The Voice in Modern Theatre by Jacqueline Martin

The Voice in Modern Theatre by Jacqueline Martin

First published in 1991, The Voice in Modern Theatre places voice and speech practice in the theatre in historical and theoretical perspective. It traces the development of vocal delivery from its roots in Greek rhetoric, and explains the wide range of approaches to the voice in the modern day theatre. Taking an international perspective, Jacqueline Martin assesses the influence of key theorists, with their often conflicting ideologies and of specific directors. By focusing on Shakespeare, the whole question of contemporary interpretation of the classics and the treatment of verse is addressed. A final chapter on actor training compares a number of British training institutions with their European counterparts.

This book will interest teachers of voice and speech in training institutions and universities, directors and actors and teachers and students of modern theatre.

Review of the Original Publication:

“This book starts promisingly with an overview of the relationship between rhetoric and acting since the Greeks, followed by a discussion of twentieth century politics which leads into a structural approach to vocal deliveryOnce a language for talking about voice in the theatre has been established, it is then used to consider various interpretations of Hamlet… this in turn becomes a springboard for examining vocal delivery in the theory and practice of various directors including Grotowski, Brecht, Foreman, and Bergman, with particular emphasis on their relationship to Shakespeare.”

- Franc Chamberlain, New Theatre Quarterly, Volume 8 Issue 29

Jacqueline Martin (at the time of the original publication of the book) was a Research Fellow in the Institute for Theatre Studies at Stockholm University.