Projection

With students new to performing, a common problem is the audience not being able to hear them. Some students are shy and don’t speak up, while others just naturally have a quiet speaking voice. This won’t do for a performance. Even if you have a quiet or whispered part, your audience still has to hear you clearly. So what you need to do is practice projecting your voice so that people can hear and understand you.

Getting the audience to hear you isn’t just about being loud - they need to be able to understand you as well. So your voice needs to be clear, even if you are acting a part with an accent. There are, of course, going to be scenes where part of the scene is meant to be muttered and unintelligible to the audience. Apart from these, make sure the whole audience can understand you.

If possible, practice in the place where you’ll actually give the performance. A small, carpeted room can muffle your voice. A large, concrete floored hall can make your voice echo. You’ll need to be used to the acoustics of where you’re performing, and adjust your voice to suit the environment.

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