Most stress on a voice caused by a scream is a factor of one of two things:
1. inadequate breath support forcing the muscles to work overtime
2. added tension in the throat
A placeholder for actual training in a safe scream would be to:
1. ensure proper breath support all the way down to the diaphragm (which should force the lower abdomen to expand as it stretches down to make room for the lungs)
2. make sure that the jaw is opening properly -- most people hold a lot of tension in the jaw, especially when nervous or emotional. Massage just under the ears then place hands on the chin and shake it out. If it's working properly (most common problem is the jaw tightening to prevent the exercise) you should feel it in the hinge where the jaw connects to the skull
3. The jaw should open not jutting out but down and even a little back. Students should feel where the very top of the throat meets the back out of the mouth open wide
4. Allow that opening to extend down and try to relax the throat
5. Picture the scream starting from deep in the abdomen and rising up unimpeded
6. A good yawn can also open the same passageway and can be a good way to teach the student what sensation to look for
7. For a high pitched scream, you also need to make sure you allow your soft palate to rise
This is not a replacement for actual training, but it sounds like you need something to help your actor out as soon as possible. This is a severely bastardized portion of Kristin Linklater's progression, adapted to fit your stated needs.
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Katy Mulvaney
Houston TX
Original Message:
Sent: 11-13-2015 15:34
From: Shira Schwartz
Subject: How to coach a scream?
You could always used a canned scream or record his scream and use that. Another option is to rotate who is actually screaming. I've had people scream from off-stage when we had an issue and a few times I had a different actor sneak into the back of the auditorium and scream from back there. It created an almost surround sound effect for the audience and really surprised them. *insert evil cackle here* ;)
Something else that would probably help is for him to warm-up his voice the way he would if he were in a musical and to approach it with the idea of projection rather than screaming.
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Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ