Finding The Right Note (Part Two)
Saturday morning's rehearsal went well. I could see Deborah taking a position at the back of the sanctuary where she was obviously trying to gauge whether our troupe could be heard. Raddad resumed where we had left off Wednesday night, just before Judas's kiss. For me, it meant reciting Jesus' prayer several times in order to introduce the "tableau" of disciples congregating in a small group upstage. It meant being off-book temporarily while I raised both arms above my head, grabbing the script and then pivoting toward the group that had been assembled in back of me all the while.
I had the luxury of being able to read the page with my lines on it while moving toward the group. The new pitch in my voice felt comfortable; I could be fairly exclamatory without sounding bellicose and could change directions with my body - as Raddad wanted some lines directed at the disciples and others directed back at the congregation - without losing, or even changing, volume. I thought, if it could work there, it could work for the rest of the play, too.
Indeed, it seemed to do the trick. The only notes I got from Raddad, who, admittedly, hasn't really turned his attention to nuances in anyone's performance, were to keep the prayer crisp and not the to introduce pauses between the lines (as I thought a "real" person might) and to not sound boastful during the scene with Pilate (curiously, in Mark's version of the scene, Jesus readily admits that he is the Messiah.)
And, Deborah was happy. She reported that I could be heard from the back of the church and that using that upper register of my voice made "a lot of different colors" available to my line reading, including even a trace of humor. Of course, all of this is subject to Raddad's refinements which are sure to come, as we only have two more rehearsals before the final performance.
I had the luxury of being able to read the page with my lines on it while moving toward the group. The new pitch in my voice felt comfortable; I could be fairly exclamatory without sounding bellicose and could change directions with my body - as Raddad wanted some lines directed at the disciples and others directed back at the congregation - without losing, or even changing, volume. I thought, if it could work there, it could work for the rest of the play, too.
Indeed, it seemed to do the trick. The only notes I got from Raddad, who, admittedly, hasn't really turned his attention to nuances in anyone's performance, were to keep the prayer crisp and not the to introduce pauses between the lines (as I thought a "real" person might) and to not sound boastful during the scene with Pilate (curiously, in Mark's version of the scene, Jesus readily admits that he is the Messiah.)
And, Deborah was happy. She reported that I could be heard from the back of the church and that using that upper register of my voice made "a lot of different colors" available to my line reading, including even a trace of humor. Of course, all of this is subject to Raddad's refinements which are sure to come, as we only have two more rehearsals before the final performance.