The vocal demands of current musical theatre performance are such that a new kind of training has had to develop for singers in that arena—training that often parallels the voice training of actors, thus bringing into sync two historically conflicting vocal perspectives!
Singing in Musical Theatre takes the reader into the studios of sixteen major teachers of singing in Great Britain, Australia and the United States, through a series of personal interviews. Three concluding chapters then synthesize the material and relate it directly to theatre voice.
Voice practitioners will find the book invaluable for sorting through the confusing array of pedagogical perspectives regularly bandied about at conferences, and performers will be delighted to know that their respective vocal trainings are finally coming together!
Angela Punch McGregor personalizes the connective links among trainings in the Foreword, as she describes her preparation for Sunset Boulevard as a turning point in her own brilliant career.
What does it take to be a musical theatre performer? What kind of training is required to do eight shows a weekacting, dancing, and singing in a wide variety of vocal styles? This insider's look into the unique demands of musical theatre performance establishes connecting links between voice training for the singer and drama school training for the actor. By reading these revealing interviews, performers in every area of theatre can:
• Discover what it takes to go from a first lesson to a solid professional technique
• Consider the requirements for singers in musical theatre today, how they have changed, and where they are going
• See how different teachers approach six aspects of voice training: alignment, breathing, range resonance, articulation, and connection
• Understand the interconnectedness of musical theatre and theatre voice
A foreword by leading Australian actor Angela Punch McGregor personalizes the connective links among trainings as she describes her preparation for Sunset Boulevard. A must-read for anyone who is serious about voice and the theatre.
| Foreword |
|
ix | |
| Acknowledgments |
|
xi | |
| Introduction |
|
xiii | |
| PART I: Interviews, United States, |
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1 | |
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3 | |
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11 | |
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27 | |
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37 | |
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55 | |
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65 | |
| PART II: Interviews, United Kingdom, |
|
73 | |
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75 | |
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81 | |
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93 | |
| PART III: Interviews, Australia, |
|
109 | |
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111 | |
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121 | |
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131 | |
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|
143 | |
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153 | |
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167 | |
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181 | |
| PART IV: Observations and Conclusions, |
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189 | |
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17 CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES, |
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191 | |
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18 COMPARATIVE APPROACHES TO TRAINING, |
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197 | |
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19 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS, |
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203 | |
| Appendix |
|
217 | |
| About the Author |
|
218 | |
| Index |
|
219 | |
Joan Melton is a pioneer in the integration of singing techniques and voice training for the actor. She is one of the few voice professionals in the world with a firm grasp of both theatre voice and singing training. A Master Teacher of the Fitzmaurice approach to theatre voice training, she lectures internationally and has taught at leading drama and music centers in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. She initiated and developed the Voice/Movement program (1996-2006) for the Department of Theatre and Dance at California State University, Fullerton, and is a published author and composer with performance credits in theatre, opera, television, and voiceover. Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, Melton holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The author, with Kenneth Tom, PhD, of the groundbreaking book, One Voice: Integrating Singing Technique and Theatre Voice Training (Heinemann), Melton is currently based in NYC.
