Managing “Vocal Dose” and the acting voice: how much is too much?

Abstract

Maintaining vocal health can be challenging for actors and students of acting, given the unique vocal demands placed on the performer’s voice including the use of heightened speech, character voices, prolonged speaking at loud volumes, and stage screaming. Vocal fatigue is related to the amount, type, and duration of voice use, and over time, can lead to acute or chronic vocal injury. This article discusses a measurement technique, called vocal dosimetry, which can quantify in real time the vocal fold tissue stresses related to the frequency, intensity, and accumulated duration of vocal fold vibrations. The unique vocal challenges of three different actors (undergraduate student, professional graduate student, and professor of acting) are reviewed in order to examine ways to effectively manage vocal load and optimize vocal health. Ways to monitor, prevent, and recover from vocal fatigue are presented. The actor should adopt the mindset of a vocal athlete, being intentional about training, exercise, self-care, and injury prevention and recovery. Even without access to a vocal dosimeter, actors can benefit from creating and adhering to a plan for managing vocal demands at any stage of a career, and successfully avoid a “vocal overdose.”