Director ANDREW VISNEVSKI writes…

When working with William Trotter I never cease to learn. He and I have worked together on professional productions with The Cherub Company London, in-house drama school projects with new students, and finals productions for graduating drama students.

But why should I want William Trotter to work with me on each production as I do? Because he is a collaborator and an enabler. William Trotter’s specialised voice teaching adds a new dimension to every theatre production he is involved in. His work with the actors not only contributes to the overall impact of the performance and enhances the individual contribution of performers: it also, most importantly, consolidates the style of the play in the way the text is revealed through vocal expression. He understands that the effectiveness of the production depends on the overall rhythm of the performance and the ability of the cast to communicate the purpose of the text, which in turn depends on their ability to project and make the purpose coherent. If the clarity of speech is a vital element of theatre, without his expert ability to enhance their powers of communication the purpose is lost.

Good voice production (in other words, vocal expression achieved with imaginative use of the full vocal range and engaging one’s physical dynamism) is a vital element in acting. His professional expertise helps the actor to fulfil vocally the requirements of the role and the intention of the production, and to interpret to the limit of his creative ability the vision of the director. William Trotter energises, instructs and motivates the performers through text and sound, and at the same time provides a focus for vocal improvisation and creative interpretation. He collaborates with the director on the development of characterisation by providing the right emphasis on the language and idiom of the role. He develops sensitivity to the demands of language and style, and enables us to fulfil the dramatic and stylistic demands made upon both director and performer in the interpretation of the written word, embodying the language and giving it physical expression.

About ANDREW VISNEVSKI...

Andrew Visnevski founded and for 25 years directed The Cherub Company, presenting innovative and award-winning productions of the classics and translations in the United Kingdom and abroad. He has directed at The Young Vic, where his “Romeo and Juliet” in 1982 was the play’s first multi-racial production, at The National Theatre of Greece, in Warsaw and Holland. In 2000 he was made a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in recognition of his services to the arts.