Monday - Harmony College - Don't be a Riser Potato

The Stage Coaches are Karen Sweeters, Jane Tamarkin and Gina Kaiser. Karen directs Harmony on the Sound chorus and was our Expression Judge. Jane is a professional actress who sings with Harmony on the Sound. Gina is the choreographer for Harmony on the Sound and was our Showmanship Judge.

DON'T BE A RISER POTATO
Character
Character is one stop shopping: when the character works, everything else works better. Jane defines character as "the development of a real person living truthfully in imaginery circumstances". For us, the imaginery circumstances is the song we're singing. Without a character to pin the song to, we don't have an emotional context for the music. If we all choose our own characters we will interpret the music differently leading to lack of unity. Jane says we all act in everyday situations (she demonstrates greeting someone whose name she's forgotten, and commenting on someone's necklace).

So we need to agree on the character and her motivation, and this will totally change the interpretation of the song (eg dynamics, forward motion). The process is that the Director chooses a ballad; then the team looks at the prose of the song as a story. Often they use films to find a character for whom the song fits. Gina comments that we pick a movie because it helps make it real for us - it's so much easier to be someone else than to be ourself (especially when our costumes don't match the song and we don't have scenery). Jane says as women we're good at using imagination and empathy to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. (Jane says: 'I've been acting all my life - I haven't said anything sincere since 1969').

Why movies? We can't pluck an emotion out of the air; emotion comes from action (story, events, people's reactions) so if I show you the action you get the emotion. Concepts like 'wishful' are hard to play, and active verbs are easier (flirting, teasing, lusting).

Jane says in a musical the song advances the plot and is part of the dialogue.

Demonstration: A Cappella West sing It's a Great Day for the Irish.

Gina says the character you pick will affect how you sing the song, and asks ACW to sing as Marilyn Monroe. Jane points out that doing this changes almost everything in the judging categories. ACW sing as Tina Turner. The audience sees fun, abandonment, energy. Jane says maybe we have to go to this crazy point in rehearsal to get the energy we want. ACS sings as Opera Singer, and as Kath and Kim.

The character is the key to how you sing the song. 'Active imaging and spontaneity are important in performance and memorisation and repetition are the enemies'.

Gina says I'm not the character, I don't have it in me, but I can take on the persona - it's easier. Jane says when we sing we are doing soliloquies (singing to ourselves_) and by using a character we are creating a dynamic exchange, because now we know who we are singing to, what their reaction is and what we want from them - it becomes a dialogue. In response to a question, Gina says yes, everyone in the chorus needs the same character. Of course this is layered on top of good singing.

Dynamic texture goes beyond loud and soft dynamics. It's how you inflect, how you say words. Having a character colours the little things - this is how you transcend technique. Jane says this has to happen right from the beginning with a new song, it can't be added at the end.

Karen says in a quartet, it's the lead who needs to feel the emotion of the song.

Gina talks about generic versus meaningful choreo moves. She shows how you can put the same choreo moves to different songs, but they don't mean much. There is more interest and flavour if the choreo moves are specific to the song.

Now ACW are asked to sing as if they were auditioning for a musical where Jane is the director holding the audition. The audience notices that they are thinking and working hard, not having fun, are focused on their individual performance and not the group.

Someone asks who makes the decisions for Harmony in the Sound's song selection. Karen chooses the song, then consults Jane. Jane looks at what we do as musical theatre, and our songs are scenes from a larger story.

Now ACW sing again - this time they've been told the Irish team has won the World Cup and they're marching down the street celebrating. They show joy, pride.

Gina says you could watch this and see which individual moves work, then make them into unit moves. You want contrast and shading so explore all the facets of the cagegory - it shouldn't be one dimensional.

There's a question about performance adrenalin. Gina says we need 'controlled abandon'. If you are all embedded in the character this will hold you in the scene. Gina says when she was new to quartetting it helped her to imagine she was someone who was the lead of another quartet who had lots of confidence.

Karen says Harmony in the Sound does a lot of comedy. What helped with pre contest nerves was to sing for another chorus so that the first performance of the day was not on the contest stage.

Someone asks about characterisation for a quartet. The lead has to sell the melody so she has the deciding vote on character, but everyone else has to be able to live with it. Karen's experience is that the best decisions are always compromises but 'every quartet has its own politics'.

Gina says if you're not of one mind it's going to affect all categories. It's always possible to find a compromise you can all live with.

Jane summarises - if you have the right character, then everything is easy. Brainstorming to find the right character is important.