Voice and The Actor

Task 1 - Family member - Mum's voice

Observations 

What kind of tone is the voice?  My mum's tone of voice is calm and reassuring.

How fast or slow do they speak?  The reason is that my mum's tempo changes through excitement and if you're sharing something that is happy, like a memorable moment that is either happy or funny. It changes with the emotions.

Do they pause a lot? She doesn't really pause a lot but, pauses when someone talks after she has said something.

Do they find it difficult to project? I feel like she does struggle to project clearly.

Do they articulate their words? Listening to her speak she does articulate really well because she has worked with older people with poor hearing and this has helped them to understand what she says.

What is the pitch like? Her pitch is a mid-range but, soft pitch.

Do they speak on one tone? No, her voice varies and changes tone when she shouts or if she speaks in a friendly tone.

Do they emphasise certain words? The only words she emphasises are commands like "no",  "dinner" , "bed" etc. This is because she's been ignored and she becomes cross then raises her voice.

Do I like this voice? I like her voice because it's a familiar voice that I grew up with. It's been a comfort and reassuring.

Is the voice loud / voluminous? The voice varies from times she shouts or calls to people but, most of the time voluminous.

Is the voice quiet? At times her voice can be quieter than her normal medium tone of voice.

Is the voice deep? The voice isn't deep at all.

Is it high or low? I'd say it's medium between the two.

Is it strong? Her voice is in-between weak and strong.

Is it weak? Two pick in-between the two, it was stronger than weak/

The other questions where asking about if it was distorted, shaky, crackly, nasal or even clipped but, there was nothing I could hear that pointed out to show these other ways to show the type of tone my mum has.

Task 2 - Famous person - David Tennant 

Observations 

What kind of tone is the voice? He's tone of voice is welcoming but, an excitable tone.

How fast or slow do they speak?  They speak fast, it's the normal pace.

Do they pause a lot? Sometimes, where we're left thinking about what he said.

Do they find it difficult to project? He projects really well, as I do understand him most of the time but, when he talks quickly I struggle to understand it at times.

Do they articulate their words? They do articulate their words quite well but, at times can't understand the way he spoke because of his accent.

What is the pitch like? It varies because of his excitement he brings to the character or the way he would portray a character.

Do they speak on one tone? No.

Do they emphasise certain words? Yes, only if they are trying to make a point.

Do I like this voice? I like his voice because when he speaks he's enthusiastic and

Is the voice loud / voluminous? He's voice is loud.

Is the voice quiet? If he tries to speak quietly it still clear and loud to hear.

Is the voice deep? For a man, he has a range where I don't think he's voice is that deep.

Is it high or low? About mid-range.

Is it strong? He has a strong voice but, with an accent. When he played The Doctor he used something that he was a habit of an accent he has and he's voice isn't weak but, confident when he speaks.

Is it weak? He's voice is defiantly not weak.

The other questions where asking about if it was distorted, shaky, crackly, nasal or even clipped but, I only think he mumbles at times after saying a lot but, he may sort of have a raspy voice too.

Personal Vocal Assessment 

A 5 would be strongly agree whilst a 1 would be strongly disagree on what I am assessing myself.

I would rate myself a 3 or 4 for a good, clear voice production because of my shaky voice and the amount of fillers I use when my nerves kick in. I struggle to remain focused. To sort out this problem is when I'm on stage I need to stop going through my lines and take deep breaths concentrating on the breath then speaking. I believe it works me up and leaves me to show that my performance would be better if I was more relaxed as an actor.

My articulation about a 2 because I need to practise tongue twisters and massage the areas that are most tense in my jawline. I still feel some tension when I am on stage which showed me I don't warm up properly and this also make me feel nervous. So, the cure would be to improve on vowel sounds A, E, I, O, U and the baa, caa, daa, faa, gaa, haa, jaa sort of march where it can help me articulate the sound. My warming outside of class with these exercises I can articulate better.

DV8 Essay

If you’re looking for something that can leave you speechless and after watching something can leave you in a shock from the way a certain company perform, DV8 defiantly shows that.  Lloyd Newson the choreographer, founded the group and DV8 was established in 1986. The company has toured internationally and nationally plus they have completed 19 highly renowned dance pieces.  DV8 Physical Theatre is an Arts-admin associate company and also are a member of Dance UK and ITC. 

In my opinion, DV8 is a strange but, unusual company based on performances I have seen online.  Through "the company’s work’s it’s all about taking risks and breaking down barriers between dance and theatre."  As a company, they do create some unforgettable body movements through the interpretation of dance which is something Newson likes to do. Newson interprets a clear way of the typical British lad culture in modern day times. It's through stereotypical perspectives of the male sex, male's behaviour and especially male relationships.

Throughout the performance I feel like Newson would ask us 'Why should it be acceptable for someone who does footwork around a football but, not acceptable for someone who does footwork in dance?'  I will review why the choreographer would ask us that but, explore the benefit of movement and techniques.

Men in pub during the lad culture

'Enter Archilles' is displayed to us as showing a surreal but, a way that is displaying masculinity or the appearance of the way they show it.  It looks on issues of the society at that time where it was about the lad culture.

The character who speaks out a lot for me is the young lad who wears the superman costume.  He conveyed a different side of the lad culture and the way he was but, he looked the same as all the other men from his appearance.  As soon as he started to dance, the other lads "allowed" him to show the way he behaved.

However, this showed homosexuality at this time was not acceptable because men had restricted themselves to "masculine ways." Then the scene of his feminine side is all of sudden crushed when other male characters don't like the idea of the way he was moving by doing pirouettes and graceful movements.

The sad man's tenderness for the doll - film version

The blow up doll is a metaphorical woman. The tenderness that a sad man in bed makes love and is caressing the doll.  However, he's happier with the doll because he doesn't reply to the phone call which I think someone wanted to date or be with him.

The climax changes later on in the play when one of the guys find out what that sad guy has been up to then brings it into the pub.  The doll is thrown about a lot but, seems the other guy don't really have feelings for woman and just want the woman for sex.

The doll being thrown about in the air by the other men

It gets worse when the guys look like they are punishing the doll with a beer bottle  just because they feel like it's a real offence and it's sounds like some sort of crime has happened.

Some of the lads sing 'I vow to thee my county,' it's a hymn but, originally a poem.  The first and second verses refer to the UK and also when the sang to those who died in the first war.  The may be a war between the lad culture and the tenderness side which led to this event but, they end up laughing about what they have done afterwards leaving the sad man to mourn.

When he holds the doll which is deflated and broken, he still tries to caress it but, his tenderness is still there and he struggles to think because of what others think of him at the time. Also we're sure if he really wanted something to just caress or he actually wants to be with a woman. I feel like he's not like the other lads but, if that was a real woman he would lose her due to his other friends in the lad culture. Deep down I believe he's scared of what happens next if he does date a woman and what will the men think of him them probably the same when he was will that doll.

The point is working class males in this country can't relate well to each other or to woman. In a way, you may argue that there was only one specific emotional meaning which seems quite negative and shown in the play in a different way.  Each of the men is allowed for him to have a distinct personality and how vulnerable they really are.  The theme of this play is filled in with strange surreal comedy but, odd interruptions of physical excitement and enthusiasm e.g. when the superman guy joins in, in a contest based on dance.

The men in the pub with abdications aka the alcohol 

Their main focus was on the pints and it was like their life source, something they all shared.  The pints are a symbol of the weakness and clarity for the men. Sometimes you had them swimming in the alcohol enjoying themselves this shows greed that they are using something they take for granted too much.

If you get greedy then you'll have the want for more and the way it showed that men didn't care about anything but, alcohol. It was something that would always be there and to have.


It proves to show society in Newson's own response to homosexuality but, men more specifically. He's showed how men all act in this way, it has shown a true impact of the lad culture. In order to be a man, they feel like they have someone e.g. a stereotypical guy to look up on and that's the image that every man should be like. This play showed in depth the look of men where us as an audience maybe confused whether to laugh or to be serious about it.

Frantic Assembly Essay

Frantic Assembly is one of the physical theatre companies who create memorable performances with lots of energy.  This attracts new and young audiences, the work reveals us about the contemporary society.  Their physical style is a mixture with movement, design, music and text.

The artistic director, Scott Graham formed the company with Steven Hoggett and Vicki Middleton in 1994.  Also they continued as a company with other inspiring artists today. The company has worked with more than 30 different countries over the world. 

Love Song is a fantastic piece by Frantic Assembly.  To me, this performance is so beautifully pieced together.  We start off with a couple in their twenties called Maggie and Bill who also collide with their future selves later on in life (elderly couple).  

Love Song - Digital Theatre picture. Left - Older husband Bill and wife Maggie. Right - Young husband Bill and young wife Maggie.

They show that throughout the performance their love hasn't changed even thought there have been many ups and downs in their lives.  However, there is always a sense of affectionate closeness between this couple.

In my opinion, I loved the way that both couples interacted with each other through the movements either with the opposite age of their partner. The young wife dances with her older husband, this is his memory of his wife Maggie in the past. However, the young husband Bill with his older version of his wife, Maggie. She implies the importance of this decision that she wants Bill to help her solve her end of her illness.

Those memories where something that we can’t always see but, the one who’s in love with the other person and has grown up with that person can see them the way they could be or used to be.  I believe it was shown in perspective to how time and our lives can change but, memories are never forgotten.
  The emotional truth is revealed through the movements of young Bill and older Maggie scene when they make love because love conquers time but, time is running out and it's precious to any one. Like any other couple, they don't want to lose each other because Maggie's illness is pushing them down.

The thoughts and imagery felt like they were depicting the way that they always remembered each other or what they could imagine them to be like.  Time is melting away for the older Maggie since she is making a decision of what happens next because she's very sick.

I noticed that through Love Song we could see the habits or the things that made the person who they were like e.g. women moved her hand over head, brushing her hair slightly.  This action was used for both characters as it was something that the character would usual do. It was recognisable and show that action hadn't changed. 

Another memorable scene was the bed scene in this play. With the younger and older selves diving in and out of the bed in such a way, that it was incredible to watch. I think they were either reminding each other of what's happened or what's to come. So, possibly haunting each other in this dream or nightmare. The actions and the way they moved made me think of a bad dream because they turned into something strange. The music related to their movements building up tension and speed created a new meaning to this dream. 

A few weeks ago, we watched some video clips on YouTube including Frantic Assembly's version of the chair duets. Chair duets is where in partners you work by creating a scene through movement but, it's a different way to create a story.  It's a devising method and I believe it will help me but, also many others benefit ideas to incorporate physical theatre into future performances.  Relating to the music, the speed can relate to the way they act.  http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/10-03-2015/ZXxpl1.gif

For example with this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ_9Eaog2yw these students have used a upbeat video with quite a quick tempo and it shows a story that they keep pushing away or working together but, not all the time.  If the music tempo was different then we would have got a different. 

The chair duets that I did with Rhys was difficult to keep up with but, as soon as you have got a rhythm you remember and enjoy this new technique of creating a story.  I thought it was very creative, you had to improvise but, we had chance to improvise.  I had an idea to hide my face or cover my mouth too since it could mean I didn't want to see something or couldn't talk about what just happened.  The feedback we got was the idea of relationship but, had lots of problems from the actions and the times I kept cover up certain features of my face.  Not everyone wants to the facial expressions so, I thought my body language needed to be clear too. 

The other members of the class's chair duets due to music choice it could end up something quite sweet like a happy relationship or perhaps like a sibling fight. The amount of energy would determine the mood.  However, you need to concentrate a lot, focus and need to have the right rhythm for it to work really well. The main thing to remember is to focus on the rhythm and pattern than what's going on around you. Performing in front of a class audience when something goes wrong showed me I didn't have enough focus but, if I did it for a longer period I would hopefully be remember it much better than I did a few weeks ago. 

There are many other lifts we tried including jet packs or the superman type of lift but, we had to put a lot of trust into each other. Without trust there would be no teamwork. It was tricky because you needed to try and not only lift them for a long period of time but, navigate them. In shows, the actors really bring it to life and feel like we are on an adventure to space with them. From clips that Frantic Assembly performed, the lifts showed how creative and how the sound effects hid the fact that someone wasn't just being carried but, in fact created a story for the one who was being lifted up.

Personally, I believe that Frantic Assembly's methods is something that I would love to explore again or explore some new methods. If I involve their methods in my work it can encourage me to create more ideas for performances because their methods are inspiring and different to what I have found out about other physical theatre companies before.