Several questions, comments and readings have conspired to prompt me to write on language, words, and vocal sounds as pertaining to theatre and acting. It seems to be hot sub-topic in the footsteps of Phedre and Platonov. I won't attempt to completely summarize or bring home certain points in this post. That will have to come in later discussion. I'll just mention a few ideas or thoughts that have come to mind recently on this wide topic to get started.
When an actor "speaks" or makes sounds on stage, I consider it "Physical Action" and no less so than any other part of the body in movement or motion. The total process from breath and impulse to thought and intention to precise activation of the vocal cords, resonance and articulation should be taken into consideration. The sound produced affects the spectators (and other actors) senses and should be generated and intended to do so with specific reason.
French writers like Racine and Genet wrote words in a fashion that was meant to be performed in a way that was rhythmically inundating, something akin to modern Amercian rap, fast, witty, biting, non-natural, loud and clever. The sound and delivery of the language, coupled with the thoughts behind it was meant to overwhelm. Translated to English and delivered vocally in that belabored British stage cadence with the impression of individual words manipulated ad-nauseam, the language becomes stagnate and obvious. The power and surprise of the language is gone, the Phedre production being a classic example.
Watching and listening to actors in Odin Teatret go through vocal training and practice was eye and ear opening. The possibilities seemed endless in combination of speed, sound, rhythm, resonance, and flexibility. They did not appear to be shy or inhibited about sound, the quality, the volumes, the pitches, etc. Odin Teatret's productions though do not begin with a written script, words as representation. They begin, originate, with a series of physical actions by actors individually. The actions are then put into a dramaturgical form (the dramaturgy) by Eugenio Barba as director. Words and dialogue get added as necessary in the process.
Lev Dodin said regarding Maly Theatre's work on King Lear "From the beginning, we very much wanted to force ourselves to hear the plain and coarse sense of Shakespeare's words... Killing what was poetic - this was one of our aims. Killing the poetic so as to get to the poetry."
Bill K. once did a detailed study of the style and themes of the language in The Cherry Orchard when we were working on that play in Actor's Gymnasium. For example, he noted over a hundred (I forget the exact number) references to Time in Chekhov's script. Things like "we're gonna be late" "Is the train on time" "How soon?" "It was springtime" "My watch has stopped." I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea. Bill's study was the kind of "probing" that Lev Dodin and his actors do over time with the various aspects of a play. In this case it was Language, Words. We then worked in Actor's Gymnasium to determine how we could apply this theme of Time theatrically. Chekhov himself had indicated in notes for example about the actual, literal time certain acts should require on stage. We used a cuckoo clock to interrupt action in one of our improvisations of the early scenes of the play. We worked on a "flashback" dream sequence. We thought about how in "silent" moments on stage when there were no other sounds, there could be the ticking of time always present and noticeable then. This type of activity was language interpreted and applied.
Shakespeare never used an exclamation point nor did he include much of the punctuation you see in most editions of his work today. Granted punctuation was different in Elizabethan England than it is today but comparing what Shakespeare actually included with what Riverside and other editors do is a little frightening at times. Their punctuation is just that, theirs and not necessarily the "correct" punctuation and certainly not Shakespeare's punctuation always. If you are into strict adherence or interpretation of punctuation in order to determine meaning or intent or emotional content, be careful when using these various editions.
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