On accents

[learnedax]

The other day I was musing on acting accents, spurred partly by a discussion in james_nicoll's journal about how practically no one gets them right, and partly by a background train of thought on playing Elizabethan theatre. Someone asked me a while back whether I did an English accent for Shakespeare; I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess for upper class characters, at least, I do a mostly region-neutral aristocratic tone. I mused on trying to make my pronunciation at least a bit more British, but as before mentioned accents are very tricky. House, M.D. is passable, and Amy Walker seems pretty convincing to me, but this is a singular talent, I would say, which is not possible, and perhaps not desirable, for the majority of actors to use. Because an accent can also be distracting, and an even slightly imperfect accent doubly so. Some roles, like Captain Fluellen, clearly demand an accent, but that's part of the character, written in to be an accent, and so not a distraction laid on top of it.

Still, there is some thinking out there that Shakespeare is more properly played with an English accent, and so I mused on whether I was doing my parts a disservice by not learning their proper tones. But then, while looking at opinions expressed on various internet fora, I saw a point made that was terribly obvious, and completely changed my thinking: modern British English is as much evolved and changed from Elizabethan English as American English is. So until we can all learn to con a true Elizabethan speech, I do not think we should feel lessened for not speaking in a different incorrect dialect.

Comments

Play-ing

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

I like experimenting with accents, but my general rule is to apply the accent thickly in practice and then polish it down to something slighter in performance. The result is a subtle change that helps define character without distraction. Usually, when you notice an accent as being way off, it is because someone tried too hard.

I like reading Shakespeare with a Virginian accent when I study the lines. All the broad vowels grant a certain beauty to the speeches. I suspect it would be incredibly jarring to use such an accent in a local performance...

Re: Play-ing

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Apropos of nothing else, I'd love to hear you read Shakespeare in a Virginian accent. :)

Re: Play-ing

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

I fear my Virginian accent doesn't hold up to any scrutiny. It needs work and detachment from South Boston.

Re: Play-ing

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

O faw a mews uv fahr...