Stage One - Vocal Technique

Lisa Carrier demonstrates proper vocal technique to
Stage One Students

 We are wrapping up the first week of Stage One here at Signature Theatre this summer and with the close of the first half of the workshop comes one more master class. Our final master class focused on proper vocal technique and presentation and was led by the incomparable Lisa Carrier Baker.

Jacob gets a few pointers from Lisa on his
prepared 16 bars.

An acclaimed vocal teacher and performer, Lisa spent three seasons as Artist in Residence with the Fletcher Opera Institute at North Carolina School of the Arts. From 2009 to 2011, Lisa served as both Director of Education at the Musical Theatre Center (now Adventure Theatre MTC) and continues as Director of Ensembles. She has performed on several national tours including La Boheme (Musetta) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Anne). Other performance credits include: Ohio Light Opera: Christopher Columbus (Gretel – American Premiere); Lyric Theatre: Follies (Young Sally), Singin’ in the Rain (Zelda Zanders), Dames at Sea (Mona). Some of her Washington DC credits include: Kennedy Center: TThe Emperor’s New Clothes (Reyalto), several Page to Stage Festivals; American Century Theatre: Dear World (Nina); Washington Savoyards: The Mikado (Yum Yum); Toby’s Dinner Theatre: The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess); Ganymede Arts: Falsetto’s (Trina.) 

Lisa explains how to captivate an audience
and act a song.

Lisa is an adjunct professor of voice at American University and Montgomery College. Her students can be heard on Broadway stages, national tours, and are local Helen Hayes award winners and nominees. 

During her master class, Lisa observed several students cuttings of audition songs. After observing each short performances, Lisa offered up advice and exercises to help each individual student. The advice ranged from different physical exercises to directing the students' sound to visualization and association to helping find purpose and connection to the songs. 

One of the main points that Lisa helped get across to the students was finding relatability and connection to a song. A person might be singing about the biggest and saddest moment of their life in the context of the show, and that is all very well and good but not everyone has had that same giant, sad moment in their life. For instance, in Show Boat, the song "Make Believe" is about falling in love and admitting one's feelings for another person. Not everyone has had colossal conflicting feelings like this before. So, perhaps instead of using the image and idea of admitting love for another person use something you do love. Does the performer love pizza and peanut butter? Then sing about admitting your love for pizza and peanut butter. Keep the lyrics but alter your connection to the feelings expressed in the song.

Bryan sings a cut of "Santa Fe" from Newsies after receiving
a bit of direction from Lisa.

On Twitter? Follow Stage One at #SigStageOne

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Overtures - Workshop with Erika Shannon and Jen DeRosa

Jen DeRosa looks on as Erika Shannon
give physical adjustment suggestions
to students.

Yesterday, the Overtures students had the pleasure of spending a large portion of their day participating in a workshop with Erika Shannon and Jen DeRosa. What started out in the early part of the day as one of the most intense physical warm-ups any had experienced eventually led to a more relaxed and far less sweaty vocal workshop in the afternoon. As one student described the morning warm up / workout, "It was the most intense workout I've ever had. Definitely a lot more exhausting than any class or personal training session I have done at any gym before." Another student cried, "Why didn't you tell us to bring a spare shirt to move in? I didn't think I was going to be sweating this much today." All sweatiness and exhaustion aside, the morning warm-up session ended with tired smiles and energized bodies, exactly what Jen and Erika needed for the work they would do later that afternoon with the students. 

Allison takes note and adjusts her performance
of "You've Got Possiblities"

After a well deserved lunch break and stretching session, the Overtures students were back in the rehearsal room with Jen and Erika to focus on the performance side of things; both vocally and physically. Each student presented a short cut of one of their assigned songs to the instructors and was then given individual feedback. Some may think that only seeing 32 bars of a song is not enough to offer advice to improve ones performance. Those people would be wrong! For every student that presented a piece for the class, Jen and Erika had eclectic and useful advice to adjust physically and vocally to make their songs truly their own. Suggestions and adjustments varied greatly from barnyard animal noises, vocal centers, physical pressence / blocking, to even throwing words and objects around the room. No student was forgotten and none of the students will likely forget this unique workshop session.

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