We continue to do vocal exercises at the start of rehearsal; exercises to help with breath control and relaxation. We're
discovering how emotion is carried on the breath, out and through the words. And in order to do that the actors need to allow the breath to work freely and they need to begin to learn how to control how the words are spoken. It seems obvious - but it's not so easy. We also do various exercises to keep the actors in the moment by re-discovering each word as it's spoken.
There's also the very real problem of performing outside. The actors' voices will have nothing to bounce off of - and there's lots of ambient noise to contend with. We've done a run outside in the centre of Oxford and it's extremely hard to make yourself heard.
Again, I worry that this vocal work isn't terribly exciting for the cast.It's not the give and take of the sort of scene work they're used to. It's much more mechanical and detailed and self focused and there isn't the big payoff of a scene well played with someone else. And it's summer! The weather is gorgeous....
We'll keep plugging away....
