are.
So we will always start with breath and relaxation because if you can breathe and stay relaxed you are on your way to acting with confidence and joy. The actor is after all a wind instrument and connecting "wind" or "air" we call breath, to sound, is the foundation for all vocalizing. This information is almost identical to that found on the "approach" to vocal work page and that is because the foundation for both acting and singing is breath and relaxation. Once those fundamentals are established the fun really begins.
Through various exercises and "silly" games we will help you find authentic connections with the characters you are portraying.
In order to get the most out of this kind of work, you will have done a thorough back story on your character and the deeper work can begin.
Through using various mediums such as dance, movement, vocalizing, drumming, painting, conducting and many other approaches, you will stumble upon a profound truth about the character and make a personal connection. When this happens, the character leaps to life within you and you are ready to begin playing with the many, many choices your character has to make, react to his or her environment, and struggle over the obstacles and he or she presses tirelessly toward his or her goal. And this is great acting. Living. Reacting. And compelling to watch and exhilirating to create.
You will see your voice as a pallette of colours and you will learn to paint with your pallette, including timbre, tone, resonance, range, intonation, pronunciation, elocution and projection. You will uunderstand that your voice speaks for you, sometimes because the body can't and often the voice speaks without words, but with the breath, in the small rumblings and mumblings that pour out of our lips as we search for the right words to say and it is these unworded moments where the voice speaks the most clearly. Your voice becomes the instrument it was created to be, the expressor of all joy, sorrow, rage, confusion and when you are in touch with your voice you give it permission to speak for you, powerfully, in the moment and this reads as genuine, organic, real acting - because it is how we as humans communicate who we are to the world.
You will learn to trust your voice and allow it to speak for the character, and your body, mannerisms and actions will flow naturally from this place. When your body and brain hears what your voice is trying to say, trying to put into words or trying to cover with words it doesn't want to say, then your body will begin to move in an organic way according to the voice. The voice leads and the body follows. Like the perfect couple on the dancefloor. One leads; the other follows and both are fully engaged in the dance.
It's a lot of fun and there is much laughter and yes some tears, but the results from this work are truly astounding and have yielded some wonderful moments on stage and screen. When you tap into that fearless part of you that wants to speak and sound, you will discover a freedom and joy and you will feel the relief of being able to express each and every facet of every character in every situation. And although the audience will feel your pain and anguish you will be in a state of ecstasy as you allow yourself to feel everything and react to everything, fearlessly as you must. And the breath and your voice will open that door.
If this resonates with you..send me an email and we can discuss it more...