| Re: [vocalist-temporary] "Honest" singers
On Wed, 09 Aug 2000, Bobby Kravitz wrote: My learning experience for singing and acting is as follows.........You can learn all the fine techniques of singing and acting and how to fine tune them, But you can not teach heart and that is the whole crux of a persons method. If the audience does not see the sincerity , they will sense this and i do not consider this a performence
COMMENT: Your statement can be true and, perhaps, usually is. But I know of more times than one can imagine when a skilled actor completely convinced and controlled his/her audience but was never emotionally and only slightly intellectually involved in the performance. In each case, this was not by design, that is, the actor did not choose to be uninvolved, but for one reason or another was not emotionally involved and, as a result was convinced that the performance was a total failure only later to be surprised to discover that the audience was complete believing. In each case, the actor was highly skilled and was well prepared.
I can also give you even more times when an actor was totally involved and the audience was not convinced, in fact discussed at length in the lobby how "phony" the performance had been to the great consternation of the actor when informed of these remarks. "I gave it everything I had. I was that character. It takes me hours to become myself again after each performance. How can they not read my work as honest and natural". Such a frustrating expression is not an uncommon remark from an unsuccessful actor.
Just as in singing well, the technique that we have learned over years of study and practice will eventually become invisible to the audience, so it can be with acting. It is not uncommon today to have a voice student who does not want to take the time to learn to sing but wants, instead, a few quick fixes to solve their self-determined problems, so it is also with acting. The voice student while in progress will often signal his/her concern or mindfulness of his technique while in performance. But the actor, in progress will usually signal only his/her inability to know what to do.
Not knowing what to do is the first signal that technique has not been taught. But technique is the basis of all acting. Technique allows the body and face and voice (the instrument of the actor), to become available to his/her intellect and emotion just as vocal technique allows the singer to use the voice as an instrument of all that can be said in song.
Because acting is so much a part of our everyday life (we all act every moment) is seems wrong to analyze it and develop a technique of acting. But it is as possible to do so as it is in singing. And as necessary.
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Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011 | 
