RSC Chief Warns pandemic-Era Training Has Left Actors Vocally Underprepared for Stage
Stratford-upon-Avon – Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) artistic director Erica Whyman has voiced concern that actors emerging after pandemic lockdowns lack the vocal strength and range required for live theater. Whyman stated she has observed a decline in actors’ “muscular presence and breath systems,” attributing it to a shift towards screen work and disruptions caused by COVID-19.
“Covid was a watershed moment because I’ve been noticing this decline,” Whyman said. She noted a post-lockdown trend of young performers struggling with basic stage presence, including maintaining eye contact. “Live theatre requires that every actor awakens the audience with their presence, which is different on television and film. ‘Presence’ is connected to our body and our breath.”
Whyman explained that the demands of screen acting allow for vocal techniques not viable on stage. “If you’re in front of a screen, you can mumble. Young actors are then just playing themselves because they don’t have to stretch anything or change their breath rhythm.” She emphasized ShakespeareS understanding of individual breath rhythms and the need for actors to develop the “muscular understanding” to manipulate their voice for different roles.
Fellow actor and RSC veteran, Juliet stevenson (credited as Evans in the source article), echoed Whyman’s concerns, stating that acting craft requires dedicated practise, ultimately becoming intuitive. “The technique, the craft, is the scaffolding, so that your voice can be free and clear. Clarity is key as,if the audience can’t hear you,what hope do they have of understanding these sometimes very knotty classical texts?”
The RSC has long been a leading force in classical theatre training,and Whyman’s comments highlight a potential challenge for the future of the art form as the industry adapts to a changing landscape of performance mediums.
