The Use of Voice

There is a difference between the use of voice in physical theatre vs. musical theatre.

I found a great quote that helps describe the role of voice in physical theatre:

"It is NOT that the body says what the voice is saying. I start with what it is not because I find that most people (even folks in the biz) think it IS that you can say with your body what the voice is saying and I think that is redundant. Physical theatre allows the voice to explain the details and the body to control the atmosphere and changes in the metaphysical temperature of the space."
- from Daniel Stein of Dell'Arte, via network member Kali Quinn

In physical theatre, we have focused on movement, and sound is much more 'optional'. It can be used to help rhythm, or to underscore movement, or even to portray some sort of meaning, but it is not the focus of physical theatre. Also, the body and voice work together but are not redundant (as explained in the above quote). This is to say that you may be saying something, but your movement does not necessarily correspond exactly.

In musical theatre, it is much more important to use one's voice in singing, and acting. In the chorus of Oliver!, we have had repeated notes about "vocal energy" and its significance in the show. If Oliver! were a physical theatre piece, this would be much less the focus, and purposeful movement would probably take top priority. It is important to remember that one significant difference between physical theatre and musical theatre is SINGING and MUSIC.

Questions I am still left with:

Why is singing important in musical theatre--what effect does it have?


SOURCES:
http://nycphysicaltheatre.com/definition.aspx