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Volume 5, Issue 1
February 2009

Table of Contents:

A Message from the President
From the Editor
2009 Conference Announcement
2009 VASTA Conference Accommodations
Presenting on VASTA Day
From Your Diversity Committee
An Update on the Voice & Speech Review
VASTA's Teaching & Learning Committee

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Beth McGee

Dear Vastans,

I know the winter solstice has come and gone, but these gray days of winter make it hard to believe that spring is on its way.  Hopefully a report on the ongoing plans for our 2009 conference and an update about our 2009 issue of the Voice and Speech Review will help to put a little spring in your hearts.

As you know, the Directing Board of VASTA, in accordance with its Strategic Plan, has instituted a diversity committee which, since 2005, has engaged the membership in defining what "diversity" means to us, and how it can be explored through the field of voice and speech.  With a template created by the American Historical Association, the VASTA board has vetted and voted to present this "Best Practices in Academic Theater" document for your use.  As a board we did not want to presume to [instruct? Preach to?] academic administrators or our colleagues by mailing it out, but we wanted to give you this document to use as you wish.  Perhaps it can be used as a template for departmental discussion, or for hiring and promotion standards.  Perhaps it can create a discussion of "non-traditional casting" in your departments, or be useful in "one-on-one" conversations with your department chairs.   Please accept it as our Inaugural gift to you.  Please feel free to contact me or the chair of the diversity committee, Antonio Ocampo-Guzman if you have questions.

And as you feast on this issue of the VOICE, I wish you bon appétit!

Beth McGee,
President, VASTA
president@vasta.org

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FROM THE EDITOR

Jeff Morrison

VASTAns,

Greetings! This issue of the newsletter comes to you in the late days of winter to give you something to look forward to this summer – the annual VASTA conference.  The VASTA conference is in many ways the crowning achievement of our service organization, and each year endeavors to include programming to keep all of us on the cutting edge of our discipline. Use of technology, international perspectives, extended vocal techniques, movement work, work with language, breath, voice, and more – the conferences through the years have explored these areas and continue to bring us experts in them. But the reason I enjoy our conferences so much is because the unique structure of the VASTA conference lets me do what I love to do most: spend time in actual rooms with real people working on and learning about the human voice. Many aspects of our lives these days are conducted without the face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) interaction that is the raisôn d’ètre of most (all?) of our members.  And while some crucial VASTA projects like the Voice and Speech Review are almost impossible to imagine without modern technological marvels like email, still, for me, few things equal the pleasure and satisfaction of working in a studio with one or more students or clients on body, breath, and voice, transmitting embodied knowledge directly from one person to another.
Unlike many conferences, VASTA’s annual conference honors this central tenet of our work by bringing members into direct contact with master teachers for more than just talk, also for work, and we have quite an impressive lineup this year. It also provides opportunities for members to share their work and research both in paper presentations and in workshops where more of this embodied learning can take place.
The articles below contain a wealth of information about who, when, and where, with more to come, so I won’t fill my space with specifics. I hope you use this issue of the VASTA Voice to begin dreaming, thinking, and planning to attend the 2009 VASTA Conference in New York City. See you all there!
Best,
Jeff Morrison

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2009 VASTA Conference Announcement

Michele Cuomo

VASTAs 2009 Conference is entitled" ORIGINAL VOICES: Vocal Methodologies from the Source." Our presenters will be Catherine Fitzmaurice, Kristin Linklater and Patsy Rodenberg. Arthur Lessac will deliver the keynote address.

Professor Lessac is among the most highly regarded teachers of voice, speech, singing and movement in the training world. Among the generations of actors, singers, and dancers touched by his teaching are Martin Sheen, Beatrice Straight, George Grizzard, Faye Dunaway, Irene Daily, Carol Haney, Chris Lloyd, Michael Douglas, Frank Langella, Michael O’Keefe, Peter Scolari, Morris Charnovsky, Linda Hunt, and Nina Foch. His two books, The Use and Training of the Human Voice: A Bio Dynamic Approach to Vocal Life and Body Wisdom: The Use and Training of the Human Body, have become required reading for countless students and remain a lasting contribution to the field of acting and performing.

Arthur Lessac received his BS and MA degrees from New York University, where he also pursued his doctoral studies.  A full professor at S.U.N.Y. Binghamton from 1970-1981 (now Emeritus), he has also served as a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Puerto Rico, California State University--Fullerton, and the University of Virginia--Charlottesville. In 1962 Professor Lessac was invited by Elia Kazan and Robert Whitehead to train the original Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre Company along with Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow. Lessac four- to eight-week summer intensive workshops have been held at college campuses across the United States and in Germany, Puerto Rico, Yugoslavia, Canada, and Mexico. In 1991 he received the Southeastern Theatre Conference's Distinguished Career Award and, in 1998 was recognized for Career Achievement as Outstanding Teacher by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. In 2002, he was honored to accept the New England Theatre Conference “Educator of the Year' Award.     

In addition to his widely acclaimed books, Professor Lessac has published numerous articles in Quarterly Journals of Speech, Secondary School Theatre, Players Magazine, The New York Times, and Southern Theatre.

Professor Lessac has taught, performed, and directed on Broadway, internationally, and extensively throughout the United Sates, from the Bard College Summer Theatre and School to the Sundance Institute Playwright's Conference with Robert Redford. TV and film work includes guest appearances on "Cheers" and "Sara" and in the film "Mickey and Maud." He is an active member in the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Speech Communication Association, American Speech and Hearing Association, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and  the Association of Theatre Movement Educators.
Currently, Professor Lessac is working on a third book, which explores the potential for healthfulness and humaneness in the world through the study and application of the principals he defined in his first two texts.

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2009 VASTA Conference Accomodations

Cynthia Bassham

It’s never too soon to be thinking about where you’ll stay while you attend the VASTA Conference in NY this summer.  Michele Cuomo will be providing some hotel recommendations as we get closer to the event, but I’m here to offer some thoughts on a few non-traditional (read “cheaper”) options.

A friend of mine calls on her goddess of parking (Eleanor) whenever she needs a free space.  I’m not sure what god or goddess is responsible for housing, but this deity has been very good to me.  I’ve had immensely good luck with short-term accommodations thus far.  Part of the reason is that I’m not proud—I’ve been known to camp out on couches, pull-out sofas, bunk beds, kiddie-style twin beds, futons, air mattresses, you name it.  As I get older, my back is a little less forgiving. 

If you still have a spine made of sterner stuff, then you’re ahead of the game.
However, it’s still possible to find comfortable digs at relatively inexpensive rates.  Here are a few suggestions from my years of arranging short-term housing:

Contact ALL friends/acquaintances in the NYC vicinity.  Even when they don’t have space, often they’ll be willing to keep their eyes and ears open for you.  If they do have something, I recommend that you offer to pay something even if they don’t bring it up.  My step-father once said, “Fish and friends—they both begin to smell after 3 days.”  So, it never hurts to ‘freshen the air’ by offering to pay your way, even if it’s only a small amount. 

Keep in mind that although being close to the venue is certainly easier, the transportation system in NY is so great that you might want to consider being further away.  You have a friend in Long Island who has room?  Take them up on it!  Connecticut?  Why not?  The railroad is incredibly convenient and reasonably priced.  New Jersey can be just a ferry ride away (with great views of Manhattan).  Lots of folks commute this way every day.

Consider a house swap.  If you live in a “destination” location you might find someone who would be willing to switch places with you at the exact time you need to be away.  There are several websites devoted to this.  A student of mine had good luck with http://www.sublet.com/. 

Craig’s List.  (http://newyork.craigslist.org/)  This is an amazing resource.  You can find housing swaps, sublets, vacation rentals, and even house-sitting jobs.  Make sure that you both post what you’re looking for and browse what’s being offered.  Do this on an occasional basis.  If you don’t get any nibbles, don’t despair, but post again.  Many people don’t look into more than the first couple of pages and they are organized by the date posted.  Once you do find something interesting, I recommend having a nice long phone chat and don’t do it all via email.  You get a better sense of what you’re in for.  Ask if they have pictures they can send you.  Maybe you know people who know the area.  Check with them about their experience.

Hostels, group rooms in budget hotels, or the YM(or W)CA, are great options for the young, young at heart, and the adventurous.  Pretend you’re 20 again, save your money for entertainment and food, and get to know some new people in the process.  Some of these locations have private or semi-private options at a higher rate.  Take a look at http://www.hostels.com/us.ny.ny.html and http://gonyc.about.com/od/hostels/New_York_Hostels.htm

Residential Hotels are another way to go.  Some are co-ed while others are for only one gender, some are only for those under 30.  Keep in mind that the minimum stay varies and they tend to book up FAST.  Prices vary considerably.  I’ve heard good things about the Leo House (212- 929-1010). 

A step up from hostelling and residential hotels would be a private room in a small boutique budget hotel.  The Chelsea Lodge (http://www.chelsealodge.com/) is a good example.

Even higher priced hotels can be affordable if you have a travel buddy (or 2 or 3).  If you don’t mind sharing a bed, many hotels offer “quads,” which can accommodate up to 4 people and can be a very cost effective option.  Prices are lower if you don’t mind the European-style option of the bath being down the hall. 

Find out if any of your colleagues are attending workshops in NYC such as the Fitzmaurice Voicework Teacher Certification Program VIII (July 6-August 1) or Dudley Knight and Phil Thompson’s speech workshop (August 9-15).  If so, and if they’re from out of town, they will need housing right around the same time.  Maybe the place they find could work for you for a few days?  Doesn’t hurt to ask.

And last but not least, check out Vastavox!  Thanks to Michael Barnes, there’s a brand new posting site, at the bottom of the pink sidebar on the left, click Applications to find an area devoted entirely to conference travel.  This will be a great place to arrange sharing taxi rides and to post rooms needed, but also a place where New Yorkers might post if they have a room/bed they can rent/ barter/donate.   Not a Vastavox subscriber yet?  Here’s a link to the details.  http://www.vasta.org/resources/vastavox.html
Happy Hunting!

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Still Further: Soliciting Applications for Member Presentations

Hello Everyone:

The VASTA 2009 Conference will be held in New York, NY August 3-7, 2009. Once again, in addition to our guest conference presenters, VASTA members will have an opportunity to propose a workshop or paper.  The application form is posted on the website, and to VASTAVOX.

As you’ve already read here in this issue of VASTA Voice, the 2009 conference is entitled “ORIGINAL VOICES: Vocal Methodologies from the Source,” and our presenters will be Catherine Fitzmaurice, Kristen Linklater, and Patsy Rodenburg, with Arthur Lessac delivering the keynote.  This year, in order for conference participants to spend the maximum amount of time with our presenters, there will be fewer applications accepted than in previous years.

You may propose either a 1 hour WORKSHOP or a 15-MINUTE PAPER. Member presentations on any subject are being solicited.  Please note that the deadline of March 15, 2009 is FINAL.  Late applications will not be considered.  And remember, to be eligible to present, you need to register for the VASTA Conference.

In order to accommodate as many presentations as possible, each registrant may only present ONE paper or workshop.  Please note that the Conference Team will not be able to accommodate individual idiosyncratic schedules.

We’re all looking forward to the rich variety of member presentations that we enjoyed in 2008.

Please e-mail the application to jburke@miami.edu.

Thank you,

Jennifer Burke and Melissa Grogan
VASTA Member Presentation Coordinators

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From your Diversity Committee

Antonio Ocampo-Guzman

At a recent board meeting for StageSource, the Greater Boston’s Theatre Alliance, I was once more reminded that Diversity is not a Problem to Be Solved, but rather a Conversation to be had. I came across a fascinating quote that inspires me to continue having conversations about representation: “The more knowledge we gain from that which makes us culturally diverse, the more we will be able to appreciate what unifies us through the mixing and mutual exchanges of our culture.” (Elizabeth Lozano)

This fall, the Diversity Committee welcomed a new member, Rebecca Root, and got busy with several initiatives. Under the leadership of Nancy Bell, we revised our contribution to VASTA’s Bibliography to include some more diverse titles. Michelle López-Ríos is currently leading the creation of a Dialect Resource and Joanna Cazden is helping us raise awareness of a non-racial/ethnic aspect of diversity: the cultural differences between arts-based VASTA members and our Speech-Language Pathologist members.  In collaboration with VASTA’s Board, we are preparing a survey of our membership to have a better understanding of the organization’s own diversity. Stay tuned for that.

Our main initiative is to ensure as broad as possible a representation at the New York conference in August. As always, the best strategy is word-of-mouth, so please let me know if there is anyone in particular we ought to extend an invitation to. I am happy to report that we will have at least 12 delegates from Mexico City’s CEUVOZ (Center for Voice Studies) at the conference. I have been working with the CEUVOZ since its inception in 2006 and am delighted to welcome them to VASTA.

Please remember that if you are interested in issues of diversity or representation, you may contact any member of the committee.

With best wishes,
Antonio Ocampo-Guzman

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An Update on the Voice & Speech Review

Rena Cook

The 2009 issue of The Voice and Speech Review, “The Moving Voice: an Integration of Voice and Movement Studies” is racing to the finish line.  Over 80 authors are putting the final touches on their articles.  In keeping with Voice and Speech Review tradition, this issue will be distributed at the VASTA Conference in New York.  Any members not attending the conference will receive their copies through the mail.  Many thanks to a great team of Associate Editors who have kept the ball in the air by answering hundreds of emails, reading drafts and keeping me sane:

David Carey, Jeff Morrison, Dana McConnell, Sheila Gordon, Lynn Watson, Barry Kur, Jack Horton, Wendy LeBorgne, and Ron Scherer.

Rena Cook
Editor, Voice and Speech Review

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VASTA's Teaching & Learning Committee

Julia Guichard

Hello Fellow VASTANs,

Please let me introduce myself as the first chair of the new “Teaching and Learning Committee.”  I have been a member of VASTA since attending my first conference at George Mason University in 2000.  Prior to taking on this assignment, I served as Production Editor for three issues of the Voice and Speech Review and am currently working on the 2009 issue as Associate Editor for Reviews and Sources. I’m also excited to be participating in the VASTA Fellows Program. I agreed to chair this committee because of my deep interest in the “how” of what we do every day in our classrooms and studios.  I am committed to our collective investigation of the meta-principles of planning, teaching, and evaluating our teaching.  We then need to share what we discover with colleagues within and without our disciplines through presentations and publications that foster the scholarship of teaching and learning.

To foster conversation and enhance attentiveness to the craft of teaching, the TLC has some exciting ideas in the early stages of development:

• Create an online syllabus bank for voice and speech courses
• Develop a pedagogy award for publication or presentation that contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning
• Create an online “learning community” in which members would develop, implement and assess a teaching project
• Foster conversation about teaching and learning through the newsletter, the vox and member presentations at VASTA day

On behalf of the committee, I invite you to participate in this exciting discussion about teaching and learning.  You will receive a survey in the near future – please let us know what’s on your mind and how the committee can best serve your needs and interests.  We’d love to hear creative ideas about how we can get this discussion going!  Feel free to email me at any time at guichajm@muohio.edu.

Sincerely,

Julia Guichard

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VASTA Board of Directors & Officers

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