The Need for Words: Voice and the Text

by Patsy Rodenburg, Antony Sher (Foreword)

How we speak, what we speak and the impact of the spoken word is the story Patsy Rodenburg tells in this companion volume to her bestselling first book, The Right to Speak, her "Owner's Manual of the Voice." Rodenburg's humane attitude toward her reader and her keen awareness of the anxiety of amateur speakers set this work apart from other books on the voice. She first addresses each of the obstacles which prevent access to language and offers ways to overcome them. Part Two includes "Working with the Text," a series of exercises in which Rodenburg uses the language of Shakespeare, Romantic poetry, contemporary prose and numerous other texts in order to prompt the reader to discover his or her own unique need for words.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Chris Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supposedly about voicework but actually About Everything!

[Jay Daze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hodgepodge and the first half tested my patience, but a ton of useful exercises and ways to think about expressing words once you finally get to the practical stuff.