ARTHUR LESSAC cicily berry PATSY RODENBURG david mamet

RECOMMENDED READING

There are a number of voice books out there that are brilliantly written and simple to use. They are mostly priced in the R200.00 bracket in South Africa, but are cheap at the price when you consider how much you pay to see a voice trainer. So I recommend that if you need to do simple voice work such as correct breathing, articulation, posture, freeing your jaw, loosening your tongue etc, go and buy one of the books first to see if you can’t teach yourself.

I find both The Right To Speak by Patsy Rodenburg and�Freeing The Natural Voice by Kristin Linklater well laid out, easy to follow and very easy to use! Rodenburg also includes an index at the back of her book that makes it particularly easy to quickly reference or find useful exercises. Of all the books I have read I strongly recommend the above two books! And I know that if you can’t find them at your local bookstore that they are easy to order either through your local bookstore or on Amazon.com

So if you are hesitant to spend big bucks on training, try the books first. Once you have read them I believe you will thank me!

And if you are an actor these two books should sit next to your bed and be referenced often! They are full of blurbs, thoughts and ideas that will excite you, activate your relationship to your voice, and stimulate you as a performer.

If you wish to buy these books from a bookstore or website, you can go to my children’s books Buy Books page which has several URL’s links to some of South Africa’s leading bookstores. The same links are also at the bottom of this page.

My Recommended List

Berry C, Voice and the Actor, Harrap, 1973.
(Cicely Berry is considered to be one of the greatest voice teachers ever and is world renowned for her work. I think that this book is more suitable for actors than the general public.) Learn more about Cicely Berry.

Lessac A, The Use and Training of the Human Voice, Drama Book Specialsts, 1967.
(I battle with Lessac’s work, but have watched Yvette Hardie teach it very successfully. If you are at all musical, I have a feeling that you will gel with Lessac’s work)

Linklater K, Freeing the Natural Voice, Drama Books Specialists, 1976.
(I love this book. I think Linklater explains her work extremely well, and I find it to be a very easy book to connect with and work from.)

Mamet D, True or False, Heresy and Common Sense for the Modern Actor.
(This is not a voice book, but I think Mamet has some valuable things to say about acting and over-acting)

Rodenburg P, The Right To Speak, Methuen, 1992.
(This book is a gem. I think that from beginning to end it is a wonderful introduction to the whole gamut of voice work. It is easy to read and yet extremely informative, concise, focussed and ever useful. It is a must buy!)

Also by Patsy Rodenburg
Rodenburg P, The Need For Words.
Rodenburg P, The Actor Speaks.

Lorraine Merritt, Working On The Human Voice, DrV4n2p1_4

Pepper B, DVD, Voice In Action (BUY). Or visit Bill’s Website for further details

Local Bookstore Websites
Exclusive Books
Fascination Books
Adams Books