"If Otello were to feel the rage expressed musically and dramatically in Verdi's final scene, one would need to engage a new Desdemona every night, and the tenore robusto would face charges of homicide. Otello could not successfully accomplish strangulation and high vocal tessitura simultaneously. Nor can Violetta become a wild, inebriated woman while accomplishing her melismatic tasks at high levels of vocal intensity and physical energy. A genuinely weeping Rodolfo will find it impossible to deliver his final, heartbreaking, sustained G#4 vocal cries of "Mimi" Andromache cannot move us with her decision to throw her royal son over a precipice if she is as torn apart emotionally as she would be by such a horrible act in real life."
"Art consists of the disciplining of reality for the portrayal of emotion without succumbing to emotion."
- Richard Miller, "On the Art of Singing"
Both quotes come from the great pedagogue Richard Miller, whose contributions to the vocal pedagogy world are legion.
It's very interesting that his thoughts and feelings are not at all out of line with the precepts that Uta Hagen discussed in her life's work. I thought that Miller's ideas just go to show the artistic aspects of the creation of a human character on the stage. It speaks to the necessity of a technique, not only for singing, but also for acting.
I am only impressed when the actor's technique is so perfect that it has become INVISIBLE and has persuaded the audience that they are in the presence of a living human being who makes it possible for them to empathize with all his foibles and struggles as they unfold in the play."
Uta Hagen, "A Challenge for the Actor"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
L'ho perduta, me meschina!!
One of the great things about the Hagen exercises is that they continue to build on one other, adding a different element each time you do another exercise. When approaching any new exercise (whether for singing OR acting) it's important not to forget the other elements as you are adding to your exercise regimen.
In Destination (Exercise #1) we learned how to select pertinent activities from our daily lives in a three-minute time period. We see what motivates our behavior in the pursuit of a simple task, and all the little things that create a life onstage. In the Fourth Side (Exercise #2) we finally manage to create a relationship, either primary or secondary, with the Fourth Side of the theater - neither pushing out into, or ducking from the audience. Changes of Self (Exercise #3) opens us up to the potentialities in finding different aspects of ourselves and putting them to the service of any character we're called up to play.
In Hagen's fourth exercise, The Lost Object, we're able to learn many levels of information that are often overlooked in bringing a character to life. On the first level is the moment to moment existence of any part you play. It teaches you to be TRULY occupied with a task that has high stakes, and to find the way that emotions work on us as human beings.
Emotions in singing can be a deadly topic, because any intense emotionalism can wreak havoc on the singing mechanism. It is my assertion (and I believe Hagen's assertion as well) that we are creative artists, and should have complete control of any character we ever portray. In her own words, Hagen said:
"And hysteria is a state to be avoided by the actor at all costs. It is a state in which one is flooded with truly uncontrollable emotions, in which one becomes illogical to the point of losing awareness of any contact with surrounding realities. It is of no artistic use. It is anti-art!"
Emotions fluctuate like a fever chart, and they are sourced in the circumstances in which you find yourself. As human beings we NEVER plan when we're going to get angry, get happy, cry, laugh or scream, and neither do we plan the length and intensity of these emotions.
Emotions TAKE US, we can't take THEM.
In the fourth exercise you'll set up circumstances in which you find a lost object that has tremendous value to your circumstances. It can be any object - keys, a check, credit cards, directions, phone numbers, eyeglasses, jewelry, airplane tickets, theater tickets, etc. The object MUST have great value to you so that it will intensify your search. Not being able to find this object will evoke STRONG emotions in you. That's good. Make sure you know what the consequences will be IF YOU DON'T find this object.
As you rehearse this at home, observe how something in one moment leads you to the next moment. Remember, too, that you're FAITH in your circumstances is GREATEST when you are TAKING ACTION!! That way, when YOU REALLY look for the lost object, you will find emotions coming in on you and you will BELIEVE that you have really lost the object.
The purpose of the exercise is to train you to focus on your DOINGS, not on your FEELINGS. Many singers go terribly wrong in this department and play general states of emotion which do nothing to further their character's existence onstage. You'll almost always be able to tell someone how you FELT when something happened, but you'd be hard pressed to tell them what you DID in the circumstances.
You'll also notice how emotions work on you - one minute you may be calm. Don't judge that calmness and think "Oh, that's wrong. I should be FEELING SOMETHING here." Let the calm be there, continue the action - you may get something EVEN BETTER in a few moments.
Also be aware that any time you try to REPEAT an emotion you experienced in a rehearsal or performance - THAT BECOMES YOUR OBJECTIVE - and it prevents you from playing actions in the IMMEDIATE present.
You will find that the more you practice this exercise, the more you will become alive to the impulses that move in on you, and will allow you to approach character work in a FRESH and HUMAN way, every time you practice or perform.
To show an example of a "lost object" at its FINEST, here is an example from Act II of Tosca with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. When the lost object exercise is done correctly YOU as the audience will find that YOUR pulse quickens and that you become involved in the seach. Is she going to find it?
The lost object work begins around 5:35:
In Destination (Exercise #1) we learned how to select pertinent activities from our daily lives in a three-minute time period. We see what motivates our behavior in the pursuit of a simple task, and all the little things that create a life onstage. In the Fourth Side (Exercise #2) we finally manage to create a relationship, either primary or secondary, with the Fourth Side of the theater - neither pushing out into, or ducking from the audience. Changes of Self (Exercise #3) opens us up to the potentialities in finding different aspects of ourselves and putting them to the service of any character we're called up to play.
In Hagen's fourth exercise, The Lost Object, we're able to learn many levels of information that are often overlooked in bringing a character to life. On the first level is the moment to moment existence of any part you play. It teaches you to be TRULY occupied with a task that has high stakes, and to find the way that emotions work on us as human beings.
Emotions in singing can be a deadly topic, because any intense emotionalism can wreak havoc on the singing mechanism. It is my assertion (and I believe Hagen's assertion as well) that we are creative artists, and should have complete control of any character we ever portray. In her own words, Hagen said:
"And hysteria is a state to be avoided by the actor at all costs. It is a state in which one is flooded with truly uncontrollable emotions, in which one becomes illogical to the point of losing awareness of any contact with surrounding realities. It is of no artistic use. It is anti-art!"
Emotions fluctuate like a fever chart, and they are sourced in the circumstances in which you find yourself. As human beings we NEVER plan when we're going to get angry, get happy, cry, laugh or scream, and neither do we plan the length and intensity of these emotions.
Emotions TAKE US, we can't take THEM.
In the fourth exercise you'll set up circumstances in which you find a lost object that has tremendous value to your circumstances. It can be any object - keys, a check, credit cards, directions, phone numbers, eyeglasses, jewelry, airplane tickets, theater tickets, etc. The object MUST have great value to you so that it will intensify your search. Not being able to find this object will evoke STRONG emotions in you. That's good. Make sure you know what the consequences will be IF YOU DON'T find this object.
As you rehearse this at home, observe how something in one moment leads you to the next moment. Remember, too, that you're FAITH in your circumstances is GREATEST when you are TAKING ACTION!! That way, when YOU REALLY look for the lost object, you will find emotions coming in on you and you will BELIEVE that you have really lost the object.
The purpose of the exercise is to train you to focus on your DOINGS, not on your FEELINGS. Many singers go terribly wrong in this department and play general states of emotion which do nothing to further their character's existence onstage. You'll almost always be able to tell someone how you FELT when something happened, but you'd be hard pressed to tell them what you DID in the circumstances.
You'll also notice how emotions work on you - one minute you may be calm. Don't judge that calmness and think "Oh, that's wrong. I should be FEELING SOMETHING here." Let the calm be there, continue the action - you may get something EVEN BETTER in a few moments.
Also be aware that any time you try to REPEAT an emotion you experienced in a rehearsal or performance - THAT BECOMES YOUR OBJECTIVE - and it prevents you from playing actions in the IMMEDIATE present.
You will find that the more you practice this exercise, the more you will become alive to the impulses that move in on you, and will allow you to approach character work in a FRESH and HUMAN way, every time you practice or perform.
To show an example of a "lost object" at its FINEST, here is an example from Act II of Tosca with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. When the lost object exercise is done correctly YOU as the audience will find that YOUR pulse quickens and that you become involved in the seach. Is she going to find it?
The lost object work begins around 5:35:
Monday, August 24, 2009
Transference
A transference is the process of finding identification with aspects of a character's life and experiences by using people, places, and things from your own life.
This process is easier said than done. The process of finding these transferences is another example of what Hagen called "Self-stretching exercises".
What things do we need to find transferences for?
We need transferences to find identification with all aspects of the character's past and present, to substantiate our faith in the time and place of the opera, detailed surroundings, the circumstances that the character finds themselves living in, as well as endowing the relationships within the opera.
Most singers may do one or two transferences here and there, not realizing the scope and breadth of the work that will create a living human being onstage. All of the previous ideas should start the work for any singing-actor.
The secondary reason for transferences is to discover the BEHAVIOR of the character, justifying it while alerting you to EVERY circumstance, to EVERY inanimate object that stimulates you to act, to do something consequential about what you feel and want.
All the thoughts and ideas you have MEAN NOTHING until you put them INTO action. Remember that TO ACT is TO DO. This is a major point to always remember when you are in the midst of creating a character.
It is these NEW ACTIONS that will reveal the new you - the character.
This work is HIGHLY PERSONAL and it should light the fires of your own creativity and exploration. If something doesn't work for you as a transference - find something else. The reason is that if YOU don't believe it, how do you expect the audience to believe it as well?
Nothing should exist in the world of the opera to you IN GENERAL. Why? Because NOTHING in your OWN LIFE exists in general. You know your relationship to everything in your life - your clothing, your relationships, your locations, etc. etc. This was all discovered in the Destination exercise.
Also remember that finding the transference is NOT a means in itself. The application of the transference is the important reason we find them in the first place. If you carry around a mental picture of your boyfriend/girlfriend in a scene that you're playing with a lover and not finding the behavior that the image inspires in you - then the transference has not served you.
Remember that when you perform an action to another character onstage, you are putting the action or behavior ONTO the other person or object, NOT to your original source. That's where most errors can be made - the singing-actor carries around the image, doing homework onstage, and losing the relationship to the characters and objects onstage.
You also MUST GUARD AGAINST SHARING YOUR TRANSFERENCES WITH THE OTHERS IN YOUR SHOW.
Why?
Because if you share what you're using, the other singing-actor onstage will be judging the effectiveness of what you're using, rather than having a genuine give-and-take with you onstage. He/she will be an OBSERVER to your work, rather than a participant in it. If you do share the source of your transferences, you will negate their use in your work by making you self-conscious of them until they become useless.
Start now to build the warehouse of transferences that you can use in any and every opera you ever perform. I find it's useful to keep a private spiral-bound notebook of sources that I can refer to when performing in an opera.
Best of luck!
This process is easier said than done. The process of finding these transferences is another example of what Hagen called "Self-stretching exercises".
What things do we need to find transferences for?
We need transferences to find identification with all aspects of the character's past and present, to substantiate our faith in the time and place of the opera, detailed surroundings, the circumstances that the character finds themselves living in, as well as endowing the relationships within the opera.
Most singers may do one or two transferences here and there, not realizing the scope and breadth of the work that will create a living human being onstage. All of the previous ideas should start the work for any singing-actor.
The secondary reason for transferences is to discover the BEHAVIOR of the character, justifying it while alerting you to EVERY circumstance, to EVERY inanimate object that stimulates you to act, to do something consequential about what you feel and want.
All the thoughts and ideas you have MEAN NOTHING until you put them INTO action. Remember that TO ACT is TO DO. This is a major point to always remember when you are in the midst of creating a character.
It is these NEW ACTIONS that will reveal the new you - the character.
This work is HIGHLY PERSONAL and it should light the fires of your own creativity and exploration. If something doesn't work for you as a transference - find something else. The reason is that if YOU don't believe it, how do you expect the audience to believe it as well?
Nothing should exist in the world of the opera to you IN GENERAL. Why? Because NOTHING in your OWN LIFE exists in general. You know your relationship to everything in your life - your clothing, your relationships, your locations, etc. etc. This was all discovered in the Destination exercise.
Also remember that finding the transference is NOT a means in itself. The application of the transference is the important reason we find them in the first place. If you carry around a mental picture of your boyfriend/girlfriend in a scene that you're playing with a lover and not finding the behavior that the image inspires in you - then the transference has not served you.
Remember that when you perform an action to another character onstage, you are putting the action or behavior ONTO the other person or object, NOT to your original source. That's where most errors can be made - the singing-actor carries around the image, doing homework onstage, and losing the relationship to the characters and objects onstage.
You also MUST GUARD AGAINST SHARING YOUR TRANSFERENCES WITH THE OTHERS IN YOUR SHOW.
Why?
Because if you share what you're using, the other singing-actor onstage will be judging the effectiveness of what you're using, rather than having a genuine give-and-take with you onstage. He/she will be an OBSERVER to your work, rather than a participant in it. If you do share the source of your transferences, you will negate their use in your work by making you self-conscious of them until they become useless.
Start now to build the warehouse of transferences that you can use in any and every opera you ever perform. I find it's useful to keep a private spiral-bound notebook of sources that I can refer to when performing in an opera.
Best of luck!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Bringing Yourself to Opera
Expanding your sense of yourself is one of the most invaluable things that you can do as an artist.
Because opera can be such an egoic art form, many singers tend to find the elements of performance that put them on display, playing to what they think the audience WANTS to see and hear, and trading in their own unique artistic voices for an easily constructed imitation.
Our souls are mysterious, infinite, and wondrous. We always believe that we have a sense of who we are - but do we REALLY know who we are? We hold onto cliched images of ourselves that never reveal the true nature and depth of who we are.
Can we be RUTHLESSLY honest with ourselves? When are we greedy, bossy, fearful, silly, hateful, spiteful? When I'm dealing with a rude salesperson, I can take offense, my ego can rise in me (despite myself) and I can find myself becoming aggressive, rude, and indignant in return.
You can't let anything idiosyncratic pass you by! All the delicious neuroses, impulses, fears, and stupidities are what make you WHO YOU ARE and they also create the characters that you will portray.
The basic components of the characters we will play are somewhere within ourselves. There are hundreds of people within you that will surface throughout the course of a single day. You change your sense of self a hundred times a day as you are influenced by circumstances, your relationship to others, the nature of the event, and your clothing.
This self-discovery will NEVER cease and it will take a long time to put into practice consistently.
Watching others can be helpful to you if it assists you to identify HOW YOU BEHAVE. But to look OUTSIDE YOURSELF for an imitation of someone else is as dangerous as copying someone else's vocal sound or style.
Hagen's THIRD exercise is a terrific way to learn more about yourself and the things that propel and source your behavior. You'll be able to quickly delve into different aspects of yourself. You'll also discover how you treat people depending on who they are, your past with them, how they're treating you, what you want from them and what else is going on in your life. It will also give you insight into your relationships and teach you that NO RELATIONSHIP is in stasis.
In the exercise, you make or receive three separate phone calls from three separate people. Make sure to select three people that cause your behavior to change when they interact with you. The circumstances that you select should be unrelated to the phone calls themselves. You can set it up like the FIRST exercise, but you just happen to make/receive calls. Just be sure that the calls change your behavior and NOT the circumstances that you find yourself.
This exercises should last for 3 minutes. Make sure to keep to it, to keep your selections fresh and to the point.
You could be calling your sister to tell her good news about getting cast in an opera but her 5-year-old little girl picks up the phone, then a telemarketer interrupts your call to inform you that your credit card bill is 90 days overdue and they are going to send you to collections. After that, your boyfriend/girlfriend calls to ask you to go to the movies.
Each of these calls will elicit different behavior. Do this exercise many times with many different people on the other end to learn about yourself and to build a warehouse of transferences to use for future productions.
You can apply this exercise to your aria/scene work by putting up the Fourth Side before you begin work on it. Know who you are singing to in the aria and see how your behavior is affected by that other person. Make them as specific to you as the current relationships you have in your own life.
Because opera can be such an egoic art form, many singers tend to find the elements of performance that put them on display, playing to what they think the audience WANTS to see and hear, and trading in their own unique artistic voices for an easily constructed imitation.
Our souls are mysterious, infinite, and wondrous. We always believe that we have a sense of who we are - but do we REALLY know who we are? We hold onto cliched images of ourselves that never reveal the true nature and depth of who we are.
Can we be RUTHLESSLY honest with ourselves? When are we greedy, bossy, fearful, silly, hateful, spiteful? When I'm dealing with a rude salesperson, I can take offense, my ego can rise in me (despite myself) and I can find myself becoming aggressive, rude, and indignant in return.
You can't let anything idiosyncratic pass you by! All the delicious neuroses, impulses, fears, and stupidities are what make you WHO YOU ARE and they also create the characters that you will portray.
The basic components of the characters we will play are somewhere within ourselves. There are hundreds of people within you that will surface throughout the course of a single day. You change your sense of self a hundred times a day as you are influenced by circumstances, your relationship to others, the nature of the event, and your clothing.
This self-discovery will NEVER cease and it will take a long time to put into practice consistently.
Watching others can be helpful to you if it assists you to identify HOW YOU BEHAVE. But to look OUTSIDE YOURSELF for an imitation of someone else is as dangerous as copying someone else's vocal sound or style.
Hagen's THIRD exercise is a terrific way to learn more about yourself and the things that propel and source your behavior. You'll be able to quickly delve into different aspects of yourself. You'll also discover how you treat people depending on who they are, your past with them, how they're treating you, what you want from them and what else is going on in your life. It will also give you insight into your relationships and teach you that NO RELATIONSHIP is in stasis.
In the exercise, you make or receive three separate phone calls from three separate people. Make sure to select three people that cause your behavior to change when they interact with you. The circumstances that you select should be unrelated to the phone calls themselves. You can set it up like the FIRST exercise, but you just happen to make/receive calls. Just be sure that the calls change your behavior and NOT the circumstances that you find yourself.
This exercises should last for 3 minutes. Make sure to keep to it, to keep your selections fresh and to the point.
You could be calling your sister to tell her good news about getting cast in an opera but her 5-year-old little girl picks up the phone, then a telemarketer interrupts your call to inform you that your credit card bill is 90 days overdue and they are going to send you to collections. After that, your boyfriend/girlfriend calls to ask you to go to the movies.
Each of these calls will elicit different behavior. Do this exercise many times with many different people on the other end to learn about yourself and to build a warehouse of transferences to use for future productions.
You can apply this exercise to your aria/scene work by putting up the Fourth Side before you begin work on it. Know who you are singing to in the aria and see how your behavior is affected by that other person. Make them as specific to you as the current relationships you have in your own life.
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