06-19-11
These past two weeks have flown by, and they have also been so full of experience and learning that it seems like I’ve been here much longer.
I am studying Fitzmaurice Voicework with Catherine Fitzmaurice herself, who spent more than 20 years developing the technique. Catherine is a 70-something woman with a large but not intimidating presence. She has long white hair and a deep, rich British voice that fills a room and commands attention. But her energy is that of a much younger person: we did an exercise last week that involved swinging a padded paddle down onto some raised mats repeatedly and vigorously, and she demonstrated the technique herself; she told a ridiculous anecdote about an impromptu visit from her son that involved a late dinner and an even later viewing of Green Lantern in 3-D from the 4th row; she is plugged into the cyber-world on her Blackberry and her MacBook, and she is tickled by Google’s interactive Doodles.
But Catherine is not the only teacher in the program. She brings a wide variety of skilled teachers from different backgrounds, each with a passion for the work as great as her own. Studying with these various teachers gives me multiple ways into the work, and my curiosity and interest in continuing my journey with Fitzmaurice Voicework is truly piqued.
The technique is about more than vocal cords or resonance or articulation. It is a whole-body, whole-self approach to voice. “Destructuring,” which I’ve been studying for the last two weeks, involves opening up the body, breath, and voice through a combination of methods, mainly “tremoring,” which is just what it sounds like. Inspired by yoga, Catherine found a number of different body positions that could be used to induce “tremor,” a gentle or vigorous shaking in the body. We actually tremor naturally – when we’re cold, afraid, anxious, or exhausted – it’s part of our body’s natural healing system. When we induce tremor, we encourage the breath to open up in different ways, and we shake loose long-held tensions, which often releases emotions that we unknowingly hold with those tensions. This is helpful for an actor because it helps to realize a wider range of expressivity, and it is helpful for the voice because it allows a wider, fuller, more resonant and open sound. And, as an added bonus, I have found that it is helpful for me as a human being, not only because of the cathartic nature of the process of release, but because through this process I am discovering a depth and a strength within myself.
These past two weeks have flown by, and they have also been so full of experience and learning that it seems like I’ve been here much longer.
I am studying Fitzmaurice Voicework with Catherine Fitzmaurice herself, who spent more than 20 years developing the technique. Catherine is a 70-something woman with a large but not intimidating presence. She has long white hair and a deep, rich British voice that fills a room and commands attention. But her energy is that of a much younger person: we did an exercise last week that involved swinging a padded paddle down onto some raised mats repeatedly and vigorously, and she demonstrated the technique herself; she told a ridiculous anecdote about an impromptu visit from her son that involved a late dinner and an even later viewing of Green Lantern in 3-D from the 4th row; she is plugged into the cyber-world on her Blackberry and her MacBook, and she is tickled by Google’s interactive Doodles.
But Catherine is not the only teacher in the program. She brings a wide variety of skilled teachers from different backgrounds, each with a passion for the work as great as her own. Studying with these various teachers gives me multiple ways into the work, and my curiosity and interest in continuing my journey with Fitzmaurice Voicework is truly piqued.
The technique is about more than vocal cords or resonance or articulation. It is a whole-body, whole-self approach to voice. “Destructuring,” which I’ve been studying for the last two weeks, involves opening up the body, breath, and voice through a combination of methods, mainly “tremoring,” which is just what it sounds like. Inspired by yoga, Catherine found a number of different body positions that could be used to induce “tremor,” a gentle or vigorous shaking in the body. We actually tremor naturally – when we’re cold, afraid, anxious, or exhausted – it’s part of our body’s natural healing system. When we induce tremor, we encourage the breath to open up in different ways, and we shake loose long-held tensions, which often releases emotions that we unknowingly hold with those tensions. This is helpful for an actor because it helps to realize a wider range of expressivity, and it is helpful for the voice because it allows a wider, fuller, more resonant and open sound. And, as an added bonus, I have found that it is helpful for me as a human being, not only because of the cathartic nature of the process of release, but because through this process I am discovering a depth and a strength within myself.
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