The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer

Description

From the bestselling author of The Right to Speak and The Need for Words comes this Bloomsbury Revelations edition of the essential guide to voice work: The Actor Speaks. Beginning with what every first-year acting student faces in class and ending with what leading professional actors must achieve every night on stage, Patsy Rodenburg's celebrated work as one of the world's foremost voice and acting coaches is fully revealed in this thoughtful and inspirational book about acting. Written for the training and working actor, Rodenburg's book brings to life a wide range of exercises and methods to release the actor's voice, covering everything from posture, breath and the body, performing in specific spaces, previews and first performances, managing different length runs, using microphones and dealing with an ageing or sick voice. This book allows the reader to perform every night, reaching the pitch, passion and vocal intensity that the best roles require.

Patsy Rodenburg, OBE, is Professor of Text and Poetry at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK after serving as Head of Voice from 1981-2016. In 1981 she was appointed the Voice Coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company, responsible for the works of the Company in London, and in 1990 was appointed the first Head of Voice at the Royal National Theatre where she ran the department until 2006. She has worked with theatre companies across the UK including Theatre de Complicite, Shared Experience, Cheek by Jowl and the Royal Court, having coached numerous West End and Broadway productions. Patsy has also worked at many major theatre companies all over the world, including Stratford Festival Theatre (Ontario, Canada), Kabuki Theatre (Japan), Indian National Theatre (Mumbai, Japan), Lithuania National Drama Theatre (Vilnius, Lithuania), Royal Dramatic Theatre (Stockholm, Sweden), The Market Theatre (Johannesburg, South Africa), Beijing Opera (China) and Verbier Festival (Verbier, Switzerland). She has been teaching storytelling to teachers and corporate leaders since 1976.

Seven steps to a thespian heaven... The Actor Speaks is a stimulating read and an invaluable reference for all actors... A landmark book. * The Stage * I am an enormous fan of her work. What is wonderful about her is the directness and clarity of her teaching and her enthusiasm. * Judi Dench * What leaves actors tongue-tied for years, Patsy releases in minutes...through simple, practical actions that can empower anyone. * Simon McBurney * Patsy's guidance and the clarity and directness of her approach have been invaluable to me. * Ralph Fiennes *