I have been incredibly busy working on a number of different shows. I have been very fortunate that each show has its own set of challenges and that I'm not only doing the same sort of work over and over again. I worked as vocal coach for TIP's production of Robert Askin's Hand to God. The lead actor in Hand to God has to play two characters: a teenager called Jason; and a puppet called Tyrone. The voice of the puppet was very different than Jason's voice and neither voice was the one that Tom Harwood uses normally.
Both voices had different accents and larynx positions and different speeds and patterns of speaking. Tom did not use a microphone and trying to get your voice to project, when you are speaking at the bottom of your vocal range, is not easy. And then there is the issue with strain if you are trying to make your puppet scream as if it is possessed. I was impressed by the amount of vocal work Tom did in order to create two distinct voices and how willing he was to try new things to make the voice work.
Tom Harwood as Jason in TIP's Production of Hand to God. Photo by: Rodger Sono