Fitzmaurice Voicework

Fitzmaurice Voicework: Embodying the Holistic Voice is the ultimate guide to a world-renowned voice approach for discovering and developing the voice's full expressive potential and healthy use. Catherine Fitzmaurice, the originator of the Fitzmaurice Voicework approach, and Michael Morgan bring together over 60 years of original, class-tested exercises and concepts. Detailed instructions, anecdotes, and visuals are used to create an immersive, student-centered learning experience. The book rethinks short- and long-term tensions, mental barriers, and stage fright, providing self-empowering and compassionate ways to enhance vocal abilities for clearer communication, more vocal variety, and meeting vocal performance demands. The authors describe a voice technology that holistically strengthens the speaker's ability to synthesize sensations, emotions, and reflexes with mental decisions. This is done through exercises that elicit the power of the autonomic and central nervous systems through a multi-layered integrative mind/body/breath approach and introducing the innovative Destructuring/Restructuring process. Fitzmaurice Voicework is about creating meaning that considers one's entire humanity. Acting students and voice teachers will find this insightful and unique volume to be an invaluable resource. It also helps actors, voiceover artists, singers, public speakers, and anybody else develop their expressive and communication skills. It's for people who desire to speak more clearly, spontaneously, authentically, and decisively.

Catherine Fitzmaurice (https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org/the-founder) teaches voice and text in Los Angeles, New York City, and worldwide. She leads workshops and seminars and presents at theater, medical, consciousness, and voice conferences. She also trains voice teachers for the next generation in the Fitzmaurice Voicework Teacher Certification Program. Michael Morgan (https://www.michaelmorgan.online) is an actor, voice/text/speech coach, writer, and artist-activist. Originally from New York City, he has performed and taught nationally and internationally. He currently holds a position as a professor of teaching at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Michael founded The Odyssey Project®, a theater arts initiative for incarcerated youth and adults.

Foreword by Micha Espinosa Preface Acknowledgments A List of Some Abbreviations Definitions of Basic Fitzmaurice Voicework Terms Prologue by Catherine Fitzmaurice Introduction by Michael Morgan Chapter One: The Nervous System, Stage Fright, and Talent Chapter Two: Destructuring Positions and Rests Lying on Your Back Chapter Three: Destructuring Draping Positions and Rests Chapter Four: Destructuring Positions on Your Feet and Additional Guidance to Tremor Positions and Tremoring Chapter Five: Sequencing Dynamic Efforts and Cusp Exercises Chapter Six: A Bit More Anatomy with Touch Chapter Seven: Structuring and Restructuring Exercises Chapter Eight: Other Destructuring Modalities: Touch, Energy Systems, Chakras, and Qi Chapter Nine: Bridging Destructuring to Restructuring in Partnership Chapter Ten: Destructuring Partnerships: Touch Chapter Eleven: Restructuring Applications Chapter Twelve: Restructuring Partnerships Epilogue by Catherine Fitzmaurice