Michael Corbidge, Voice and Text Coach of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Southend Shakespeare Company recently gave local amateur performers an opportunity to work with the extremely talented Michael Corbidge who is the voice and text coach/practitioner for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Classically trained, Michael had previously given a three day Shakespeare workshop in January this year and this time he returned for a one day workshop especially tailored for vocal exercises and working in the open air. It was a terrific opportunity for the cast of SSC’s latest summer production, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, to attend as all but one of their productions will be held in the open air.
Michael is currently working with Bryn Terfel for Fiddler on the Roof at Grange Park but he was delighted to be asked back and it was lovely to see him in Southend again.
I got the opportunity to ask a very busy Michael a few questions to see what makes him tick and found out, amongst other things, that he has chickens for pets and he will have no hesitation in walking out of a theatre if he thinks the performance is rubbish! Here's what he had to say:-
KT: You told me that your grandfather would read Shakespeare plays to you as a young boy and that he would often take you to see plays at Stratford, which must have been wonderful. What’s your earliest memory of being introduced to Shakespeare?
MC: My grandfather read us the stories from Shakespeare. A popular book for us growing up was called ‘The Lamb’s Tales.’ We must have been 6 or 7. We went to the cinema regularly and to the theatre and of course in those days the circus. So there was always a grand building being visited. My school often had visiting theatre companies with lavish workshops where we made things and performed. I remember vividly in my infant school doing the ‘Nativity’ I played a king and my mum made this amazing costume. I had a crown with fruit gums on it! Play and putting on a play was always round the next corner; summer holidays and at Easter especially.
KT: Were your parents involved in the acting profession in any way?
MC: They were keen theatre-goers and we were always at the Bath Theatre Royal or the Old Vic in Bristol as well as numerous other local theatres. They were involved in the local Gilbert and Sullivan choral society but not professional and not from acting stock. So I’m not part of any acting dynasty!
KT: Did you do well at school?
MC: Not really, I was not the classic ‘A’ grade student. I struggled quite a bit with science and Maths but flourished in the arts like English and Art and of course Drama!
I didn’t fail but it was tough especially having a twin brother. We were always paired together and he was bright and clever. So for years I had to try and keep up.
KT: What was your first job after graduating from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School?
MC: My first job was for Murray Melvin at a toy box theatre in Oxfordshire and the Panto was written by one of the Goodies. Jack the Giant Killer. Chipping Norton Theatre run by Tamara Malcolm.
KT: What have been your favourite parts as an actor?
MC: All the classical parts! Romeo, Berowne, Bassanio, Lorenzo, Benedict and of course as I’ve got older all the fathers! And old men!
KT: Tell us about your transition from actor to voice coach.
MC: Well it’s never really been a transition. I still do everything and everything feeds into each job. Often I don’t differentiate. But I do teach voice so that’s a very different scenario so you are in a classroom with a set of deliverables. But on a production, as voice and text practitioner/director, I’m part of the creative team and of course we all have a common goal. We had a very intensive training at Bristol, so my love of voice and all it’s glorious potential has been a big feature of my own work.
KT: How closely do you work with a director and cast during the process of a play coming to fruition?
MC: Very closely! I’m in the room and at the same desk. My job is to make sure the story is being told and that all of Shakespeare’s amazing words are juiced to full potential and that his arguments are rigorous and robust. Also I have to make sure voice is safe and strong and managed and maintained.
I will work with actors in 1:2:1 scenarios and in groups. Often a warm up is done before every session. I stay with the production until it is finished; sometimes I’m the constant on the production.
The key is that actors are looked after and voices stay healthy and fit.
KT: Which production have you worked on that has given you the most satisfaction?
MC: I think the Shipwreck trilogy as well as the fourth shipwreck play, Pericles, it was amazing to see the arc of this work - how Shakespeare changed as a writer. Working on a trilogy was really an extraordinary experience.
KT: You don’t like the word ‘projection’ - explain why?
MC: I think projection is often connected to the words ‘shout’ or ‘loud’ and for me these are words I don’t have in my own vocabulary. If you have good, strong, secure vocal technique you will know a voice is produced by many factors: breath, intention, anchoring, forward placing, resonance, tuning, space and articulatory magnificence. Most people hear the word project and just get louder.
KT: You’ve said that if you go and see a play that doesn’t ‘make love to your ears’, you will walk out. When was the last time that happened?
MC: Last week in Richmond! Life is far too short to listen to rubbish. Written by a 20th century playwright but such poor delivery and caricature and lack or knowledge of the writer’s intention. It was beyond painful!
KT: Listening to sounds constantly must be an awful strain. What do you do to relax?
MC: I have a huge allotment so I’m really a farmer disguised as a voice coach.
KT: You seem to be constantly on the go. When did you last have a holiday? What’s your ideal destination?
MC: I’m off to Greece for two weeks in late August, plus a mad family holiday with brothers, sisters and parents to Spain in October with all the children and grandchildren to celebrate their diamond jubilee and birthdays.
KT: You say that we are all voice professionals, whether we are performers or in any other profession where our voices need to be heard. What’s the best advice you can give to maintain a healthy voice?
MC: Drink more water! Eat well and sleep well. Don’t over speak and never speak over noise. Keep out of smoky environments. Avoid drugs and too much booze on the job. Rehearse material when you can. Always consult with an ENT specialist if you are bothered by something. Avoid lozenges which numb the throat. Don’t be afraid to put yourself on total voice rest. Silence is often the great healer as is swallowing and sleep. Seek help and advice and don’t let scenarios get worse.
KT: How important is it to warm up, and down, before and after a performance?
MC: Critical! It’s important to warm up as a nights rest sets it all back. It helps detox from outside/home/personal issues and gets you in the Zone. It’s important to commune with your space not just on the stage but the whole auditorium. Your whole body needs to be engaged with the work.
KT: Lots of actors always seem to get a sore throat just before a production - what’s the best thing to do if this happens?
MC: Tricky to answer this one! Some sore throats might be brought on by nerves or mis-use others by an infection. So it’s case by case really.
One has to buy into a good health care regime when performing and it starts well before the rehearsal process starts. It’s all about life style choices.
Just the nature of a lot of people working together is always a cause for concern as coughs and sneezes spread diseases!
KT: You taught us the basics of Estill voice training and the importance of anchoring. How did you discover this craft?
MC: I trained in New Zealand and Australia as a voice craft practitioner which is the Estill method!
KT: Lots of actors find Shakespeare daunting and sometimes difficult to translate into modern day parlance. What are the best reference aides, in your opinion?
MC: Cis Berry’s books! (Cicely Frances Berry CBE was the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1969 to 2014, and is world-renowned in her work as a voice and text coach, having spent many years as an instructor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama.) Click here for the link to buy her book
KT: There must have been times when even you haven’t understood a particular piece of text? What’s the most common Shakespeare piece that you’ve come across that you just don't understand?
MC: The more obscure Histories! Mainly to do with the fact they are not commonly done and are quite dense and often over written.
KT: Who are your mentors?
MC: Cis Berry, John Barton, Francis Thomas
KT: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
MC: ‘The art of acting is doing nothing well!’
KT: Was there a time when your career could have taken another path? What would you be doing now if you weren’t a voice coach?
MC: Restaurateur!
KT: What motivates you? What gets you out of bed every morning?
MC: My chickens! And I love teaching
KT: Your workshops, as well as being informative are also very entertaining. Have you ever thought of being a stand up comedian? We love your ‘care pocket’ routine!
MC: Of course - someone once described me as Michael Corbidge Live at The Apollo! I do love an audience and I thrive on humour both giving and receiving it.
KT: What’s the most showbizzy thing you’ve every done?
MC: Had dinner with Sigourney Weaver!
KT: Who would you like to meet, living or dead; and if they walked into the room right now, what would you say to them?
MC: Laurence Olivier and could you please do all the Hamlet speeches!
KT: Tell us a secret about yourself and then I’ll let you go?
MC: I’m very nervous in crowds and in public situations. Hard to believe but true.
Classically trained, Michael had previously given a three day Shakespeare workshop in January this year and this time he returned for a one day workshop especially tailored for vocal exercises and working in the open air. It was a terrific opportunity for the cast of SSC’s latest summer production, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, to attend as all but one of their productions will be held in the open air.
Michael is currently working with Bryn Terfel for Fiddler on the Roof at Grange Park but he was delighted to be asked back and it was lovely to see him in Southend again.
I got the opportunity to ask a very busy Michael a few questions to see what makes him tick and found out, amongst other things, that he has chickens for pets and he will have no hesitation in walking out of a theatre if he thinks the performance is rubbish! Here's what he had to say:-
KT: You told me that your grandfather would read Shakespeare plays to you as a young boy and that he would often take you to see plays at Stratford, which must have been wonderful. What’s your earliest memory of being introduced to Shakespeare?
MC: My grandfather read us the stories from Shakespeare. A popular book for us growing up was called ‘The Lamb’s Tales.’ We must have been 6 or 7. We went to the cinema regularly and to the theatre and of course in those days the circus. So there was always a grand building being visited. My school often had visiting theatre companies with lavish workshops where we made things and performed. I remember vividly in my infant school doing the ‘Nativity’ I played a king and my mum made this amazing costume. I had a crown with fruit gums on it! Play and putting on a play was always round the next corner; summer holidays and at Easter especially.
KT: Were your parents involved in the acting profession in any way?
MC: They were keen theatre-goers and we were always at the Bath Theatre Royal or the Old Vic in Bristol as well as numerous other local theatres. They were involved in the local Gilbert and Sullivan choral society but not professional and not from acting stock. So I’m not part of any acting dynasty!
KT: Did you do well at school?
MC: Not really, I was not the classic ‘A’ grade student. I struggled quite a bit with science and Maths but flourished in the arts like English and Art and of course Drama!
I didn’t fail but it was tough especially having a twin brother. We were always paired together and he was bright and clever. So for years I had to try and keep up.
KT: What was your first job after graduating from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School?
MC: My first job was for Murray Melvin at a toy box theatre in Oxfordshire and the Panto was written by one of the Goodies. Jack the Giant Killer. Chipping Norton Theatre run by Tamara Malcolm.
KT: What have been your favourite parts as an actor?
MC: All the classical parts! Romeo, Berowne, Bassanio, Lorenzo, Benedict and of course as I’ve got older all the fathers! And old men!
KT: Tell us about your transition from actor to voice coach.
MC: Well it’s never really been a transition. I still do everything and everything feeds into each job. Often I don’t differentiate. But I do teach voice so that’s a very different scenario so you are in a classroom with a set of deliverables. But on a production, as voice and text practitioner/director, I’m part of the creative team and of course we all have a common goal. We had a very intensive training at Bristol, so my love of voice and all it’s glorious potential has been a big feature of my own work.
KT: How closely do you work with a director and cast during the process of a play coming to fruition?
MC: Very closely! I’m in the room and at the same desk. My job is to make sure the story is being told and that all of Shakespeare’s amazing words are juiced to full potential and that his arguments are rigorous and robust. Also I have to make sure voice is safe and strong and managed and maintained.
I will work with actors in 1:2:1 scenarios and in groups. Often a warm up is done before every session. I stay with the production until it is finished; sometimes I’m the constant on the production.
The key is that actors are looked after and voices stay healthy and fit.
KT: Which production have you worked on that has given you the most satisfaction?
MC: I think the Shipwreck trilogy as well as the fourth shipwreck play, Pericles, it was amazing to see the arc of this work - how Shakespeare changed as a writer. Working on a trilogy was really an extraordinary experience.
KT: You don’t like the word ‘projection’ - explain why?
MC: I think projection is often connected to the words ‘shout’ or ‘loud’ and for me these are words I don’t have in my own vocabulary. If you have good, strong, secure vocal technique you will know a voice is produced by many factors: breath, intention, anchoring, forward placing, resonance, tuning, space and articulatory magnificence. Most people hear the word project and just get louder.
KT: You’ve said that if you go and see a play that doesn’t ‘make love to your ears’, you will walk out. When was the last time that happened?
MC: Last week in Richmond! Life is far too short to listen to rubbish. Written by a 20th century playwright but such poor delivery and caricature and lack or knowledge of the writer’s intention. It was beyond painful!
KT: Listening to sounds constantly must be an awful strain. What do you do to relax?
MC: I have a huge allotment so I’m really a farmer disguised as a voice coach.
KT: You seem to be constantly on the go. When did you last have a holiday? What’s your ideal destination?
MC: I’m off to Greece for two weeks in late August, plus a mad family holiday with brothers, sisters and parents to Spain in October with all the children and grandchildren to celebrate their diamond jubilee and birthdays.
KT: You say that we are all voice professionals, whether we are performers or in any other profession where our voices need to be heard. What’s the best advice you can give to maintain a healthy voice?
MC: Drink more water! Eat well and sleep well. Don’t over speak and never speak over noise. Keep out of smoky environments. Avoid drugs and too much booze on the job. Rehearse material when you can. Always consult with an ENT specialist if you are bothered by something. Avoid lozenges which numb the throat. Don’t be afraid to put yourself on total voice rest. Silence is often the great healer as is swallowing and sleep. Seek help and advice and don’t let scenarios get worse.
KT: How important is it to warm up, and down, before and after a performance?
MC: Critical! It’s important to warm up as a nights rest sets it all back. It helps detox from outside/home/personal issues and gets you in the Zone. It’s important to commune with your space not just on the stage but the whole auditorium. Your whole body needs to be engaged with the work.
KT: Lots of actors always seem to get a sore throat just before a production - what’s the best thing to do if this happens?
MC: Tricky to answer this one! Some sore throats might be brought on by nerves or mis-use others by an infection. So it’s case by case really.
One has to buy into a good health care regime when performing and it starts well before the rehearsal process starts. It’s all about life style choices.
Just the nature of a lot of people working together is always a cause for concern as coughs and sneezes spread diseases!
KT: You taught us the basics of Estill voice training and the importance of anchoring. How did you discover this craft?
MC: I trained in New Zealand and Australia as a voice craft practitioner which is the Estill method!
KT: Lots of actors find Shakespeare daunting and sometimes difficult to translate into modern day parlance. What are the best reference aides, in your opinion?
MC: Cis Berry’s books! (Cicely Frances Berry CBE was the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1969 to 2014, and is world-renowned in her work as a voice and text coach, having spent many years as an instructor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama.) Click here for the link to buy her book
KT: There must have been times when even you haven’t understood a particular piece of text? What’s the most common Shakespeare piece that you’ve come across that you just don't understand?
MC: The more obscure Histories! Mainly to do with the fact they are not commonly done and are quite dense and often over written.
KT: Who are your mentors?
MC: Cis Berry, John Barton, Francis Thomas
KT: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
MC: ‘The art of acting is doing nothing well!’
KT: Was there a time when your career could have taken another path? What would you be doing now if you weren’t a voice coach?
MC: Restaurateur!
KT: What motivates you? What gets you out of bed every morning?
MC: My chickens! And I love teaching
KT: Your workshops, as well as being informative are also very entertaining. Have you ever thought of being a stand up comedian? We love your ‘care pocket’ routine!
MC: Of course - someone once described me as Michael Corbidge Live at The Apollo! I do love an audience and I thrive on humour both giving and receiving it.
KT: What’s the most showbizzy thing you’ve every done?
MC: Had dinner with Sigourney Weaver!
KT: Who would you like to meet, living or dead; and if they walked into the room right now, what would you say to them?
MC: Laurence Olivier and could you please do all the Hamlet speeches!
KT: Tell us a secret about yourself and then I’ll let you go?
MC: I’m very nervous in crowds and in public situations. Hard to believe but true.
Members of the Southend Shakespeare Company at a recent voice and text workshop run by Royal Shakespeare Company's Michael Corbidge
From back row: Lily Wright, Judy Laurence, Dave Lobley, Kim Tobin, Michael Corbidge, Alice Ryan, Louise Banks, Hannah Taylor
Front row: Andrew Sugden, David Goodger, Julie Carter, Tracey-Anne Bourne, Cathy McAdam
April 2015