WORKSHOP - Harvest A Newer and Better Vocal You

This workshop takes place over two Saturdays, 21 & 28 Oct, 14-17h.

The WHY?

Improv actors voluntarily subject themselves to vocal challenges. After all, acting is conflict, and conflict can lead to the ‘tree of common complaints’ whose branches include: choking in emotional scenes; chest breathing; throat hurts; loss of voice; persistent cough; throat clearing; too loud, too soft, too creaky; too tense, too breathy, too stressed; too high- or low pitched.

You get the picture. As the farmer says,

‘You reap what you sow.’

So, how can you best harvest your physical, emotional, and intellectual speach fruits?

Focus on the seeding and growth of your voice.

Start planting your orchard with this Playshop of 3 hour sessions, on 2 successive Saturdays:

The HOW?

Unlock your vocal birthrights;

-breathe through any of the holes in your face,

-be physically unashamed to release a sound into space,

-make contact with the energy within the words;

-and vocalise with ease and clarity.

The WHAT?

Bounce on your inner trampolines with the BFF, that’s your breath.

Open and free, unblock and expand, your unobstructed sounds:

e.g. Oooh-errr, you are soooo…ahhhhhh!

Play with your pleasant obstruent and frictioned sounds:

e.g. Peripatetic badgers feed these three fishy visions.

Resound upon your sing-songy sonorants:

e.g. ‘mmm-mmmmmm’, nina sang.’

Wallow in the accent-changing quartet of liquid laterals:

e.g. ‘Yellow Wellies, Rare Wherries.’

NB This workshop is purely physical and based on fun and freedom; and certainly not, intellectual pretension and pomposity.

Simply remember the buzzwords of improv had to be learned too: "Yes, and…" “Status" "Object work” "Character choice” “Callback" These buzzwords and concepts are used by improvisers to create engaging and entertaining scenes, and they help facilitate collaboration and creativity. Equally those type-words above help facilitate a new and better vocal you.

The name is not the thing, the words are not you. The play’s the thing. You are the performance.

ABOUT:

William S. started with improv way back in 1990’s, in a group called Kittens and Wolves (pre-Boom Chicago).

William MC’d for 17 years at the Comedy Cafe, Amsterdam.

William memorised 154 sonnets of Shakespeare, so you don’t have to.

William taught at FAAAM and teaches at the Mulholland Academy.

William specialises in accent reduction and acquisition; non-native speakers will benefit greatly from this Playshop.

Yes, and…

he continues to act when asked and paid for it. He loves living in Amsterdam.