1. Voice: Expression Besides speaking loudly and clearly on stage, one must speak with expression.

2. Factors in Speaking w/Expression Pitch Volume Quality Phrasing Tempo

3. Pitch How high or low your voice is Basic emotional responses are normally associated with certain pitch levels Low pitch=generally associated with deep emotional states (awe, sorrow, sincerity) High pitch= heightened emotional state (fear, terror, anger, rage, excitement, hysteria)

4. Pitch Use inflection in pitch to change meaning Really = question Really = boredom, statement of understanding Exercise: A: Tom fell down and injured his leg B: Oh

5. Volume How loud or soft your voice is How could volume be a factor in expression?

6. Quality Whether your voice is shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, etc.

7. Phrasing How to divide your speeches into smaller parts, adding pauses to create emphasis and a rhythmic pattern of sounds and silences

8. Tempo How fast of slowly you speak Remember that stage speech requires a much slower rate than that used in everyday conversation

9. Tempo (cont.) Things to consider The role: rate of speech often suggests certain character traits or temperament (young, excitable = faster tempo) Type of play: comedy or farce usually a faster tempo than a melodrama or tragedy Purpose of the dialogue – content will suggest rate: trivial material faster rate; important content decrease rate

10. Tempo Exercise: Using the monologue from Death of a Salesman, decide where to change the tempo and why. Mark this on your copy.

11. Inflection Means to use variety in speech Inflections creates/changes meaning or emotional content Exercise: read w/emotional overtones given to you “I want to go to the party with Jim Saturday night.”