Voice Study Centre Senior Lecturer Louisa Morgan to Present at Theatrical Voice Research Centre Conference

We are delighted to share that Voice Study Centre senior lecturer Louisa Morgan will be presenting her paper, Affective Athleticism in the Vocal Athlete: Performing Emotional Roles, at the Theatrical Voice Research Centre Conference, taking place at the University of Surrey on 26th June 2026.

Louisa's presentation explores the concept of the "vocal athlete" and examines the emotional demands placed upon performers. Drawing connections between vocal performance, emotional expression, and vocal wellbeing, her research contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding the complex skills required of performers and the potential impact that emotionally demanding roles can have on vocal health.

The Theatrical Voice Research Centre Conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and educators to share emerging scholarship and foster dialogue around voice, performance, pedagogy, and artistic practice.

We are delighted to see Louisa sharing her work at this event and contributing to important conversations within the field.

Congratulations, Louisa, and best wishes for a successful presentation.

Abstract 

Performing emotional roles is an inevitability for singing and non-singing actors. As Tait (2021, p1) observes, “The possibilities for thinking about and remembering emotion, as well as imagining it, have long been part of theatre and its theory and practice.” The challenges of performing high intensity emotional roles reach beyond typical considerations of authenticity and acting approaches. The term vocal athlete is increasingly popular in the field of voice. This paper considers the balance of vocal athleticism with affective athleticism, to use Antonin Artaud’s term. When approaching a performer’s ability to embody these roles, we should also consider the potential impact on the voice. Negative valence emotions have been associated with stronger autonomic responses than positive valence emotions (Kreibig, 2010). Stress and fear responses can trigger the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for active response (Cardoso, Lumini-Oliviera and Menses, 2021, p104). Sympathetic arousal can increase respiratory rate, impacting articulation and vocal fold vibration. Indicators of negative valence emotions on the voice include pressed phonation, increased laryngeal height, shortening of the vocal tract, and engagement of the sternocleidomastoid and suprahyoid muscles. The requirements of singing alongside emotional acting can lead to “inappropriate and excessive muscular activity” leading to fatigue and the potential for impaired vocal function (Rangarathnam et al, 2018, p300). Therefore, practitioners working with singers performing emotionally charged roles should consider vocal technique and acting approaches carefully to safeguard vocal health. This paper presentation aims to address this challenge through a review of interdisciplinary literature leading to a deeper understanding of potential risks and mitigation strategies.