Be aware of all the major musical styles, especially the ones you are not particularly fond of. Find radio stations that play music you donít normally listen to and tune into them periodically when youíre in transit ñ if youíre going to be stuck in a car (or on a bus or a train) regardless, you might as well use that time to do a bit of research. Listen for attitude ñ what was this person feeling when he/she wrote or sang that song? Listen for vocal styles ñ what inflections, pronunciations, or accents are found in that style? Listen for character choices ñ what sort of person would get up on a stage in front of people and use that style? How would that person act? How old would that person be?Knowledge of styles is important, but knowledge of the fairy tales themselves is critical. Study these stories ñ know them as well as you can! Jack Hourigan, one of my students at Second City, researched and compiled summaries of what are generally considered to be the most popular childrenís fairy tales. To view the summaries, click here.
As soon as you know your style and the fairy tale, start sketching out possibilities in your head for what parts of the story you could tell best with your style. Listen, listen, listen ñ always know where the story is. This isnít always easy; the featured player generally steps up in front of everyone else, so all you get is the sound of the playerís voice as it comes back at the stage after bouncing around the room for a bit.
And speaking of bouncing around, itís generally assumed that everyone whoís not featured engages in some sort of supportive behavior for each style (dancing to disco, or rocking out to metal, etc.). When supporting another player in this way, first make sure youíre supporting and not drawing focus; the idea is to portray a backdrop in front of which the featured player performs. Also, donít get so caught up in creating this backdrop that you forget to pay attention to how the story is progressing with each successive player.
If youíve got something really hot, and you want to follow the current player, signal the proctor by making eye contact. Conversely, if youíve got nothing and thereís no way you want to be next, make sure you're checking out your shoes or a speck of dust on the floor when the proctor looks at you!
back to Musical Fairy Tale Index