The Authentic Voice

Class Description

Dianne Eden was the Head of Voice and Acting at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for 23 years and has nurtured two generations of Queensland actors. She has been recognised for her extraordinary commitment, receiving the 2013 Alan Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award from the Actors' and Entertainers' Benevolent Fund Queensland. It was the first time the award was given to anyone in academia. Dianne was also awarded the highly prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to performing arts education in 2018. Week 1: Week Connecting with your Instrument This is all about you, your voice, why you sound the way you do, and what you want to do with it. Work includes many elements of the Linklater Classic Progression, which I have found to be the easiest way into self-management. and performance confidence. We will address anxiety, self-sabotage, the necessity of being self-ish, and of course, working out of your comfort zone. First, you will perform your (short!) your monologue to members of your ensemble: think of it as a gift. Until you offer that gift, we are not an ensemble; we are not safe. Week 2: How to work on your text without worrying about how to say it! •The text demons •Discovering the rhythm, flow and energy of thoughts •Physicalizing the text •Discovering the emotional to and fro of the text through the architecture • Rhythms of the sounds in the text •Hierarchy of words in your text and their relationship to phrasing and clarity of meaning Week 3: Connecting with the other actor and with your audience. Beginning with a soft performance of monologues, assimilating your notes. •Speaking your thoughts and feelings across two octaves, (even three) and speaking with an awareness all of your spaces and bones. •Wall resonance •No projection please vocalizing •Circles of energy in the service of Presence and Gravitas Week 4: Mystery week – what’s still to be done? Troubleshooting? Pulling it all together? Making sure you all leave with a pathway to deeper vocal performance. This course will be held online via Zoom and is limited to 8 students only.