Fitzmaurice Voicework: theory, practice, and related research

Watson, Lynn; Nayak, Sadhana

doi:10.1080/23268263.2014.906968

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Further integration of Fitzmaurice voicework into practical dramatherapy contexts suggests exciting and potent opportunities for future practical research. Its transformative value for releasing tension, healing trauma and building healthy psycho-physical regulation has been thoroughly explored in practice for decades, and is substantiated by emerging interdisciplinary research (Morgan 2012;Watson and Nayak 2014). The Fitzmaurice voicework might complement dramatherapy practice where clients' needs are grounding, slowing down and adjusting the stimulation of the Autonomic Nervous System.…”

Section: Fitzmaurice Voicework®mentioning

confidence: 99%

Listen Carefully

Bruun

2015

Dramatherapy

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Voice and sounding is an integrated element in dramatherapy, as in acting and life in general. This article reflects on voicework that focuses on the intimate relationship between breathing, sounding and an embodied sense of self. The notion of listen carefully emphasises the receptive aspect of arts practice and of introversion as a foundation for authentic and healthy expression. The article addresses ‘the presence of absence’ and our ability to listen with awareness to what is implicit but not yet made conscious. It was inspired by feminist philosopher Adriana Cavarero, who proposes a philosophy of voice that challenges logo-centric Western philosophical thinking. Her work underpins the relationship between voice and identity. The discussion draws from experience of three different approaches that integrate vocal somatic exploration and a holistic approach to arts, health and life. These are the legacy of Roy Hart and Alfred Wolfsohn, Movement with touch and sound (Sesame), and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. This article addresses a broad professional community interested in the field of voice in drama and theatre practice for educational and therapeutic purposes.

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Section: Fitzmaurice Voicework®mentioning

confidence: 99%

Listen Carefully

Bruun

2015

Dramatherapy

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“…There was no change found in jitter or noise to harmonics ratio, but a slight decrease in shimmer was observed (Watson & Nayak, 2014). An important caveat in interpreting these findings is that the subject group consisted entirely of participants enrolled in the Fitzmaurice Voicework® certification program, which indicates that they possessed prior training in theatre voice techniques.…”

Section: Fitzmaurice Claims That Training In Her Technique Increases mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Lessac Method or the Alexander Technique), there has been little to no research examining the effects of Fitzmaurice Voicework® on the voice. One study by Watson and Nayak (2014) investigated whether Fitzmaurice training resulted in acoustic changes in the voice. Pre and post training measures of maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and noise to harmonics ratio were obtained.…”

Section: Fitzmaurice Claims That Training In Her Technique Increases mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A main component of destructuring is the "tremor sequence". Tremors are created by gently stretching or contracting various muscles while in modified yoga positions until the body naturally vibrates, or shakes, in response to the tension (Watson & Nayak, 2014). The vibration is then used to release tension through increasing amplitude and expanding to other parts of the body (Snow, 2015).…”

Section: Destructuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in London, where she learned classical British voice training. These techniques consisted of things such as Turner's "rib-reserve", in which the actor is taught to maintain an expanded lower ribcage and use the movement of the abdominal muscles to support speech (Watson & Nayak, 2014). As she began to work with students, she noticed that many appeared to be holding habitual tension throughout the body, in places such as the abdomen, neck, pelvis, or shoulders, and that tension inhibited their voice use, by causing unnecessary muscular strain and inefficient vocal productions.…”

Section: Chapter One: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Fitzmaurice Voicework® on the voice of graduate student actors

Meadath¹

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The vocal demands placed on actors are higher than those of the typical speaker. Actors' livelihood is predicated on their ability to consistently perform at peak levels, many times in conditions that are not optimal for vocal efficiency (e.g. theaters with poor acoustics). Further, many actors perform after spending the day at a second job to ensure they have a sufficient income to support themselves. Despite challenges, the hallmark of the strong actor is to strive for peak performance. To do so, many actors implement some form of theatre voice training. One popular method is Fitzmaurice Voicework®. Fitzmaurice Voicework® is comprised of two phases: Destructuring and Restructuring. Destructuring is based in decreasing tension through relaxation and tremoring. Restructuring focuses on maximizing voice function with the least amount of effort needed. This study specifically looked at the effect of Fitzmaurice Voicework® training on the voice, as it has little more than anecdotal evidence to support its effect. Six graduate student actors enrolled in a theatre voice course based on Fitzmaurice Voicework® completed pre and post training measures examining the changes in maximum phonation time, average loudness and loudness range, fundamental frequency and frequency range, jitter, shimmer, and noise to harmonic ratio, and perceptual measures of vocal quality (e.g. strain, breathiness, and roughness) on the CAPE-V. Despite no statistically significant findings due to the small sample size and noted variability between individual subjects, trends of more efficient performance post training were present for individuals without a history of voice problems.

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