The voice is the most personal and most comprehensive instrument of the actor, and can create a whole universe with its tone, its colour, its rhythm and its breath. More than anything else, it is the medium through which we experience the feelings, the thoughts, and the intentions of a character. When an actor has a well-developed voice, he can, by the slightest variation of intonation, or resonance, suggest an idea or emotion that the face and the body can only sketch. And of course, it begins with removing blocks— in the jaw, in breathing, in pushing the sound—that strangle the sound. The voice is an extremely sensitive instrument. You can say one word and convey that you are sad, angry, dangerous, loving… the voice can do that.
On top of technical skills and versatility, actors need to be able to use their voices imaginatively to create their characters. This could involve working on breathing to create a long line, resonance to make the voice more colourful or aggressive, or articulation to clarify the words without making them sound unnatural. Some actors will study specific techniques like Forward Placement or Open Throat, developed by classical voice pioneers, to widen their vocal range and find a different sound for each character. Perhaps a young prince needs a bright, resonant sound, while an older, embittered king requires a gritty, chesty one. All of this comes from interpreting the text, so the voice is there to serve the acting and not dominate the performance.
Because the voice in acting has to do with intimacy, when you’re on stage, the whisper with good support can cut through more than the loudest scream. And with film, they can hear every little crack of vulnerability and authenticity in the voice, so as an actor you also learn to really vary your volume—whether to crescendo and come up to loud, or whether to come down to soft in order to achieve vulnerability, or to stay soft to get that undercurrent, so you still have a line of dialogue, but you’re still seething underneath. It also has to do with breath because the breath is the fuel for the voice, but it’s also the emotional indicator, so if you gasp and then speak it says that you’re scared or whatever, or if you sigh and then speak it’s going to say you’re relieved or whatever. So you work so much to practice to have a voice where you know you can trust that it’s going to work in those moments.
The benefits of long-term voice work go further than technical ability: it is often said that the journey to screaming until your vocal cords are sore and then getting soft again helps to release emotion in the performer they never knew they had. The voice also reveals parts of our personality that we have not noticed about ourselves or perhaps would not like to notice, as we work to refine the voice. This leads to a stronger sense of self as the actor learns to bear the sound of their own voice as it extends beyond the range in which it is used on a day-to-day basis. In the company setting, group exercises such as the warm-up creates a sense of ensemble as the breathing patterns and tone of the actors align to produce a unified sound when they perform. Learning the craft of the voice also produces the patience needed for live performances or long periods of time spent on the same scene for film.
Finally, the voice work enhances the acting in a completely 3-dimensional way. It makes the actor aware of the depth and power of sound to create environments, to embody memories, and to carry subtext. It makes them aware of the power of words not only in an intellectual way but in a way that moves the body and touches the heart. It gives them an instrument that can sustain them over a long career as well as over the long rehearsal process and over the time it takes to find the next job. And it provides them with a medium that allows them to continue to cultivate truth in their work when so much of the work we do asks us to protect ourselves and not be so raw and vulnerable.