The theatre world divided yet again...
A major debate has been going on in theatres throughout the country since the dawn of microphones. To mic or not to mic? Musicals are now all mic'ed, but plays are still fighting the trend. Many theatre professionals argue that microphones allow new opportunities within plays, such as adding voice effects to simulate a setting or mood. However, many others adamantly refuse to allow microphones in their productions.
The question is whether or not something is lost by the use of microphones in plays. I believe that something is different about hearing an actors voice through a speaker versus their mouth, but this point is probably not the most important. Patrons, who are often older individuals, constantly complain about being able to hear actors during plays. If theatre is about communication and storytelling, but people cannot hear the story, wouldn't it be a no-brainer to resolve the problem? Some people blame modern technology with its surround speakers and hi-definition sound for creating this situation. Others blame poorly trained actors who lack proper voice training.
It makes me wonder, did audiences of yesterday just not hear what was going on? Was this simply a part of the theatre, or were they trained to listen? Regardless of these answers, the modern audience wants better sound than yesterday's audiences, and if we are indeed interested in audiences understanding the messages in our plays, wouldn't it be a great idea to let them hear what is being said?
-Brian
posted by Chester Lee at
11:02 AM
5 Comments:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704597704574487153079350302.html
By
Anonymous, At
October 24, 2009 2:54 PM
I do not think that audiences of yesterday could not hear what is going on. As a performer, we have little to no voice training that deals with healthy voice projection and enuciation. If you go back and listen to old recordings (and even in old movies) you can hear that the actors and actresses speak much differently than people do nowadays. I think that microphones can be used effectively, but that they can also be overused and deaden the delivery.
By
Anonymous, At
October 27, 2009 4:26 PM
I am surprised at the comment that says "As a performer, we have little to no voice training that deals with healthy voice projection and enunciation." Even as a brass player, I was required to take a class that taught this type of voice training; it was a required course for all conservatory majors. My vocalist friends took an entire series of these classes, on top of the personal training they received in their lessons and ensembles.
That being said, I don't think that it is the performers who have changed, but rather the audience. We have been raised in environments that foster white noise, and so I agree with the thought that we just don't know how to listen anymore...and I don't think that is something we can get back, so microphones do become necessary.
By
C, At
October 28, 2009 10:50 PM
What I meant, was that you do not have classes that teach you how to speak clearly. I have had extensive voice lessons that deal with singing technique and diction. But never has it ever been brought up to me (even in acting classes) how to speak loudly, clearly and healthily. Old actors and actresses, Laurence Olivier and Bette Davis, for example, have a much different quality to their speaking voices than most contemporary actors and actresses. I'm sorry I wasn't very clear about what I meant.
By
Anonymous, At
October 29, 2009 12:11 PM
I've been checking up on this every once in a while, and this thread caught my eye. I have to say that I agree with both the statements by Anonymous and by C. I am an opera singer by training, but have dallied in plays and musical theater. My classical voice training has been fantastic, but in all my acting courses, coachings and experiences on stage I haven't ever had anyone tell me how to speak correctly on stage.
But I also think that modern audiences are much more accustomed to background noise and don't know how to listen anymore (as C says). Our attention spans have also shortened. So I think that all of these factors combined change the theatrical experience.
However, I don't think that microphones will magically solve all of these problems, in fact, mics are sometimes more of a hassle. How many of us have attended a performance when the microphones have been inconsistent? I'd imagine most of you have.
Poorly trained voice actors, shortened attention spans, untrained listening, possibly aging audience members... these all contribute to the fact that modern audiences complain about not hearing well... and as the original poster wrote, "theater is about communication and storytelling" so it is incredibly important that the audience can actually hear.
By
AB, At
October 29, 2009 12:56 PM
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