Unlocking the text: an exploration of key exercises by Cicely Berry to find a sound-based directing concept for Athol Fugard’s play Sorrows and Rejoicings

Abstract

Selected exercises on language and sound by voice teacher Cicely Berry were used to develop and explore a sound-based approach to directing the play Sorrows and Rejoicings by Athol Fugard. Berry’s various strategies grounded the practical exploration of and improvisation on the poem Tristia by Ovid, and made possible a more open approach to the play; within the realism of the language a poetic and heightened quality led to a deep exploration of the characters and their emotional and physical landscapes. Berry’s exercises potentially offer a valuable and alternative approach towards conceptualizing a directing approach for both classic and modern texts.