By Rikki Lee Travolta
Not to betray my age, but I started acting before the widespread use of body mics on stage. I was taught how to project, using my diaphragm, so that the lines could be heard to the very back of the house.
It was never a problem for me. Indeed, most of the professional actors I worked with knew how to project. It was part of the basics one learned in theatre.
When it came to musicals, the sound technicians often used overhead mics and floor mics to help boost the sound of the vocalists over the orchestra. But the dialogue was still delivered via projection, not artificial amplification.
Times change. Often times technology evolves in ways that make life easier and processes smoother. Such is the case with mics.
It used to be that a theater would have a small handful of mics that would be reserved for the lead actors in musicals. Sometimes the sound designer would have to come up with elaborate mic plots detailing the handoffs of mics between multiple members of the cast throughout each performance.
According to the article “The Evolution of the Wireless Microphone” by Amy Cassell in The Hub, wireless mics first started being hot ticket items for theaters in the 1980s, but were in play on a limited basis since the 1960s.
The first use of a body mic on Broadway was Anna Maria Alberghetti in “Carnival” in 1961. The technology was slow to be embraced at first, but soon caught on. The musical “The Grass Harp” in 1970 was the last Broadway musical to not use any body mics. Even the great Ethel Merman used body mics starting with “Hello Dolly” in 1971.
You can look at Broadway as a good indicator of how the use of body mics ballooned in a short amount of time. For the 1981 Broadway production of “Dreamgirls”, the company juggled five wireless body mics among various cast members. Then in 1982, “Cats” became the first production in which every cast member had an individual body mic. Now, everyone seems to have a personal body mic.
The article “Running Interference for Wireless Mics” by TJ Acena in American Theatre Magazine estimates that most Broadway musicals are utilizing upwards of 50 wireless mics each night. In fact, there are even special mic transmitters that are built into tap shoes for big dance numbers on Broadway.
Technologies change, and as advancements are made, we should always explore how they can benefit the performing arts community. In the case of mics, I’m all for adding amplification when needed. I guess the question is, though, when is it needed?
In the TheatreFolk article “To Mic or Not to Mic?”, author Kerry Hishon points out that most plays do not require body mics because there is no orchestra to compete with. And, truth be told, any respectable actor should be able to project a play’s dialogue to fill all corners of the house. The exception would be a truly cavernous performance space.
Yet as a theatre critic who usually attends multiple productions a week, I have seen some really unnecessary reliance on body mics – including in tiny theatres where the audience is a few feet from the actors. Granted, sometimes there is another reason for having a mic, such as when the voice is run through a vocoder of some kind to achieve a specific audio effect. But outside of that, amplification in a tiny venue seems to be the equivalent of putting a Lamborghini engine in a golf cart. You can, but why?
In the article “Spoken Drama in the Age of the Body Mic” at Playgoer.org, the author points out that a Broadway touring play can land in 4,000-seat or more theaters, which might challenge the unamplified actor. In this case, even though it’s not a musical, the show might call for body mics.
Citing the article “Broadway Turns Up the Volume” in the Wall Street Journal, we are also reminded that big-budget movies like the unending parade of “The Fast & The Furious” and “Mission Impossible” action flicks have made audiences expect a louder package in any type of entertainment – including live theatre. Under this reality, patrons who enjoy loud special-effects-laden movies and television shows are going to have an expectation for a louder experience in live theatre as well.
I have to admit, as an actor who has played some huge venues, I feel a tad disappointed when I see actors who don’t understand how to project enough to fill even a small space. Perhaps this is the new trend in theatre that I, and everyone else, will have to get used to.
However, my hope is that young actors continue to be taught how to project. Not every director is going to want to use body mics. Further, even for those theatres that do embrace body mics, what happens if the mic goes out? In the true spirit of “the show must go on”, actors are still expected to perform even if the sound engineer forgets to change the batteries in the mics.
Another factor to consider in the question of whether to mic or not to mic is in the area of believability. Will the visible presence of a microphone interfere with the enjoyment of the overall production?
Obviously going to the theatre involves a certain suspension of disbelief. For some, the sight of a mic taped to the actor’s face, with the mic chord running down their back can be a turn-off. While it may be necessary for a rock opera like “RENT” or “Jesus Christ Superstar”, in the case of a small venue play, if the mic isn’t really needed then why invite the distraction?
Every theater is different. Every director is different. Every actor is different. So, it would be ridiculous to suggest a blanket statement on whether body mics are called for or not. But it’s an interesting question to wage on a case-by-case basis.
Regardless of whether you are a fan of body mics or not, one of the most basic skills an actor should have in their toolbox is the ability to project. There are many schools of thought in terms of types of approaches to acting. My hope is that they all continue to teach the fundamental building blocks of acting, including how to project.
On the subject of how actors have traditionally approached projecting, Dame Judi Dench, one of the most celebrated actresses of our time, said in an interview with Radio 4, “We learned that the person sitting in the back seat of the upper circle is the person you play to.” However, like me, she observes a disconnect from that in many modern theaters.
“I think that drama schools don’t teach actors to project anymore,” said Dench. Instead, they are conditioned to rely on mics.
Patti LuPone, one of the true greats of theatre, echoes the sentiment. “I’ve seen a lot of theater where I don’t understand what the actors are saying because they’re forgetting they need to project,” she is quoted as saying in a New York Times piece.
It begs the question – are mics the cause of actors not projecting because they are so used to the safety net or are mics the solution to the problem that some actors don’t project?
Whether it’s through the use of mics or the decision to go without them, the important thing is that the end product the audience gets is the best possible. As MusicHow points out, “You might be staging an award-winning play, and the actors might be exceptional in their craft, but if the audio is substandard, it will not captivate the audience as much as you expect them to.”
Photo credits: Karl Salano, Jovan Swabi, Lucas, Dimitriss (Pexels); Kyle Head (Unsplash); Regina Belt-Daniels
