How to Act While Singing
Master the song on it's own, first., Consider how you would act out the words if you weren't singing., Use the song and lyrics themselves to your advantage., Use your body language to match the mood of the song and your character., Use the song's...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Master the song on it's own
Trying to do two things at once usually results in both things done poorly.
Before you throw acting into the mix, make sure you can sing the song perfectly on it's own.
Having the words and melody down cold will make it much, much easier to nail the acting. -
Step 2: first.
Your first and most important goal is to convey the emotion in the song directly to the audience.
As an exercise, try reading the song like a script, acting out the lyrics in your normal voice.
If the song were a monologue, where is the emotion? The "illusion" of musicals is that the songs come spontaneously from the characters, like a normal conversation.
Preserving this immediacy is a big part of your acting., When singing and acting, your most important tool is to use your singing voice to convey emotion.
At what points can you sing the notes differently to give them a little emotional flavor? Maybe your voice cracks or falters during a sad lyric, or you slowly rise in volume as the song gets angry.
Places to take note of include:
Climactic or dramatic notes.
These are almost always matched up to big acting moments.
Quiet, introspective passages.
Where is the singing more subdued? Realizations and plot turns.
You need to make sure these lyrics are clearly and powerfully sung to keep the musical's story moving., This is the easiest and most effective way to "act" while you sing.
Figure out the general mood you want to portray and use posture, walking style, and pacing to show it.
You should keep good singing posture above all else, but you still have some room to play.
Some ideas include:
Sad characters move slowly, usually with very deliberate movements.
While you don't want to slouch while you sing, looking slightly down can give the same effect.
Happy or loving characters use big, expressive, and open gestures, as if trying to spread their wonderful emotions with the whole world.
Angry characters add weight, literally, to their movements, flying around the stage, stomping, and moving with short, rapid movements.
Pensive or thoughtful characters tend to repeat movements, like pacing, often with quick bursts of inspired movements ("Eureka!") when the light bulb above their head brightens. , Your arc is simply how your character changes.
For example, a common musical number is when the new person arrives in a town, community, etc.
At the beginning of the song, they are usually nervous and shy, but they grow in confidence as the song continues, coming out of their shell for a triumphant ending.
As a singer-actor, noting this transition will help you act your way through it.
Always ask yourself
-- what is my character's mood right before the song, and what is their mood right afterwards? How can I bridge these two feelings realistically?, In a good musical, the songs are vehicles for the characters to grow and change.
It is your job to figure out during which lines and verses that happens and to show it to the audience.
So if there is a moment halfway through the song when a female co-lead joins the hero, your face should show the happy surprise of a falling in love.
If you're the villain and you suddenly hatch a scheme, jump into maniacally glee as the plan crosses your mind., If you have a good director or choreographer, this will likely happen for you.
But even smaller or "useless" movements can be planned in advance to make them easier on the fly, and sticking to your artistic decision is crucial to pulling it off.
Use early rehearsals to try new things and get a feel for the character.
However, as the show approaches you should pick a style and practice it daily, drilling it down so that it is automatic on stage. , Acting in a musical is not only about the moments you are singing.
It's about inhabiting the world of the play.
Make sure you continue to listen to others' lines when they're singing, reacting appropriately even when you're not on the microphone.
Listen to the words as they're sung instead of just waiting for your cue.
Just like when you are singing, ask yourself how you would respond if someone said the lyrics normally, in conversation. , All of the acting in the world won't matter if the audience can't see it.
Remember to keep yourself facing the audience as you act and sing, letting them into your character's world.
That said, temporarily turning away from the audience, or looking to the sides, is a good way to act out shame, fear, or passivity.
Alternatively, turning your whole body to face the audience can drive home a big, powerful emotion or moment. , At the end of the day, your singing voice should be doing the majority of the artistic "heavy lifting." Once you've settled on facial expressions and blocking, focus on singing as well as possible.
Don't try to add lots of little tics and movements, overly-complicating the song and detracting from the actual music.
Keep it simple, act naturally, and stay close to the lyrics and mood of the song
-- do these three things and you'll be great.
Once you make a decision as an actor, be confident and stick to it.
If it feels right to you it will feel right to the audience. , Your primary goal is to sing the song as powerfully and effectively as possible, meaning you want the majority of your energy going into your voice.
The easiest way to do this is make the acting so routine you could do it in your sleep.
Practice blocking and movement until you can do it with your eyes closed, then do one more practice run.
It may seem like excess, but practicing just singing, just acting, and practicing the two together is the best way to completely nail the part. -
Step 3: Consider how you would act out the words if you weren't singing.
-
Step 4: Use the song and lyrics themselves to your advantage.
-
Step 5: Use your body language to match the mood of the song and your character.
-
Step 6: Use the song's "plot" to figure out your acting arc.
-
Step 7: Focus on the song's key moments and transitions as an actor.
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Step 8: Make your acting decisions in advance instead of relying on improvisation.
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Step 9: React to the lines from the other actors as if they were spoken.
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Step 10: Face the audience
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Step 11: unless otherwise noted by the director.
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Step 12: Keep the acting simple to be effective.
-
Step 13: Practice until the acting and singing feels automatic.
Detailed Guide
Trying to do two things at once usually results in both things done poorly.
Before you throw acting into the mix, make sure you can sing the song perfectly on it's own.
Having the words and melody down cold will make it much, much easier to nail the acting.
Your first and most important goal is to convey the emotion in the song directly to the audience.
As an exercise, try reading the song like a script, acting out the lyrics in your normal voice.
If the song were a monologue, where is the emotion? The "illusion" of musicals is that the songs come spontaneously from the characters, like a normal conversation.
Preserving this immediacy is a big part of your acting., When singing and acting, your most important tool is to use your singing voice to convey emotion.
At what points can you sing the notes differently to give them a little emotional flavor? Maybe your voice cracks or falters during a sad lyric, or you slowly rise in volume as the song gets angry.
Places to take note of include:
Climactic or dramatic notes.
These are almost always matched up to big acting moments.
Quiet, introspective passages.
Where is the singing more subdued? Realizations and plot turns.
You need to make sure these lyrics are clearly and powerfully sung to keep the musical's story moving., This is the easiest and most effective way to "act" while you sing.
Figure out the general mood you want to portray and use posture, walking style, and pacing to show it.
You should keep good singing posture above all else, but you still have some room to play.
Some ideas include:
Sad characters move slowly, usually with very deliberate movements.
While you don't want to slouch while you sing, looking slightly down can give the same effect.
Happy or loving characters use big, expressive, and open gestures, as if trying to spread their wonderful emotions with the whole world.
Angry characters add weight, literally, to their movements, flying around the stage, stomping, and moving with short, rapid movements.
Pensive or thoughtful characters tend to repeat movements, like pacing, often with quick bursts of inspired movements ("Eureka!") when the light bulb above their head brightens. , Your arc is simply how your character changes.
For example, a common musical number is when the new person arrives in a town, community, etc.
At the beginning of the song, they are usually nervous and shy, but they grow in confidence as the song continues, coming out of their shell for a triumphant ending.
As a singer-actor, noting this transition will help you act your way through it.
Always ask yourself
-- what is my character's mood right before the song, and what is their mood right afterwards? How can I bridge these two feelings realistically?, In a good musical, the songs are vehicles for the characters to grow and change.
It is your job to figure out during which lines and verses that happens and to show it to the audience.
So if there is a moment halfway through the song when a female co-lead joins the hero, your face should show the happy surprise of a falling in love.
If you're the villain and you suddenly hatch a scheme, jump into maniacally glee as the plan crosses your mind., If you have a good director or choreographer, this will likely happen for you.
But even smaller or "useless" movements can be planned in advance to make them easier on the fly, and sticking to your artistic decision is crucial to pulling it off.
Use early rehearsals to try new things and get a feel for the character.
However, as the show approaches you should pick a style and practice it daily, drilling it down so that it is automatic on stage. , Acting in a musical is not only about the moments you are singing.
It's about inhabiting the world of the play.
Make sure you continue to listen to others' lines when they're singing, reacting appropriately even when you're not on the microphone.
Listen to the words as they're sung instead of just waiting for your cue.
Just like when you are singing, ask yourself how you would respond if someone said the lyrics normally, in conversation. , All of the acting in the world won't matter if the audience can't see it.
Remember to keep yourself facing the audience as you act and sing, letting them into your character's world.
That said, temporarily turning away from the audience, or looking to the sides, is a good way to act out shame, fear, or passivity.
Alternatively, turning your whole body to face the audience can drive home a big, powerful emotion or moment. , At the end of the day, your singing voice should be doing the majority of the artistic "heavy lifting." Once you've settled on facial expressions and blocking, focus on singing as well as possible.
Don't try to add lots of little tics and movements, overly-complicating the song and detracting from the actual music.
Keep it simple, act naturally, and stay close to the lyrics and mood of the song
-- do these three things and you'll be great.
Once you make a decision as an actor, be confident and stick to it.
If it feels right to you it will feel right to the audience. , Your primary goal is to sing the song as powerfully and effectively as possible, meaning you want the majority of your energy going into your voice.
The easiest way to do this is make the acting so routine you could do it in your sleep.
Practice blocking and movement until you can do it with your eyes closed, then do one more practice run.
It may seem like excess, but practicing just singing, just acting, and practicing the two together is the best way to completely nail the part.
About the Author
Kathryn Harvey
Committed to making DIY projects accessible and understandable for everyone.
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