I've been asked many times by many people what I do to keep in vocal shape on the show given the hectic schedule of 8 shows a week (not to mention all the PR stuff we do, rehearsals, after show talk-backs and having a baby in the house).
So today's blog is about just that.
I don't do the vocal rest thing. It's simply not an option with what I've got going on a daily basis. That might work for some people but for me... it's just not practical.
That's not to say that I go around shouting every second of the day... I don't do that either. But I'm not one to carry around a pad of paper and pen to write notes to folks instead of talking.
What do I do?
I drink water, water, water.
I don't drink soda or alcohol of any kind and I try to stay away from caffeine. No coffee at all and just an occasional Iced Tea or a Soy Chai from Starbucks on a cold day. Caffeine definitely is bad for the vocal chords and dries them out. I really notice a difference on the days I have a Chai and the days I don't. I'm trying to save them for my days off.
Sleep is also an important part of vocal preparedness. With the baby, that's been difficult but I sneak in a cat nap when I can. It's really the only true way to recover from fatigue (and that's when you could say I get my vocal rest).
I also look at performance much like I would a sport. I'm onstage (on and off I should say) for 2 1/2 hours straight and 5 hours on matinee days. That's very taxing physically on my body and it's also emotionally draining to play a character such as 'Carton' 8 times a week. So for me, I need to keep my body and mind in the best shape I can so that I can meet the challenges and rigors of the show.
I guess that's kind of the nuts and bolts of it. Simple really.
And oh... we did have the family outing today and Buddha (my older Golden) actually found two tennis balls in the park. He was in Heaven. He tried for about five minutes to carry them both but ended up carrying... the most disgusting one!
