Inside A.C.T.

by A.C.T. Staff An actor’s voice is one of the most important tools in their toolbox. Below, voice teacher and instructor in A.C.T.’s San Francisco Semester Jessica Berman shares five tips for taking care of your vocal instrument.  Jessica Berman 1. Focus on posture and alignment, especially when speaking online. Hopefully the days of spending hours on Zoom will soon be behind us, but in the meantime, if you find that your voice feels fatigued after long stretches of vocal use online, take a moment every 30–60 minutes to do a little physical reset. You can: Drop down your spine so that your whole upper body is hanging from your tailbone (you can do this seated or in standing) Shake out your shoulders Gently roll your head and neck around Give your arms and legs a little pat and notice the sensations that you feel in your body As Kristin Linklater says in her book Freeing the Natural Voice , “The efficiency of the vocal apparatus depends on the alignment and posture of the body and the