The Warm Up Problem......

 




  For sometime now there has been something really irking me about the way in which the warm up for the voice and body is being prescribed. As a result of my (until quite recently) traditional theatre education and discipline, I have been letting this irksome entity lurk on the periphery of my consciousness - perhaps too scared to address it because of the Pandora’s Box it might open, perhaps because it might undermine so much of my work up until now.

    I remember trying to address this, probably somewhat clumsily, during my studies in becoming a Voice Coach. I was shot down in flames. The very nature of what I was doing was seen to be time wasting or insignificant, compared to the standard load of raspberry blowing, OOT AWT AHT and general repetition of class learning exercises that I was expected to lead. It has taken me until now to again brave this work.

    I have been lucky enough to work as a performer and a Voice Coach with Nate Gilkes - a Musical Director of great skill and passion. His pre-performance preparation is part of the performance - the performance itself is merely an extension of the creativity, of the exploration, of the openness of body & voice and our visceral connection to the space. It is an astonishing way to work, and there is no time for anxiety, just process.

    Through my intuition and exploration this is something that I have brought into the realms of my teaching space. Exercises must be done - those new neural pathways forged by repetition are important - but all in the context of exploration and above all, curiosity. A clear framework is set - those of you who have studied with me are aware of the rewards of the 3 point focus. And within this framework we move within a sensory exploration of smell, touch, balance, taste, space, listening and, of course, voice - all with a view to enliven and encourage the pathways of intuition and curiosity. 

    When we stop compartmentalising our creativity and our core skill learning (as is traditionally the case) and stimulate the tendrils of artistry, teasing them into our skills work we see massive changes in the discipline of actors. I have seen lazy student-actors working this way becoming active participants in their own work and education; I have observed professional actors able to maintain their skills, whereas they previously let them languish, only brushing them up for auditions or seasons; and I have witnessed myself become a far better teacher with far greater resources of both energy and passion for following my intuition.