DRAMA 1037-47 — Speech I - Foundation and Practice

2 credits
Fall and Spring
Deborah Hecht

The course focuses on a wide palette of sounds for use with a range of characters, plays, and venues, including film. Focus is on the muscular development of the speech organs for flexibility, strength, precision, and varying shapes. Actors develop a more sensitive ear for sound and variations in sounds, as well as a connection to and appreciation of the onomatopoeia of language and its direct application to text. Students identify and explore the formation of vowels and consonants of spoken English using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as written reinforcement of muscular, auditory, and linguistic awareness. Students work individually and in small groups with their teachers. Application and evaluation involve physical and vocal exercises, text memorization, phonetic transcription, and landmark recorded passages.