Cicely Berry
Encyclopedia
Cicely Frances Berry CBE
(born May 17, 1926) is the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
and is world-renowned in her work as a voice and text coach, having spent many years as an instructor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama
. She has conducted workshops all over the globe, including Korea
, Russia
, and Asia
. Her work has also extended to prisons, using Shakespeare as a vessel to find confidence in speaking and response to imagery. One of her earliest teachers was Barbara Bunch. She stated her thoughts about her own work in New Theatre Quarterly saying that, “I see my job as intrinsically to do the following: (i) through exercises to open out the voice itself so that the actor finds her/his true potential – after all, do not singers train? (ii) by working on text – hearing and listening – to give the actor choice, and power over that choice” (1997, 48). She talks about being able to find pleasure in being articulate through Shakespeare and poetry. It puts actors in touch with their imagination, and therefore, can lead them to their own greater self-awareness. Cicely Berry’s exercises tend to be based on resistance and rougher, physical work. One of her favorite quotes is from Thomas Kyd
’s play The Spanish Tragedy
: “Where words prevail not, violence prevails.”
In addition to her extensive voice and text work in the theatre, she has also done significant work in film. Including serving as "dialogue coach" on The Last Emperor
(1987); "dialogue coach" on Stealing Beauty
(1996); and as "voice specialist" on Julie Taymor
's 1999 film, Titus
.
From Voice and the Actor:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born May 17, 1926) is the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
and is world-renowned in her work as a voice and text coach, having spent many years as an instructor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
. She has conducted workshops all over the globe, including Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Her work has also extended to prisons, using Shakespeare as a vessel to find confidence in speaking and response to imagery. One of her earliest teachers was Barbara Bunch. She stated her thoughts about her own work in New Theatre Quarterly saying that, “I see my job as intrinsically to do the following: (i) through exercises to open out the voice itself so that the actor finds her/his true potential – after all, do not singers train? (ii) by working on text – hearing and listening – to give the actor choice, and power over that choice” (1997, 48). She talks about being able to find pleasure in being articulate through Shakespeare and poetry. It puts actors in touch with their imagination, and therefore, can lead them to their own greater self-awareness. Cicely Berry’s exercises tend to be based on resistance and rougher, physical work. One of her favorite quotes is from Thomas Kyd
Thomas Kyd
Thomas Kyd was an English dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama....
’s play The Spanish Tragedy
The Spanish Tragedy
The Spanish Tragedy, or Hieronimo is Mad Again is an Elizabethan tragedy written by Thomas Kyd between 1582 and 1592. Highly popular and influential in its time, The Spanish Tragedy established a new genre in English theatre, the revenge play or revenge tragedy. Its plot contains several violent...
: “Where words prevail not, violence prevails.”
In addition to her extensive voice and text work in the theatre, she has also done significant work in film. Including serving as "dialogue coach" on The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
(1987); "dialogue coach" on Stealing Beauty
Stealing Beauty
Stealing Beauty is a 1996 drama film directed by Academy Award-winning Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci and written by Bertolucci and Susan Minot. It stars Liv Tyler, D.W. Moffett, Jeremy Irons, and Rachel Weisz...
(1996); and as "voice specialist" on Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
's 1999 film, Titus
Titus (film)
Titus is a 1999 film adaptation of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus, about the downfall of a Roman general. It was the first film of the play . The film was made by Overseas Filmgroup and Clear Blue Sky Productions and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures...
.
Books
- Voice and the Actor (1973)
- Your Voice and How to Use It
- The Actor and the Text
- Text in Action
- Word Play: A Textual Handbook for Directors and Actors
Directing
- HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
for the National Theatre Education Unit - King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
for The Other Place and The Royal Shakespeare Company
Honours
- 1985 - Received OBE
- 1992 - Nominated for special award by Arts Council for her ‘response to the challenges posed by a technologically diverse and increasingly multi-cultural environment.’
- 1997 – Doctor Honoris, National Academy of Film and Theatre Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria
- 1999 – Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Birmingham University
- 2000 – The Sam Wanamaker Prize for pioneering work in theatre
- 2001 – Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the Open University
- 2009 - Berry was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
Quotes about her
From documentary Where Words Prevail:Quotes from Cicely Berry
From Where Words Prevail:From Voice and the Actor: