***AS A PERFORMER OUTLINE HOW YOU WOULD USE VOCAL SKILLS TO CREATE IMPACT ON THE

AUDIENCE? (pg 78-80)***

In machinal, Episode 9: A Machine, I will play the role of the ‘Young Woman’. In this extract of the
scene, the Young Woman is behind bars in a prison, with a priest sitting next to her as he reads
prayers, the sound of a black man’s voice singing a spiritual song can be heard offstage. Through
vocality I aim to display to audience members the Young Woman’s oppression and plight by society
as she descends sporadically into a mental breakdown

While acting as the Young Woman I would be hyperventilating and taking quick heavy breaths in
succession of each other in an expressionist way. To create a claustrophobic atmosphere while the
priest is saying his opening monologue.

On the line ‘I understand him. He is condemned. I understand him’ I would place emphasis on the
second ‘understand’ and say the line with a steady tone and shaky voice by having a deliberate
lethargic pace as to indicate her distress but also how the young woman acknowledges that they are
equals in a bigoted 1920s society, both being oppressed by white men.

On the line ‘I am ready’ I would utilise vocal skill by having a low pitch and deliviing the line slow
slowly and quietly. This is to showcase to the audience that she is accepting her dire fate of death
however she is still hesitant in doing so.

When the barbers draw near her I would change my breathing to sharp and narrow fast paced
breaths to exhibit her apprehensiveness. On the line ‘No! No! Dont touch me- touch me’ I would say
it frenzied pace shouting and adding force and having a harsh elongation on the second ‘No’ with the
first no being spoken more quietly giving an expressionistic effect as an outburst of rampageous
shouting. This would create a unnerved and anxious atmosphere making the audience empathize
with the Young woman.

During the Barbers exit I would be as the Young Woman heavily weeping with distorted heavy
breathing in an expressionist styly with big gulps of air in between, contrasting her previous illusion
of calm and to illustrate her distress at her hair being shaven representing the history of women's
heads being shaved as a penalty for sexual transgressions, from the Middle Ages to French
mistresses of Nazis.

On the line ‘Submit! Submit/Is nothing mine? The hair on my head The very hair on my head' I would
use a fast pace and have an aggravated tone. I would emphasise the word ‘submit’ by have a high
intonation as to evoke in the audience previously in the play (episode 4) appearing in her hospital
monologue revealing she has lived her entire life in submission denied individuality this being the
first time she has voiced these thoughts.
On the line 'is nothing mine' I would raise my volume and pitch highlighting her frustration with how
much she has had to sacrifice. While on the line 'the hair on my head the very hair on my head' at
this point I would contrast my vocal expression from before and bring my volume right down to a
small whisper to display how broken she is by the society around her and portray her shock.