Hugh Jackman. Idina Menzel. Ben Vereen. Raul Esparza. Lea Salonga. Billy Porter. Audra McDonald. Barbra Streisand. What do they all have in common? All of these stars of the stage and screen are equally talented at both singing and acting, but they’re at their very best when doing both at once.
Sure, many artists can sing and many can act. It’s a truly unique gift, though, to have the talent for doing both, being capable of overlapping one medium with the other to enhance them both. A fabulous singer/actor can excite and inspire audiences to reach new emotional heights as a storyteller.
James Snyder explores the harmony between singing and acting that makes these stars such uniquely talented theatrical performers.
Techniques and Skills Required to Seamlessly Blend Both Disciplines
The first step to becoming a great singing actor is, of course, to develop both skills. But did you know that becoming a great actor first can naturally make you a better singer? The best singers convey complex, subtle emotions, which is exactly what actors naturally know how to do.
For each song, performers should solidify their technique and memorize lyrics so that they know it by heart. Then, it becomes easier to focus on the character work. They should think about who is singing the song, what they want, what they fear, and who they are singing to.
By breaking down each lyric and finding personal meaning, it becomes easier to connect with what the character should be feeling. Finding the emotional life of the song makes for a better performance than simply hitting every note accurately.
How Actors Use Song to Convey Emotions and Enhance Storytelling on Stage
The SAVI Singing Actor by Charlie Gilbert notes there are four main points for performers to focus on when using their voice as an instrument for playing a character. Actors can use the acronym SAVI to remember them:
- Specificity: Being specific means making strong choices with confidence, both internally (motivation, intention, subtext) and externally (gestures, facial expressions, line readings). Performers should practice making bold choices so it becomes second nature. Choices give an air of realism and excitement to the portrayal.
- Authenticity: The performances that resonate the most with audiences are truthful. Actors should find their personal truth in a song and apply it to the character, then try to maintain authentic/realistic body language so it doesn’t look like they are simply “performing.”
- Variety: Keep the song from being “one-note,” both literally and figuratively! Making several specific choices throughout the song keeps the forward momentum of the plot and characterization going while maintaining the audience’s interest.
- Intensity: Actors need to train like athletes in order to go to the necessary extremes in their performances, especially for long loud notes and songs that require lots of movement.
For a perfect example of these four qualities in one knockout performance, check out Raul Esparza’s brilliant line readings – and singing – in the climactic “Being Alive” from the 2008 production of Company.
Summary
By developing one’s skills, becoming SAVI, and studying the best of the best, one can gradually learn how to combine singing and acting to reach new heights as a magnetic storyteller.