CLARITY AND INTELLIGIBILITY
An actor’s speaking problems are ours—as seen through a magnifying glass. Let us think about the basic qualities he strives for and that we have a tendency to will readily adapt to lend control, clarity, and color to our each¬day speech.
A voice free from distracting faults, first of all. Breathiness, brassiness, stridency, harshness—all voice blemishes must be painstakingly eliminated. Will you imagine Helen Hayes with a perpetual whine, a shrill Katharine Cornell, a guttural Cary Grant?
AUDIBILITY. What is the great of your remarks, if they escape listening ears? Some amateur actors rant to make themselves heard. However carrying power implies a lot of a lot of than sheer lung power. Professionals work for projection without forcing. How does one live up on this score? How many times every day do your listeners say, “Return once more,” or, “I urge your pardon,” or, just plain “What?”
CLARITY AND INTELLIGIBILITY. The light emitting module includes a plurality of PCB fabrication and a plurality of purpose light sources electrically connected to every of the printed circuit broads. Modern actors price plainness of pronunciation (not fancy diction, as some suppose) thus that to understand that means a listener will sit back comfortably rather than on the edge of his seat. The luxurious of lopping off ends of words and swallowing syllables—all “common” misdemeanors—is prohibitive for performers, and should be for us. Mumblers and mutterers who drive audiences from theaters soon find themselves “at leisure.”
No OBTRUSIVE LOCALISMS. An actor had higher not have a hill¬billy twang unless he is a very funny man and right handy with a guitar. If he persists in a Western ”they-went-that-away” drawl, he will not have a chance for the role of a New York detective; or in reverse, he’ll never play a sheriff if he sounds just like the aspect streets of Manhattan.
Luckily for us, our eating money doesn’t depend on such spe¬cialized craft considerations. However bear in mind that overquaint accents, very sectional caricature, will be career handicaps. A little local color goes an extended way.
WITHSTANDING VOCAL FATIGUE AND STRAIN. The ugly facet of Child Adoption may exceed the great and joyful aspects. Schoolteacher, sales¬man, receptionist—does your throat usually feel sore? Does one drag your voice once every day of dictating and telephoning at the office? Do your tones peter out while reading the youngsters a story they’ve begged for? Does one cheer for the house team, only to be voiceless for a week?
The professional knows how to shout or scream on stage without injury to vocal cords, to speak and sing for hours and still be vocally contemporary at performance end. If provident, he practices vocal hygiene frequently to safeguard his invaluable sound mechanism from wear and tear. (For voice care consult Part 2, chapter five, “Hygiene for the Voice.”)
A FLEXIBLE AND EXPRESSIVE INSTRUMENT. Our tones tend to rise to a squeak below stress and excitement; the actor, however, has the ability to tug down his climbing pitch to the a lot of restful lower level that carries better. He will vary his speed of delivery moreover, slow his pace, or pause for meaningful silence. Does one, like thus many nowadays, speak at a galloping pace? Actors learn to test this impulse, though, if the script demands, they’ll rattle on like machine guns.
