Voice
Note: This page is influenced by Cicely Berry. I was trained under her techniques when I went to university and it had a lasting impact.
Cicely Berry CBE (born 17 May 1926) is a British theatre director and vocal coach. She stated her thoughts about her own work in New Theatre Quarterly saying that, "I see my job as intrinsically to do the following:
(i) through exercises to open out the voice itself so that the actor finds her/his true potential – after all, do not singers train?
(ii) by working on text – hearing and listening – to give the actor choice, and power over that choice" (1997, 48).
She talks about being able to find pleasure in being articulate through Shakespeare and poetry. It puts actors in touch with their imagination, and therefore, can lead them to their own greater self-awareness.
RESOURCES:
Berry, Cicely, documentary. Where Words Prevail. Dir. Steven Budlong and Salvatore Rasa. Sorjourner Media, L.L.C., 2005.
BOOKS:
Berry, C. (1974) Voice and the Actor, Macmillian, UK.
Berry, C. (2000) The Actor and the Text, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, UK.
Berry, C. (2004) The Working Shakespeare Collection: A Workbook for Teachers, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, UK.
WEBSITES:
The Guardian article - Cicely Berry
The Independent - Interview
Cicely Berry CBE (born 17 May 1926) is a British theatre director and vocal coach. She stated her thoughts about her own work in New Theatre Quarterly saying that, "I see my job as intrinsically to do the following:
(i) through exercises to open out the voice itself so that the actor finds her/his true potential – after all, do not singers train?
(ii) by working on text – hearing and listening – to give the actor choice, and power over that choice" (1997, 48).
She talks about being able to find pleasure in being articulate through Shakespeare and poetry. It puts actors in touch with their imagination, and therefore, can lead them to their own greater self-awareness.
RESOURCES:
Berry, Cicely, documentary. Where Words Prevail. Dir. Steven Budlong and Salvatore Rasa. Sorjourner Media, L.L.C., 2005.
BOOKS:
Berry, C. (1974) Voice and the Actor, Macmillian, UK.
Berry, C. (2000) The Actor and the Text, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, UK.
Berry, C. (2004) The Working Shakespeare Collection: A Workbook for Teachers, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, UK.
WEBSITES:
The Guardian article - Cicely Berry
The Independent - Interview
Cicely Berry Masterclass
Where Words Prevail
Where Words Prevail explores the widely acclaimed work of Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Her voice techniques are invaluable to actors and directors who are performing classical plays in today’s theater.
