The Basic Actor’s The Basic Actor’s Training Program:Training Program:
FREEINGFREEING
An actor’s work in An actor’s work in freeing freeing is designed to is designed to limberlimber, align, , align, and strengthen an actor’s and strengthen an actor’s
body in an body in an integratedintegrated approach that serves the approach that serves the
clear and theatrical clear and theatrical expression of the expression of the inner inner
impulseimpulse..
A natural A natural extensionextension of the of the centering, sensing, and centering, sensing, and focusing activities is the focusing activities is the
integrated work with both integrated work with both the internal and external the internal and external
physical and vocal physical and vocal energies. energies.
This release work forms This release work forms the framework for the the framework for the
freeing processfreeing process, which is , which is designed to designed to liberateliberate the the
actor’s conscious and actor’s conscious and subconscious physical and subconscious physical and
vocal response while vocal response while simultaneouslysimultaneously
strengthening the voice, strengthening the voice, body, and imagination. body, and imagination.
The The primaryprimary impulse for impulse for releasing the body and voice releasing the body and voice
is is breathbreath..
The process of voicing is, in The process of voicing is, in fact, movement. fact, movement.
Communication between Communication between two people begins with an two people begins with an
impulseimpulse—a need to —a need to express the self—that express the self—that
results in a results in a complexcomplex series series of movements that of movements that ultimately result in ultimately result in phonationphonation and the and the
formationformation of thoughts and of thoughts and feelings into words and feelings into words and
sentences.sentences.
The process of improving The process of improving the functioning of the the functioning of the voice must be tackled voice must be tackled
indirectlyindirectly. This . This indirectindirect approach involves the approach involves the
removal of removal of habitualhabitual and and unnecessary tensionsunnecessary tensions that that inhibitinhibit the effective the effective functioning of the voice-functioning of the voice-
speech speech mechanismmechanism..
THE VOCALIZATION THE VOCALIZATION PROCESSPROCESS
STEP 1:STEP 1:The The brainbrain
registers the registers the impulse for impulse for
sound.sound.Inhalation Inhalation
and and exhalation exhalation assume a assume a secondary secondary function.function.
STEP 2:STEP 2:The The jawjaw
drops slightly drops slightly with respect with respect
to the to the amount of amount of
breath breath needed to needed to
communicate communicate the message the message
of the of the speaker.speaker.
STEP 3:STEP 3:BreathBreath is is
taken in. The taken in. The vocal cords vocal cords
spread apart spread apart to allow the to allow the
breath to breath to travel through travel through the the trachea trachea or or windpipe, into windpipe, into the bronchial the bronchial
tubes and tubes and reach the reach the
lungs.lungs.
STEP 4:STEP 4:When the air When the air reaches the reaches the base of the base of the
windpipe, the windpipe, the diaphragmdiaphragm is is
activated.activated.The The diaphragmdiaphragm
is a dome- is a dome- shaped structure shaped structure that separates that separates the chest and the chest and
abdominal abdominal cavitiescavities
STEP 5:STEP 5:The size of the The size of the
chest cavity chest cavity enlargesenlarges, , creating a creating a
partial partial vacuum. The vacuum. The inhaled air inhaled air
fills this fills this vacuum and vacuum and expandsexpands the the
lung sacs.lung sacs.
STEP 6:STEP 6:The inhalation The inhalation
movesmoves the the diaphragm diaphragm downward, downward,
flattening the flattening the abdominal abdominal
muscles and the muscles and the sides and back of sides and back of the lower torso.the lower torso.
There is an There is an expansion expansion
outward, creating outward, creating the appearance of the appearance of
an inflated an inflated abdomen.abdomen.
STEP 7:STEP 7:As the breath As the breath is is released, released,
the diaphragm the diaphragm moves upward moves upward and its dome and its dome
shape is shape is transformed transformed into a cone into a cone
shape, shape, reversingreversing the the
process of process of inhalation.inhalation.
STEP 8:STEP 8:Air Air departsdeparts from from
the lungs and the lungs and passes through the passes through the
larynxlarynx, where , where sounds are sounds are
produced. The produced. The larynx houses two larynx houses two membranes called membranes called the the vocal folds vocal folds or or vocal cordsvocal cords. As . As exhaled breath exhaled breath
passes through the passes through the vocal folds, they vocal folds, they
vibrate and vibrate and produce sound produce sound
waves. The basic waves. The basic pitchpitch is determined is determined
by how fast the by how fast the folds vibrate. folds vibrate.
STEP 9:STEP 9:ResonatorsResonators, ,
hollow spaces in hollow spaces in the chest, neck the chest, neck and head, serve and head, serve as soundboards as soundboards that reinforce, that reinforce,
modify and enrich modify and enrich sounds. The sounds. The four four primary human primary human resonatorsresonators are are
the the pharynxpharynx (throat), the (throat), the oral oral cavitycavity (mouth), (mouth), the the nasal cavitynasal cavity (nose) and the (nose) and the
chest.chest.
STEP 10:STEP 10:Finally, theFinally, the
articulatorsarticulators (lips, teeth, (lips, teeth,
gums, tongue, gums, tongue, soft palate, soft palate, hard palate, hard palate,
throat) are set throat) are set in motion, in motion,
cutting up the cutting up the sounds into sounds into intelligent intelligent speech.speech.
Both Both voice and voice and movementmovement are better are better
regulated as regulated as subconscioussubconscious functions. functions.
To this end, we seek to To this end, we seek to liberateliberate the actor’s body the actor’s body and voice through indirect and voice through indirect
and improvisatory and improvisatory methods.methods.
An actor’s stiff, held, or An actor’s stiff, held, or underdeveloped body, underdeveloped body,
voice or imagination voice or imagination lackslacks the the dexteritydexterity and and
freedomfreedom needed to needed to adequatelyadequately express the express the essenceessence of the of the impulseimpulse..
FreeingFreeing work serves to work serves to meetmeet the larger the larger physical physical and and
vocalvocal requirements of large requirements of large emotional expressionemotional expression and and
requires a thorough requires a thorough understanding of the understanding of the
centeringcentering process, process, sensorysensory perception, and the perception, and the
importance of importance of focusfocus..
VocabularyVocabularylimberlimber primaryprimary
integratedintegrated complexcomplex
impulseimpulse phonationphonation
extensionextension formationformation
liberateliberate indirectindirect
simultaneouslysimultaneously habitualhabitual
inhibitinhibit mechanismmechanism
adequatelyadequately essence essence