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Musical Theatre Fundamentals

INTRODUCTION

In 1983, when I replaced Layman Engel at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, my task as the Singing & Musical Theatre Instructor was two fold. For the first year’s program I had to design a way of teaching singing technique to large groups of actors with a disparate ability and then for the second year’s program, provide a method of accommodating that improved technical disparity and taking it to a performance level while infusing it with acting.

To access the system for teaching singing to this broad range of actor’s go to the Vocal Exercises section of this web-site. What follows here is the method I’ve developed and used with great success for many years for infusing acting into the singing while accommodating a disparity of technical abilities.

Exercise 1: LISTENING AND ADJUSTING.

First Year background: In the first year I use pre-recorded piano tracks. Each song has a track with someone singing the song and then a track with just the piano. The first 4 songs are the same for everyone. Coordinated breathing to allow sound to "be made" as opposed to "making it", talking on pitch, adding a through line of sound and sustaining the sound on open vowels are the simple but very important foundational things that level the playing field for everyone in these first 4 songs. Those few that are trained or feel that they have a natural ability and want to "perform" are relieved of that desire by having to do something simple that everyone is required to do. From there they are given 2 tapes/CD’s with 12 songs on each, 4 beginner, 4 intermediate and 4 somewhat advanced. They pick 4 of those 12 songs to do as singing demonstrations. This allows for various technical levels, styles, ear training (as some songs contain little to no melody line) and technical coaching on a variety of issues and levels. Near the end of the year they have to memorize their songs, and this is then carried over into all the second year work.

In the second year, we use a live pianist for all sessions and the first thing is to be able to "listen and adjust" to the song as it’s being played (a little differently every time) and creating in the moment with the pianist. I have them sit on a stool at the piano and feel the music, and be spontaneous. I tell them, "This is your dance partner. You lead the dance and can do anything you want to do". I hire pianists that can play in any style and in any key as the students need to be totally taken care of. If they have trouble hearing the melody, then the melody is there, if they are more advanced then its accompaniment all the way. This allows for each person to grow and have fun.

Exercise 2: BEING AT HOME ON THE STAGE

Once this connection of listening and adjusting has been made, I have them continue that process while walking around on stage singing. I place a variety of props and furniture on stage and have them improvise movement; sitting, standing way upstage, stacking cubes, touching the curtains, etc., just getting to feel at home on the stage while still maintaining a connection of listening and adjusting. This exercise takes away their desire to "show and tell" and helps them remain physically engaged in a normal way while singing.

Exercise 3 & 4: ONE-ON-ONE & OUTRAGEOUS

This is from the syllabus as it’s the easiest way to explain these exercises and their effect:

Step 3: ONE-ON-ONE: You sit in a chair and directly across from you sits a person of your choice from the class. We, as a class, sit in a semi-circle around the person to whom you are singing. Locking eyes with the other person, from the beginning of the song until the end of it, you sing the song and tell the truth. This will include laughing, crying, being embarrassed, angry, hurt, upset, afraid, nervous, panicked, or whatever else comes up.

It is often very uncomfortable, intimate, naked…and you will want to retreat behind a socially acceptable façade. The objective is to break through the façade and maintain a truthful openness throughout the song. When you break through this social façade, it allows you to be in the moment as it occurs, to connect and therefore communicate to someone. Most importantly, by telling the truth, to genuinely, intimately, charmingly, sincerely let us know you. Being able to open up and truthfully communicate what is going on is what accesses your uniqueness and your talent.

Step 4: OUTRAGEOUS: You will perform the same song in front of the class doing the most outrageous things you can think of. It should be done with preparation. You can be as elaborate as you want, using props, dressing in costumes, etc. This exercise is designed to allow you to feel completely and totally foolish, embarrassed, dumb, etc. It stretches the boundaries to the nth degree.

For those of you who have a crazy side, it gives license to have fun and explore the outer limits. For those of you who do not often, if ever, give yourself license to go nuts, it can be wonderfully painful and embarrassing. The most important thing for everyone is to commit to this exercise 100%. In so doing you lose your self consciousness and it opens up amazing possibilities for song interpretation.

Note: These exercises both worked right from their inception. If you use them, it is suggested that you do them together with a break in between. At the Playhouse, I see the second year students twice on Wednesday; once in the morning and then again in the afternoon. So we do the One-on-One in the morning, and everyone leaves all emotional and then we do the Outrageous in the afternoon and people just leave giddy. It creates a real camaraderie and a sort of magical high from being so exposed and crazy together and the class always bonds at this point in time. It’s also very important to do the songs in the One-on-One con voce, ad lib, out of tempo, and to have a pianist that can change keys right on the spot without compromising the songs.

Exercise 5 & 6: DOING & WAYS OF DOING

This part I’ll explain in a condensed version but if you are truly interested in using all of these exercises fully I can email you a syllabus for the second year Playhouse program which goes more into depth as to what can be accomplished with each exercise and how to use them.

I now have each person sit on a stool next to the piano again and with their eyes closed, sing through the song monitoring the emotional journey and images that occur. Since an emotional response is what triggers all truthful action, we identify the emotions that occur and then attach an action verb or what we call a "doing" to it.

For instance, if the overall emotions throughout a song are frustration, upset and anger... what "doing" most fully captures that emotion? It could be ‘confronting’. If so, then "how" is that confrontation occurring? Initially, the beginning emotions might be the frustrated feelings of hurt and rejection, so you ‘lash out’. ‘Lashing out’, now is the first way that you’re confronting the person. Then, ‘having had your say’, yet still feeling frustrated and upset but now full of piss and vinegar from ‘having had your say’, you ‘mock’ the person. ‘Mocking’ the person makes your anger and rage increase and now feeling powerful you ‘strut’ and ‘rub their face in it’, so to speak, and then because the anger still does not subside you feel like fighting the person, so you ‘taunt’ and ‘challenge’ them and in so doing, make your confrontation complete.

The main feeling in a song could be love, joy and happiness so your overall ‘doing’ is maybe ‘celebrating’ and then you’d identify through the emotional journey, the various ways ‘how’ you celebrate. An overall feeling of lust might be ‘seducing’, and so on.

Here is the main point of this exercise and a very important point. If we simply read the lyrics and generate actions or ‘doings’ from the thought side of the brain, we will always come up with a generic interpretation that is almost identical to everyone else. And if we try to be different and unusual for the sake of being different and unusual, it will ring false. However, if we allow truthful emotions to be expressed, we will always find a unique interpretation that is totally ours and not a cookie cutter version. This is a most fulfilling and rewarding experience and how true artistry is created. When you see a performer giving an all out unique and unusual interpretation of a song or character, it’s because they have tapped into their visceral response to that song.

Exercise 7: A PROP

This exercise is designed to deepen the overall "DOING" & "WAYS OF DOING" and to begin the process of physicalizing the song. The sign of a good prop is being able to go through the song without words and be able to clearly and comfortably physicalize all the "Ways of Doing".

Example:    DOING: seduce
                    WAYS OF DOING: flirting, playing coy, daring and                                                       offering

Using a scarf for a woman or a cap or hat for a man will almost always work as these are things with which most of us are familiar and comfortable. How would you use the scarf/hat to flirt, play coy, dare and offer? If you want to be more daring or comedic in your seduction, you might use a vibrator. However, where one person will feel at home with a vibrator and be terribly funny, charming and sexy with it, another person will be totally awkward, embarrassed and un-sexy holding on to such a prop. This needs to be very personal to allow your uniqueness and talent to shine.

The possibilities are endless but starting with only one prop and being as inventive as possible with that prop works our creative imagination. This is such a fun exercise and ultimately demonstrates that we are more entertained by creative inventions than conventional devices.

I once saw a number performed on Broadway in a revue where the "Doing" was ‘preparing’ (for a hot date) and the single prop was an eye lash that wouldn’t go on right. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. It was one of the most inventive and entertaining performances that I have ever witnessed.

Exercise 8: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Now it’s time to continue the process through the eyes of a character, within the parameters of circumstance and the relationship we have to other characters.

With this segment we will complete what I call the "Emotional Structure".

Through a personal and visceral connection to a song, we have already found out what that song means to you. This is a very basic and important step because regardless of what character we might become in performing a song, it’s still you as the character. When you’re working on a character and you are discussing it, all directors have you speak as the character. You don’t say, "The character feels betrayed at this point in time", you say, "I feel betrayed at this point in time". There’s a very important reason for that way of speaking. You are the character and even if that character is far removed from who you are as an individual and you have to create a very intricate History or Back Story to allow yourself to truthfully inhabit a character, it’s still you living as the character. That’s why every character written takes on a different life, a different incarnation, with each actor who plays a role. You must always start with your inner response and work outward for it to be truthful and real.

Here are the new elements which will complete building the "Emotional Structure".

  1. CHARACTER: Who am I? What is my background? What is my present state of being and how do I perceive myself at this point in time where the song begins?

    Another word for background is Back Story or History. Where was I (the character) born? What sort of family do I have? What sort of education or lack of education do I have? What sort of relationships do I have with my family members and people outside the home structure (in the show). And most importantly: What incidents in my life have influenced me the most? All of this information, and more, informs your choices (as the character) in life now, in this scene, in this song.


  2. CIRCUMSTANCE: What has happened, what is now happening and what do I plan or expect to happen later on?


  3. RELATIONSHIP: Who am I talking to? How do I feel about them? What’s our Back Story?


  4. OBJECTIVE: What do I want? What is my main goal, not just in this song but overall as I, the character, relate to this circumstance? It is the "why" of your "Doing".


  5. OBSTACLE: What is stopping me or getting in the way of obtaining my OBJECTIVE (what I want)? How can I overcome it?


  6. BEHAVIOR: What are my actions? How do I overcome the OBSTACLE and reach my OBJECTIVE? These actions are your "Ways of Doing".
So you can see how it all fits together like a puzzle. If you leave out any piece it weakens the framework of the "Emotional Structure". When you have solved each part and are clear about it you simply stay present (in the moment) and respond appropriately to each moment as it occurs.

Here’s a mock work sheet to ferret out the "BEHAVIOR".

CHARACTER: Horny person
CIRCUMSTANCE: Hanging out at a bar
RELATIONSHIP: Attracted to ‘hot one’.
OBJECTIVE: Getting laid.
DOING: Seducing
OBSTACLE: Jealous companion

WAYS OF DOING:
1. GET NOTICED by ‘hot one’ -- Possible BEHAVIOR: 1. "Strut", "Act silly", "Over-react to something".

2. LURE ‘hot one’ away for a private conversation -- Possible BEHAVIOR: 2. "Point to secluded place", "Drop matches next to them with good pickup line".

3. CONVINCE ‘hot one’ to leave -- Possible BEHAVIOR: 3. "Create a distraction so they can leave and then you follow".

Note: In adding these elements, be aware that adjustments may need to occur in the details or maybe even in the structure (DOING and WAYS OF DOING). Another question always appropriate to ask at this point in time is; "Are my stakes high enough in both my OBJECTIVE and OBSTACLE?" If the stakes are low, you don’t have something worth fighting for.

If the stakes are high enough you will have created a conflict that needs resolution. Theatre (drama) is conflict that needs resolution. And, good Theatre is not just about the conflict but about people who care enough (therefore we care about them) to fight 100% for something and use every means available to overcome the obstacle that stands in the way of their objective. This sort of fight brings great variety. Consistency is dramatic death. Also, variety helps you stay involved and when you are involved (experiencing each moment as it occurs), you involve those with whom you are interacting and those (in the audience) who are witnessing the drama.

Exercise 9: PHYSICAL STRUCTURE / STAGING

We are now ready to build a "Physical Structure" to house the "Emotional Structure". It’s called staging.

By now, with building the "Emotional Structure" we are already informed about many of the components needed to physicalize and stage a number. Not only do we have an idea about what might be a good setting for each song but "why" and "how" we would move about in that setting. So now, we just have to make specific choices that support and enhance the work already completed.

  1. PLACE (surroundings): What is the setting in which I find myself? What part of the world am I in? Am I in the city or country? What’s the neighborhood like? Am I in a building or outside? If I’m in a building, what room am I in? If I’m not in a building, exactly where am I? What’s the condition of the place and the nature of the objects that are there? Are the objects old or new? What time period is it? As you can see the list goes on and on and the more detailed and specific we are the more our "Doings" will be supported.

    In a Musical the place is often clearly defined. In a Revue, it’s often not. In either event, choosing and/or defining the place in which you perform the song needs to be done with extreme care because everything that follows will be affected by this choice. A bedroom is furnished differently than a tavern, yet a seduction can occur in both. One is private, the other is public. The objects and props found in each place are different. The way you dress is different. Even the way you move is different. So the emotional life that you have already established takes on a new meaning by the place that you choose.

    Once you have chosen the place, the best way to test its validity is to ask yourself; "How do I feel about this place?" and "Can I get what I’m want (what I’m fighting for) in these surrounding?" If your feelings about the place align with your "Doings" and you can fight for what you want in these surroundings then the choice will work.


  2. PROPS and FURNITURE: Once you’ve chosen the place (surroundings), adding the props and furniture is relatively easy because you’ve limited what can be used by the place you’ve chosen. It is, however, imperative in making these choices, to do it with the utmost care. The furniture and props need to be as minimal and as effective as possible. Minimal simply means use as few as possible as clutter will impede focus. The effectiveness of each item picked needs some contemplation and trial and error. First, ask yourself: "What has to be here for me to carry out my ‘DOINGS’?" Next, look at what appropriate items will assist you more fully in carrying out your ‘DOING’ and ‘WAYS OF DOING’.

    Once you have ascertained what items are to be used, set them up and run the song and see how they work. Then go back and take the song ‘a cappella’ section by section and develop the use of these items as the character you are. Also, develop their use with regards to whom you’re speaking to and find out how you would use each thing in getting what you want. Be detailed and specific and write things down so you can come back to them.


  3. COSTUME: The addition of a costume (clothes, shoes. hat, cane…whatever) is as crucial an element as ones surrounding because it affects not only the externals (how you move) but the internals (viscerally/how you feel).

    I once played the part of an ex-marine, now grease-monkey heavy. I chose a marine cap, a pair of tattered overalls, a dirty garage rag, engineer boots that were one size too big and a switchblade knife. Each choice was very specific. The marine cap was my attempt to hold onto lost authority, power; the switchblade knife – combat excitement; tattered overalls and dirty rags – my current uniform and the oversized boots gave me a menacing walk. The oversized boots and knife had the most visceral effect on me. It gave me a kick-ass feeling…a feeling that I was dangerous.
Again, as with the other pieces of this puzzle that you’re assembling; each thing needs to be simple, minimal, effective and truthfully exacting.

EXERCISE 10: PRESENTATION

Now that we have developed both and "Emotional & Physical Structures" for the songs, it is time to polish it into a presentation that is stage worthy. Out of the emotional and physical development, an idea (a plan of action) has already emerged. That idea now needs dramatic effectiveness to be theatrical. It needs a story line with a beginning, middle and end. This needs to be simple and clear to be effective.

  1. SONG IDEA / STORYLINE: What are the details of the event?
  2. BEGINNING: How does it start?
  3. MIDDLE: What does it lead up to?
  4. END: How does it conclude? It’s often called the "button"...something that gives it a clear ending moment.
Additionally, it is important to know, or create, a catalyst which initiates the beginning of the song and to know what occurs upon the completion of the song.
  1. BEFORE: "What occurs right before the song starts? What compels me to sing the song?"
  2. AFTER: "What is the next logical thing to take place"? Will I leave this place for another location? Will I stay? What would I do next?
Both of these things are for you to know but not to show. They help ground the number and complete the presentation.

Exercise 11: IMPROVISATION: Improvisation is to make, invent or arrange offhand; to construct or fabricate out of what is conveniently at hand. At the beginning of this process you learn the notes and then let the song "do" you. You explore through letting the song take you wherever it wants to go. So, you start with an improvisation to get to know the song. Once that is complete, you then form a simple yet detailed and specific structure both emotionally and physically. You then add to that, through the process of rehearsal, a set of precise choices which give us a performance level presentation.

You now have a solid framework for your song. That is what is now conveniently at hand. Allowing yourself to completely let go within that framework is what will now breathe full life into your song each and every time you do it. It will be a new experience each time that you sing the song yet consistent because of the emotional and physical structure at your disposal. Now you can give 100% to each and every moment as it occurs, experiencing every nuance by trusting the solidity of your preparation.

This allows the joy of performing. Even if it is a heart-wrenching, gut-spilling event, it is fulfilling. It is a high, because each time you take a risk by completely letting go, you allow the fullness of the experience to exist. It’s like jumping off a bridge with a bungee cord or sky diving. The key here is to trust. Trust the structure you have crafted and trust your intuitions, knowing that each performance of the song will be a new experience filled to the brim with new moments. Until you trust completely…surrender completely, will you ever ‘nail it’, so to speak.

So, polish the presentation then add the element of IMPROVISATION to the presentation without giving up your emotional or physical structures. Once you fully experience the joy of performing like this you’ll never allow yourself to do anything other.