Vocal action: from training towards performance

This thesis describes and analyzes a practice as research study (2008 - 2011) which comprised performances, ongoing workshops and a symposium. Its focus is the (re)examination of voice training for the contemporary performer exploring what existing methods are sti11 relevant, what gaps exist in current training, and how these might be bridged. The methodology is that of a feedback loop in which theoretical research informs practical explorations (conducted by the researcher on herself) which inform practical applications (in which the research is applied with other performers in a pedagogical context). The inquiry is divided into two main topics: training for Vocal Presence and for Vocal Composition. In the first, the theoretical base is that of Konstantin Stanislavski's method of physical actions and its interpretations by Jerzy Grotowski and Ingemar Lindh, with a further link made to the work of positive psychologist Mihaly Czilcszentmihalyi. In the second, the starting points are the work of John Britton and Anne Bogart's Viewpoints. Within both areas, these theories and their related practices are explored through the creation of two perfonnance pieces: lhe sound of m/y/our name ... and One By One and then applied in the creation of a method of vocal (re)actions. This work was presented through a practice as research symposium and is documented on DVD and in an interactive website. This thesis argues for the importance of mapping the connections between different aesthetic and cultural methods for voice training. For the performer, it proposes a non-aesthetic-specific practical method and terminology, which can be used to work both within and across different vocal techniques as well as between body and voice. It thus aims to broaden the repertoire of approaches to voice work for vocal training and for devising performance.