Are U.S. Actors Bad to the Bard?
One Movie Star Thinks Americans Should "Speak the Speech" Not at All
Sep 16, 2009
While in Toronto promoting his remake-film Bad Lieutenant in September '09, Oscar-winner Nic Cage said non-Brit actors should just steer clear of the Bard. "I feel the rhythm of the English language and manner of English speech seem to work effectively with William Shakespeare but when Americans do it, something seems stuck."
Shakespeare Cares About the Method, Not the Accent
Cage is "not the only one with the opinion," commented JM on the Shakespeare Geek blog. But he added that British accents have nothing to do with speaking Shakespeare successfully. "For most British actors, the focus begins on Speaking and The Words, the Text and HOW it's said," while "American actors are...trained in 'The Method' -- which has no regard for the words -- and in fact, instructs its trainees to disregard them and simply 'feel' the reality of what they might be saying."
In 1983, two American groups passionate about staging the Canon stateside -- the Riverside Shakespeare Company and the Alliance for Creative Theater Education and Research -- developed a way to bridge the gap of differing actor-training methods. Based in New York, The Shakespeare Project brought over actors from London's Royal Shakespeare Company to teach actors, directors, students, and teachers through "an entertaining and educational program" of workshops, seminars, and performances.
As Christopher Ravenscroft (Nicholas Nickleby) explained to The New York Post at the time, "I am teaching the RSC approach to Shakespeare, which is essentially how to take him out of the classroom and make him live. But I would really like to tell the Americans that they already have the talent and the technique. All they need is the practice to take the horror out of Shakespeare."
"What we can teach," added John Kane (Peter Brook's A Midsummer Night's Dream), "is our own classically based tuition, our strict discipline and our external approach to verse. Articulation is not one of the strong points of American acting, and yet articulation is what makes the expression of emotion easier."
Words, Words, Words: That is the Answer
Emotional expression is one of the major stumbling blocks for Americans, according to voice coach Gedaly Guberek on The Bard Blog. "We have forgotten how to express ourselves using words," due to a learned distrust of language. "But Shakespeare characters are expressive! The words they use are their biggest tool for self-expression."
So, how can American thespians hurdle this obstacle and become accomplished classical actors?
"If there were a two word answer," wrote Guberek, "my answer would be LOVE LANGUAGE." Whether you're tackling Shakespeare or Neil Simon, "use your words effectively and you'll be a better actor."
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