Usage of microphones in Plays

[UniversalTheatreLove2]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 8:18am

Hi everyone. Can anyone inform me a little about the use of mics in straight plays? I have seen quite a few that appear to me to be using just the projection of the actor's voices. Is that true? If so what makes some productions decided to use the actor's ability of projection while other plays (non-musicals) have their actors wearing body mics?

[andrewcomp]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 8:58am

I've personally never done a straight play with a mic, and I did one musical without one. I think it's to add more character, alot of times, even in musicals, when they aren't singing, the mics are off. Not so much true on broadway because the theatres tend to be huge, but yeah. I'm not too sure onto why this tradition exists, but I don't mind it.

[UniversalTheatreLove2]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 10:14am

I definitely prefer actors to not wear mics. I think not only is it distracting to see the microphone coming from their forehead, but it also separates the audience more from the action on stage.

[UniversalTheatreLove2]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 10:07pm

Bump

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 10:29pm

Some plays in bigger houses use hanging mics and stationary mics that catch some sound.

August: Osage County used some stationary mics for sure in the Imperial, I heard it come out of Jeff Perry's mouth in a American Theatre Wing video.

[UniversalTheatreLove2]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 7:33am

Interesting...So there would be a mic hidden say at the dinner table?

[p.s.]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 11:09am

I've personally never done a straight play with a mic, and I did one musical without one.

I'm fairly certain that for South Pacific, at least through previews, Paulo Szot was not miked.

Now I see in a NYT article that miking apparently reduces the strain of speaking:

"Surprisingly for a singer trained in opera, Mr. Szot has called the body microphone a 'wonderful thing' that enables him to deliver spoken dialogue with conversational naturalness.

"Just one week after opening night, he was afflicted with a throat ailment and had to miss several performances. In interviews he said the strain of speaking his lines, something he was not used to, was the cause of his troubles."



p.s.








Link

[UniversalTheatreLove2]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 10:33pm

What a great article.

[sleepyguy1717]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 10:36pm

Plus mics are nice when you do 8 shows a week, so you don't have to blow your chords every night. Even talking can really wear you down.

[cello_dude]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 10:41pm

For all the plays I have worked when they toured Chicago: Golda's Balcony, .... Virginia Woolf, 12 Angry Men, Doubt, A Bronx Tale, they have all used microphone. That could be because the theater is much bigger then broadway's play houses though