David Madden’s reading (a more appropriate term here is performance or rendition) is fascinating for several reasons, however here I will focus on his application of drama technique. Madden uses various drama techniques such as vocal manipulation, inflection, timed pause, and posture changes. This should not be surprising since Madden spent a year at Yale Drama School studying under John Gassner. This is perhaps where he learnt to warm up his voice before performing. I like to believe that the latter is why he spent the 30 minutes before his presentation in engaged conversation.
To begin with, Madden employs vocal and sound manipulation. He chiefly augments his vocal delivery by lowering and raising his voice at particular points, like when Carol or another character says something important. However, Madden reveals that it’s not just about inflection. When reading I have to manipulate my voice by slurring some words, speaking rapidly, and changing my cadence. A notable example is his enactment of Glenda’s abduction in rapid pace, producing chills, captivating the audience with a cinematic delivery. In addition, Madden achieves sound manipulation by stepping towards and away from the microphone. This is a technique almost exclusive to drama and musical performance.
Furthermore, Madden creates several voices for different characters, a dramatic technique most prevalent in modern cartoon acting. This process involves shifting the pitch and tone of his voice, and, more importantly, inserting subtle accent differentiations. The subtle nature of these voice changes allows the rendition to move along smoothly without jarring the audience (too much). The voice for F is coarse and pseudo-Southern (by which I mean “uneducated-sounding”), whereas the voice for Melissa is a soft timid tone pitched higher than, yet maintaining a similarity to, Carol’s. Most intriguing is the voice of the narrator. It is subtle, unnoticeable as an interlocutor, and close to Madden’s natural voice.
I have previously learnt many of these techniques from watching drama, delivering public speeches and singing, but I’ve never considered applying them when reading poetry or creative writing. Thanks to Creative Writing Dept. for bringing Madden to read.
I wish could have made it, especially after reading your response!
ReplyDeleteI thought your response to David Madden's reading from Abducted By Circumstance was excellent. Since I have never studied drama, I learned much from what you wrote. Now I know why I was so mesmerized by his delivery. You educated me on various drama techniques such as vocal manipulation, inflection, timed pause, and posture changes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out how he achieved sound manipulation by stepping towards and away from the microphone. Your description of how he created different voices by shifting the pitch and tone of his voice and inserting subtle different accents was enlightening. I enjoyed reading your informative and well-written response.
The questions for many are these: What is the relationship between writing and presenting one's writing? How much acting should there be? At what point does a highly dramatic reading interfere with the text? And what about the notion of self-sufficiency? Should a text be able to stand on its own, or does it benefit (or even need) the author to perform it?
ReplyDeleteThese are fascinating questions for you all to think about.