The Challenge of Musical Theatre - Part 3
Show Availability
Depending on where you live there may be a vast array of opportunities ,or hardly any at all, but the one common theme is ‘show availability and where do you fit in.’ So I’ve told you about my most recent experience with Jesus Christ Superstar and how I really would have struggled to fit into this particular rendition, but in fact with this particular company, I probably would have only found (comfortably) a part in one of the past three shows they have run.
Some companies , especially the non-professional companies, are a little bit more lenient with theirexpectations, however I still have witnessed time and time again the pressure that singers find themselves under to belt beyond their capabilities. Having to conform to the culture is tricky especially as the shows of old, of which legit singing is common practise, are less frequent. Now I’m not saying that with these shows that it’s a case of ‘new vs old’ or ‘legit vs belt’, and every voice has the capacity to develop much heavier qualities in their head (higher) voice, but the demands of many shows on the voice are immense and as a singer we are either not vocally developed enough or, as I’ve said earlier, we have the wrong voice type for the role we’re singing.
Schools can be a great place to experience a production, however they can also fall into the trap of conforming to culture and I have seen the same show done here in Brighton as some of my students are doing back in Australia at 15 years of age. This is fine if the vocal expectations of the kids are lessened, however there is also the peer pressure to out-perform the others, and if one person is belting out Let it Go over an E5, it’s hard for the others to hold back.
Some of you may be reading this and be thinking, ‘ oh toughen up mate, ‘ and at the end of the day you're right. There is no such thing as a perfect situation. I am always having to do things that are challenging and move me out of my comfort zone and we can leave some great opportunities on the table if we try and play it too safe. So it is up to you to decide what is uncomfortable and damaging vs uncomfortable and challenging. At the end of the day, we want longevity in our careers/hobby and not have to have vocal surgery because we just sang what was available all the time.
In closing, take time to understand your voice. If it’s your passion then invest time and money. I certainly have and if you're interested in how to develop a stronger voice with heavier qualities than you're currently experience, please don’t hesitate to get in contact.