Unit 23 - Developing voice for the actor

Maintaining a healthy voice

It is essential that every actor maintains a healthy lifestyle as part of their career. If they do not maintain a healthy lifestyle, this could impact on their voice production and their overall performance skills which could have negative consequences throughout their career. I am therefore going to approach this element of this unit in an holistic way as I think that vocal health is directly linked to physical and mental health.  An actor will often see their body as their temple in which they have to look after and make sure is receiving what it requires. It has been proven that people who have a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body will also have a healthy mind. Here is a link to more information about this topic: https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/healthy-body-healthy-mind/ This will lead them to become more focused and hardworking during day to day life.

There are many key elements of which an actor must consider when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here, the different elements are discussed.

The first key element to making sure that an actor leads a healthy lifestyle is a balanced diet. A balanced diet includes eating foods in the correct proportion to the rest of your diet. Foods that are good for the diet and should be eaten regularly are fruits, vegetables and salads. If these foods are eaten raw, they are unprocessed which will be a great source of energy. They supply the body with natural sugars and vitamins which are essential to keep the body healthy. Starch products are also good within a diet as they supply a slow release of energy. Other foods that are good in a healthy diet are meats as they provide protein within the diet which enables the body to build and repair organs throughout. Grilled foods are also good for a balanced diet as they are healthy. Foods that have been fried should be avoided because they are unhealthy and can lead to gaining weight. Other foods that should be avoided include dairy, fats and sweets. These can also lead to the actor gaining weight but shouldn’t be removed from the diet completely. Dairy is important within the diet because it helps to make bones strong and if this is removed from the diet completely, then this could become an issue. Types of foods such as dairy, fats and sweets should be eaten in moderation and proportion to other categories within the balanced diet. Certain foods should especially be avoided just before a performance or workshop as they can have an effect on the body. Foods such as chocolate and dairy products should be avoided before a performance as they clog up the throat and can make it difficult for the actor to produce the correct notes and sounds. A healthy balanced diet is key for actors, singers and dancers even though it will affect them in different ways.

Drinking water is also another key element to a healthy actor. Water should be drunk on a regular basis and should be a suitable temperature. Water that is cold to lepid is best for the throat as it will not burn the throat being too hot and will keep the throat fresh. Water acts as a lubricant for the vocal chords as it allows them to move more easily during vocal exercises. Water also keeps you energised throughout the day unlike energy drinks which will only provide energy for a short amount of time and then will wear off after a while leaving you feeling very tired. Substances such as milk, alcohol and fizzy drinks should especially be avoided before a performance as they clog up the throat and will make it hard for the actor to produce the correct sounds.

Another key element of making sure that an actor stays healthy is keeping active. This is essential to an actor’s career and is very closely linked to a balanced diet. It is advised that an actor should carry out some sort of exercise every day. It has been proven that it is healthy for a person to break a sweat at least once a day. They may include just going for a brisk walk or even going to the gym. Here is a link to find out more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deanna-minich-phd/4-reasons-to-break-a-swea_b_13305850.html Although any type of exercise is good for an actor, there are certain exercises that are certainly better than others and are advised for actors to complete in order to make their body healthier and to enhance their performance within their career. Cardio exercises are good for actors as they can incorporate the breathing techniques that they have learnt which they could then use during their performances. Another type of exercise which is especially important is stomach exercises. This type of exercise is important because the stomach is used a lot during performances and workshops. Exercises such as plank, cross crunches, sit-ups and leg raises should be carried out regularly to notice a difference. Emotion comes from your core and if your core muscles are strong, then you will be able to use emotion more effectively. These stomach exercises will also help a lot with the posture of the actor as this is also very important. If an actor does not work out often then they will become out of shape and may find it difficult to keep up with some roles that they have to play during their career. Also, actors must be prepared to gain or lose weight depending on the role that they are playing.

Another key element to a healthy actor is a good regular sleep pattern. This is important because sleep enables a person to ‘recharge their batteries’ in other words, it enables someone to gain more energy for the next day. If someone does not have a regular sleep pattern then they may find it hard to have enough energy to last them through a day of work. Especially as an actor, a good nights is crucial as some working days can be as long as 12 hours and if a good night’s sleep has not been had, then the actor will not have enough energy for the full day. It is also healthier to sleep with the central heating off and a window open. This way there is less chance that you will breathe in dust particles in the air.

Carrying out a full warmup in preparation to work or perform is also another key element of remaining healthy. A warmup for an actor could include exercise such as a physical body shake out, breathing exercises and diction exercises. Carrying out this warmup regularly will help to maintain the actor’s skill. If a warmup is not carrying out then the risk of hurting or damaging something in the body is heightened.

There are a few things that should be avoided in order for the actor to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be able to perform to the best of their ability. One of these is smoking. Smoking is especially bad for the lungs which affects how the actor breathes during performances. Also, tongue and lip piercings can cause issues when performing. Lip and tongue piercings can become infected and can restrict the amount of movement in the mouth. These types of piercings can also go wrong by hitting a nerve which can cause serious long-term damage which can have a massive impact on an actor’s career.
In terms of my own fitness and health, I try to eat regular meals at breakfast, lunch and tea time. I think breakfast is a very important meal as it gives you the energy to start the day. Last year at college my diet was a lot more unhealthy than it is now as I was homesick and was eating sweets to cheer myself up. I'm trying to be more aware of the nutritional value of the food I eat everyday and whilst I aim to eat 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day, i don't always achieve this. I consider myself to be quite fit, last year I even did a tapathon which meant that I was tap dancing for over an hour. Each week on top of my regular dance lectures as part of the course, i also attend 2 dance classes. I also hire out the performance study on a Sunday where I carry out 3 extra hours of additional dance practice. In terms of voice production and using my voice correctly, I have maintained a regular routine of breathing and diction exercises. This has been essential as part of for part of this unit I will need to lead a full voice production workshop. This will require me to have a full and thorough understanding of all the elements of this process. I don't drink alcohol unless I am out with my parents as I know that this can have a very detrimental effect on the vocal chords and I don't smoke as I think that this would really impact on my stamina when carrying out dance classes. it could also affect my singing voice.