The job of a voice and dialect coach is to work with the cast to ensure they're conveying meaning through language and to develop the vocal stamina required for performing the season. Learn more in this Q&A with Voice and Dialect Coach Geraldine Cook-Dafner.
Can you please share a bit about your role in the production of A Streetcar Named Desire?
My role is Voice and Dialect coach. I help the actors look after their vocal health by; providing warmups and ongoing support for the vocal technique required for the production, coaching them with the dialects and analysing the text in individual and group voice sessions and in rehearsal.
What are some of the creative challenges or surprises you’ve had during rehearsals?
When you start to work on a play like this, you have to ensure that the actors are ‘show fit’. This means they need to be able to sustain speaking for three hours, eight shows a week. Some of the dialogue is very heightened: the cast are speaking above their normal speaking range. It is a bit like running a marathon. When you prepare for a marathon, you make sure you warm up your muscles and practice the route, so your muscles get used to the journey. It is no different for an actor, except they have to do it eight times a week for at least six weeks. Whilst this is not a surprise, it is always a challenge during rehearsal.
There is also a dialect challenge with A Streetcar Named Desire. There are two dialects spoken in the play. One is Mississippi, spoken by Blanche and Stella, and the other is Yat, spoken by all the other characters. Yat is a distinct dialect of New Orleans. The cast need to be careful they don’t pick up each other’s rhythms and sounds.
The other challenge is that we have to believe these characters speak in a conversational tone with each other but the actors need to be heard in the theatre so they have to appear relaxed.
Nikki Shiels and Mark Leonard Winter. Photo: Pia Johnson
Cultural context and the associated language are key to this play and production. What is your own research process and how much of it do you share with the cast?
I collect as many samples of the dialect as I can and spend some time immersed in these samples before rehearsals commence. Sometimes, cast members will ask to have sessions with me before rehearsals begin. I share as many resources as I think are necessary with the cast. I also research academic articles written about the play which I may only share with the director. I prepare sound samples of the dialect and send out a dialect package to each cast member with a list of sound samples, where sound substitutions need to be made from Australian English to the dialect of the play. I also read reviews of the play if it has been performed before and watch videos of various productions of the play if they are available.
How do you work with Anne-Louise to support her vision for the production?
I always have an initial conversation with Director Anne-Louise Sarks to discuss her vision for the production and how I can support that by providing techniques which will help the cast embody the vocal and dialect characteristics of their characters. I work with Anne-Louise in rehearsal and provide feedback to her and the cast in relation to the performance of the dialect and whether their vocal technique is supporting the vision of the production.
What is your involvement throughout the creative process from rehearsals through to production season?
I attend the first read and listen to the cast, making notes on their interpretation of the dialect and what support I think they will need. I discuss my availability with the Stage Manager who then arranges individual and group voice calls with the cast. I try and work on sections of the play they have just covered or about to cover in rehearsal so we can analyse their vocal needs. Sometimes, I am able to provide feedback if I have just witnessed the scene or the cast member might need something specific they wish to work on. I will then attend all the previews until opening night and provide feedback and, if I can, attend a performance mid-season.
Has there been anything unique or new for you working on this production?
I previously worked on The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams at Melbourne Theatre Company, so I was aware of how rigorous the cast must be with their vocal work. It is a very well written play and demands attention to detail in terms of its themes and vocal demands. For example, Tennessee Williams’s punctuation can help an actor find the character’s speaking rhythm and how they code switch from one character to another.