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LAUREN FERRARO: How I would stay relevant as a speech instructor
is, for example, we just did an Italian dialect for
Saturday, Sunday, Monday.
Well, the Italian dialect that's known or, or most common is
a Tuscan sound but we weren't doing a Tuscan sound,
we were doing a Neapolitan sound.
So how do I get that sound out of the students?
How do I research and find people that still speak that
where I can get material and bring it into the class?
MAN: One other thing, Donna Rosa, should I stand in front
of the church tomorrow and see if Julia speaks to me?
WOMAN: A good idea.
Go stand with the other beggars waiting for pity.
LAUREN FERRARO: So I referenced a linguist;
someone who could break down the sound for us.
I had someone come in who was alive in the time period
and in Italy when the play is set so he spoke about his
family and the culture that he went through to give a
reference point to the students.
What was his relationship with his mother?
Would they have said this?
Would they have said that?
What was it like during the war?
And all of that influences speech.
WOMAN: My daughter cannot stand the stink of onions.
My husband cannot stand the stink of calamari.
(yelling) Well, if my kitchen is not good enough for them,
it is not good enough for me.
LAUREN FERRARO: So it's not just about shifting sounds.
It's the history, the culture behind the sound and
bringing in people to help aid my work,
the voice work and the movement work is absolutely
staying relevant, staying current with what's needed
for the class.
You have what -- "What time is it?" or "What is it"
or is it "What's it?"
MAN: No, it is I who am shocked.
LAUREN FERRARO: Is it "It is I?" or "It's I?"
MAN: Yeah, "It is I".
LAUREN FERRARO: Okay.
We know that you can't have speech work without
incorporating the body so the movement instructor and myself
will talk if you work from a movement angle, how is that
going to affect the speech?
I'm going to work this angle with speech,
which will help the movement in their body.
So as teachers, we have to come together and we do come
together to talk about, "What will benefit this student?
Great, my exercise is going to complement your
exercise perfectly."
And then we bring it towards the students.
[clapping, background talking]
LAUREN FERRARO: An important thing that I want students
to leave here with is critical thinking.
For example, not just immediately going in to do
something because you've heard someone else has
benefited from an exercise or an exploration.
I want you to be able to think on your own.
"Will that benefit me?"
Being able to critically question what it is you're
doing, why it is you're doing it,
what a director has given to you; suggestion.
And not necessarily just go with it, which of course we want
you to do, but also at times to think on your own and
that's what I want students here to leave with is
creativity balanced with critical thinking.