It's been very interesting to see the ways in which actors have to cope technically with different theatre spaces in the streamed shows currently available.
Watching 'Treasure Island' from the vast Olivier stage at the National Theatre last night, you could see just how loudly the actors had to speak to carry across the auditorium. They were virtually at full belt throughout. This takes a huge amount of technique to protect the voice from harm and is why we stress the importance of voal warm-ups before any show.
But when seeing this on the screen it makes the whole thing very 'shouty' which is one of the diadvantages of seeing stage work on a TV screen.
Similarly 'Wonderland' from the Hampstead Theatre was a play in the round and again the actors were on full support even in the quietest moments. This contrasted with the previous Hampstead show where the prosceniuum arch setting helped subtlety (Wild).
The National Theatre Live screening of 'Fleabag' too showed just how skilled a performance it was from Phoebe Waller-Bridge. In the theatre it came across with delicacy and real nuance but on screen the mechanics of delivering the monologue were much more apparent - it just didn't work as well.
So never underestimate how important your voice lessons are, young actors! Always warm up and practice, practice, practice!
