Warm ups...
Electric Angel
who seem to insist that the entire company participate in a group
vocal warm-up? Why do we buy the myth that somehow repeating "Red
leather, yellow leather" 17 times will somehow allow us to speak
more eloquently onstage?
As an actor, I've long since believed that group warm-ups cause
feelings of resentment and hostility towards the "person in
authority." I'm glad that in the professional arena, this
practice seems to have disappeared. I wish they'd give us enough
credit to understand that if we need to warm up, we should do it
on our own time. One of the things I hated most about theatre
school was standing around in a circle repeating nursery rhymes
in unison and pretending to be a tree when we could have been
doing useful things like scene study.
Know what I mean?
Agree? Disagree?
Opus (:>
> Why do we buy the myth that somehow repeating "Red
> leather, yellow leather" 17 times will somehow allow us to speak
> more eloquently onstage?
>
Myth? No. Coming from someone who also studied theatre in college, and
is now teaching dialect/diction classes, I see the merit of tongue
twisters. I didn't of course, until I began studying to teach my first
class. If you are working your mouth correctly, then you can say them.
Stupid? Maybe. But when you're doing them, you force yourself to begin
concentrating on your diction, which can only be a good thing for a
show. (One director I worked with, forced us to put a cork between our
teeth, and then proceed with rehearsal. I'd never heard of such a
thing, and he didn't explain it. All he said was that if your diction
is good, you'll be able to be clearly understood. I was the only one
out of the entire large cast, who, when with the cork, sounded exactly
as I did when I didn't have it. It was only a few months ago, that I
learned that Lessac used the cork work, but in a vastly different way.)
However, sadly, most directors outside of the professional arena, have
no idea why they are doing them, their real merit, and most of the time,
I've seen it turn into more of a control/bolstering self-esteem exercise
in maintaining ego for them. That's the drawbacks of community theatre
on some levels.
> As an actor, I've long since believed that group warm-ups cause
> feelings of resentment and hostility towards the "person in
> authority."
>
I've never even heard of anyone building resentment for participating in
a group activity, that not only serves to help your diction on stage,
but also helps to build a feeling of unity with the cast before the
show. There's something to be said of building and transferring energy
while engaging in the group activity.
> I'm glad that in the professional arena, this
> practice seems to have disappeared.
>
Just because you don't see it at this level, doesn't mean it's gone.
Actors who work within the professional arena, have learned the value of
warm-ups by the time they reach this level, and have garnered enough
experience, that they've built their own warm-up routines and found what
works for them. So while directors and stage managers may not actually
put one through his paces before curtain, that doesn't mean that it is
an abolished practice. I think by this level, at least for the
professional theatre that I've done, the actor is not only expected to,
but DOES have enough discipline and strength of will, to put himself
through his own paces before a show. Besides; at most professional
levels, once the show opens, the director is no longer involved, and
moves on to another show. It's the stage manager's baby, and frankly,
he's got better things to do before a show than walk a bunch of adults
through stuff they *should* be doing on their own.
> One of the things I hated most about theatre
> school was standing around in a circle repeating nursery rhymes
> in unison and pretending to be a tree when we could have been
> doing useful things like scene study.
>
School, as you say the situation was, is a learning process. True, some
students never see the worth of what they're forced to do until they are
no longer students. But most theatre schools have rounded curricula,
with scene study, being only a small part. Diction and voice study,
along with movement, are also small parts. In fact, count yourself
lucky to have gotten such rounded training. When one gets in the "real
world" and begins taking technique training, you get nothing of that,
and it's usually within the construct of the class where your
shortcomings begin to rear their ugly head.
--
Opus (:>
"Courage is just something you can't be afraid to have."-- Frank Burns
http://www.carla.coble.com -Acting site
http://members.home.net/coble/OpusGraphics -Original graphics
Eric Jarvis
>
> Pardon me, but does anyone else out there resent actors/directors
> who seem to insist that the entire company participate in a group
> leather, yellow leather" 17 times will somehow allow us to speak
> more eloquently onstage?
not a myth...tongue twisters can be a useful exercise
> As an actor, I've long since believed that group warm-ups cause
> feelings of resentment and hostility towards the "person in
> authority." I'm glad that in the professional arena, this
> practice seems to have disappeared. I wish they'd give us enough
> credit to understand that if we need to warm up, we should do it
> on our own time. One of the things I hated most about theatre
> school was standing around in a circle repeating nursery rhymes
> in unison and pretending to be a tree when we could have been
> doing useful things like scene study.
> Know what I mean?
> Agree? Disagree?
I don't conduct group warm ups when I'm directing...I take one or
two early in rehearsal and then pass the responsibilty on to the
cast...either to warm up as individuals or to take it in turn to
lead a warm up each day...it's usually best when they choose the
latter...probably because it means that it's a cast that want to
learn from each other
the analogy that works for me is with music...practising scales
really sucks...but if you want to reach any sort of technical
competence it is absolutely essential
--
eric
"the alternative to seeing things in black and white is to see
them in full colour"
SacredCowTipper
leather, yellow leather">>>>
Yeesh. EVERYone knows it's "good blood, bad blood" that gets the ensemble in
tune...What kind of idiots directors are YOU working for?
!Michael
The Starmaker
Are there any other kind?
The Starmaker
shierly
I'd appreciate it very much.
~~~Shierly~~~
WallO'Flesh
have my own and it works better. (And "Red Leather/Yellow
Leather" is no myth; it literally warms up your articulators.
The trick is to build it up to breakneck speed, and still not
garble it).
There are a few exceptions, IMHO. Musicals, exceptionally
young or inexperienced casts, and most importantly, Fight Call.
I've had a mandatory "energy-level" warm-up at some of the shows
I've combat-choreographed, and very few resented it (mainly
because its damn fun), it built a tremendous sense of
cameraderie, and...they weren't inconvienienced, they had to be
at fight call anyway!
That may sound contradictory, but its not; It's value just
depends on the individual situation.
--Wall
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