Fitzmaurice Voicework® as a Contemplative Practice and a Decolonizing Agent in Actor Training

Abstract

This chapter explores the intersections of contemplative practices, actor training, and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. This practical method cultivates self-awareness and develops the capacity for deep concentration and greater vocal range. Through exercises and focused non-evaluative attention, Fitzmaurice Voicework® fosters a holistic approach to the artist’s well-being, creativity, attunement, and compassion toward the self. As a first-person inquiry, with direct experience of the body-mind as the object, Fitzmaurice Voicework® enables the Latinx actor to transform the sense of disconnection and displacement caused by the violence of colonialism stored in the somatic memory.