Voice Work
As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.
— Jack Kornfield
The Roy Hart Centre approach to voice has its roots in the teachings of Alfred Wolfson, a pioneer of contemporary voice work. Wolfson began his research during the 1920’s after serving in the trenches of World War I.
Following discharge from the military, Wolfson was haunted by auditory hallucinations of the uncanny cries of soldiers whom he had witnessed dying on the battlefield. Wolfsohn was diagnosed with shellshock but failed to recover in response to conventional treatment. Instead, he cured himself through vocal investigations that catalysed healing. This experience, together with his own interest in the work of Carl Jung, led Wolfson to develop an approach that could be applied in both the therapeutic and artistic domains.
Wolfson taught in Berlin from 1935 to 1939 and in London from 1943 until 1962 when he died. Among his students was Roy Hart, a charismatic actor and director who went on to form the Roy Hart Theatre - an avant garde company known for its use of extended vocal technique. The Roy Hart Theatre had a substantial influence on the work of Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski and other notable figures of the European avant garde during the 1960’s and 70’s.
In 1974, The Roy Hart Theatre group moved to the Chateau de Malérargues in the Cévennes hills of southern France where they established a theatre and training school dedicated to vocal research and the artistic application of voice. Malérargues remains a centre and gathering point for people across the world who are interested in the practice of experimental voice work.
If you don’t do your dance, who will?
— Gabrielle Roth
I came across the Roy Hart Centre approach in 1993 while studying dance in the Dordogne region of France. My first experience with David Goldsworthy was deeply transformative, leaving an impression that lasted for decades — ultimately guiding me back to Malérargues in 2013.
Since then, I have had the good fortune to work with many more original members of the Roy Hart Theatre including Jonathan Hart, Kevin Crawford, Kaya Anderson, Saule Ryan, Ian Magilton and Pascal Ben. I am a graduate of the Advanced Pedagogic Group and am currently in the teacher training Apprenticeship Program.
I myself now lead voice workshops that are informed and inspired by the Roy Hart tradition. In this approach, we believe that each person has a unique voice that’s ready and waiting to be expressed. In the Roy Hart tradition however, there is no special emphasis placed on ‘pleasant’ or ‘melodious’ sound. Instead, each person - and the group as a whole - is called to investigate the full range of vocal possibilities, welcoming and embracing the multitude of sounds our voices are capable of producing. Through singing and vocal exploration, we delve into realms of the individual and collective psyche that are normally hidden. Through the production of sound that spans many octaves, textures and tone colours, we find music that is original and surprising. In this way, voice work invites a journey that allows us to access, explore and integrate diverse and sometimes contradictory aspects of our human nature.
For some, voice work offers a path towards healing, connection and awakening. For others, the human voice provides a powerful route to creative and artistic expression. As an instrument, voice can be used for evoking atmosphere, meaning and emotional depth. By liberating our authentic voices, we are able to expand vocal flexibility and expressiveness, thus bringing a rich dimension of artistry to our work as actors, singers and performers.