Well folks, I was not hoping to encounter this, but one of our cast members now has laryngitis and will possibly be tested for nodes.  I thought I would write another post because it is relevant what I have learned through participating in community theater in Murray, KY.

In smaller towns, it is easier to become starstruck with your own voice because much more is expected of you.  Think of the "big fish, small pond" scenario.  To compensate for gradual development of technique, which takes years and years, young actors push themselves to limits from which they cannot come down.  To put it into a realistic perspective, the human voice matures fully around age thirty.  My cast member with laryngitis has developed it from ONE song in the show that requires a singer of older age, with a solid maturation of the voice and knowledge of belting mechanics.  In order to "match" what is heard on Broadway, she has pushed herself to a point of not being able to produce speech.  You MUST know your own voice and body and their limits, otherwise you will be faced with damage that will affect you for the rest of your career.  I also have a very young girl who sings on a vocal fry.  A child attempting to imitate a pop star spells nothing but bad news and tells me that this has not only happened before, but is has possibly been encouraged, and it will continue to be praised until it is too late to realize irreparable damage has set in.

****In most cases, laryngitis is mild and can last for less than two weeks with correct treatment, but if it occurs more than once or twice, then we get into more troubled waters.

I have worked tirelessly for three hours a day, six days a week, since the beginning of last month to try and introduce healthier methods and habits to this mixed ensemble.  Just when I think progress has been made, we revert back to old habits.  The most I can do now is to continue to advocate health and body awareness in rehearsals and add more one-on-one coachings to introduce a new idea or two to apply to the problematic areas.  The point that I am trying to make is this: I have realized I cannot save the world in one show.  It takes longer than a few weeks to change anyone's current method of singing, and I have seen and heard it in the ensemble.

Aside from the daily struggles, there have been daily successes.  I am starting to hear character and expressive lines in many actors' voices, which means they're thinking like a musician and noticing that dynamics and note values are not just markings on a page; they are there for a reason.  WHY are we singing, WHAT are we singing about, HOW will our singing affect the story, and HOW is this reflected in what we see written in the score?  That is the real reason why we sing.  We sing because there is no other way to convey our feelings.  If I can say, at the end of this labor-intensive project, that I helped one person realize that music is more than "just singing notes," I will have made a difference.

This post has been long overdue and will chronicle all that has happened since we completed music rehearsals!

With eight days total to teach the music for this show (minus some individual coaching sessions), we were given two of those to run all of the music from both acts.  Since we had been given precious little time with each number, I knew the musical run-through was not going to be perfect, but the cast left with a concrete understanding of what was supposed to happen, even if everything wasn't completely nailed down by the time we finished.  Every day holds opportunities for learning, and they have not stopped learning since rehearsals have begun.

Part of that process begins at every rehearsal in the form of a short warm-up that I lead.  Through a series of vocalises and breathing exercises, I stretch their ranges comfortably, work to improve vocal production and tone for clarity, stability, and projection, and infuse character and emotion into their sound.  It's a lot to process, but I try to make it as fun as possible and relate all exercises to everything they do on stage.

Since music rehearsals have finally ended, my arms are no longer sore from vigorously conducting for three hours at a time AND the show is coming together marvelously!  Yes, we are still struggling with certain areas.  Yes, we are jamming a great deal of information into the cast members' heads every night.  They are fighting back and pushing forward, whether they are sick or missing a rehearsal or simply having more trouble than the rest with a particular part.  I must say, though, that I am proud of all of them and only expect more great things to come in these next two weeks leading up to opening weekend.