Voice and the Actor

by Cicely Berry, Peter Brook

"Speaking is part of a whole: an expression of inner life." Cicely Berry has based her work on the conviction that while all is present in nature our natural instincts have been crippled from birth by many processes—by the conditioning, in fact, of a warped society. So an actor needs precise exercise and clear understanding to liberate his hidden possibilities and to learn the hard task of being true to the `instinct of the moment'. As her book points out with remarkable persuasiveness `technique' as such is a myth, for there is no such thing as a correct voice. There is no right way—there are only a million wrong ways, which are wrong because they deny what would otherwise be affirmed. Wrong uses of the voice are those that constipate feeling, constrict activity, blunt expression, level out idiosyncrasy, generalize experience, coarsen intimacy. These blockages are multiple and are the results of acquired habits that have become part of the automatic vocal equipment; unnoticed and unknown, they stand between the actor's voice as it is and as it could be and they will not vanish by themselves. So the work is not how to do but how to permit: how, in fact, to set the voice free. And since life in the voice springs from emotion, drab and uninspiring technical exercises can never be sufficient. Cicely Berry never departs from the fundamental recognition that speaking is part of a whole: an expression of inner life…. After a voice session with her I have known actors speak not of the voice but of a growth in human relationships. This is a high tribute to work that is the opposite of specialization. Cicely Berry sees the voice teacher as involved in all of a theatre's work. She would never try to separate the sound of words from their living context. For her the two are inseparable. —from Peter Brook's foreword to Voice and the Actor

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Art, Drama, School, Self Help, Teaching

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential

A crucial set of observations on the subject, with practical exercises, appreciation for language, focus on the subject. Read it.

[Katherine Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

راستش زیاد چیزی ازش سردرنیووردم ، ولی یدور روزنامه‌وار خوندم و دیدم کتاب مفیدیه مخصوصا برای بعدا که قراره ازش بطور جدی استفاده کنم 😍

[Victoria Guez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un imprescindible para cualquier persona que se quiera dedicar a la interpretación o comunicación. Trae ejercicios para practicar la dicción, la respiración, la musculatura, el ritmo y el volumen.

[Ajnesh Dodeja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical book required a lot of time to master the techniques

[Zahra_komeijani · Rating 3 out of 5]

من چون دنبال تئاتر بودم یه وقتی برام جالب شد که بخونمش صادقانه بخواهم بگویم کامل نخوندمش. باید چند صفحه بخونی تا یک نکته مفید پیدا کنی. حوصله سر بره کلاً

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 3 out of 5]

High school Textbook. Gifted my copy elsewhere.

[Christina knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an excellent book. it's amazing that they packed so much information into so few pages.

[Pooya Kiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

محسن یلفانی رو بخاطر این کتاب باید ماچ کرد. همچنان بهترین کتاب برای پرورش بیان و صدا.

[Julie Bozza]

Present from my sister!

[Constantin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is great information given in this book, but the material and the way of presentation feels very outdated. It has some very useful tips though!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much has been said over recent years about the power of body language, yet the power of the voice is relatively neglected, especially when it comes to public speaking. Cicely Berry was a legend in her lifetime and played a significant role in supporting such actors as Laurence Olivier achieving their full potential and I read this book, keen to see how my voice could be used to communicate more effectively. The book has a textbook feel to it and you are likely to be disappointed if you are looking for anecdotes on people Tyson has worked with. However, what you will get is a distillation of the wisdom Tyson has amassed over the years on how to get more out of your voice, as well as exercises where you can put into practice what you have learned. Those who earn their living from public speaking consistently emphasise the priority of practice. Tyson encourages us to make every word count and provides the reader with a practical guide which, when followed, will result in considerable improvements in effective public communication. Very helpful.