There are many scenarios in which you may need to scream as an actor. Landing a role in a horror production is one obvious example, but there are all kinds of reasons your character might scream other than fear or trauma – including in anger during an argument or with excitement upon receiving some good news.
And you may need to deliver a scream across any medium, from live performance to screen to voiceover work – whether it’s for anime, video games, or audiobooks.
If you’re also a singer, you may want to learn how to scream-sing for certain genres, such as metal or punk rock, or even to express strong emotions such as grief or terror in musical theatre.
But first, why is it important to learn to scream without hurting your voice? “For a theatre actor, it’s so important to be safe because you need your voice to be healthy for the next gig or the next rehearsal, says Colin Sadler, a voice tutor who teaches at East 15 Acting School in Essex.
Sadler warns that bad technique can induce changes to the vocal cords, “which can alter how they operate and therefore what sounds you can produce.” In the long term, repeated unsafe sounds could even lead to some permanent vocal changes, he cautions.
On the other hand, as a film or audio actor, “you may agree to have a recording session where you make unsafe sounds, as long as you know you will have time to recover afterward,” Sadler says.
How do you scream safely on set?
1. First and foremost, focus on telling the story.
Sadler recommends approaching screaming during a performance in the same way as intimacy work or fight coordination – by asking: What is the story we are trying to tell, and how can we tell it?
“Even if a script says ‘scream,’ that still leaves a lot of unanswered questions. How long? How loud? What is the feeling? How do we want the audience to be affected? What shape is the actor’s body in?” he says. Once you’re clear on the above, it’s a case of asking: What sounds does the actor have available and feel comfortable producing?
Sadler also says actors should be able to say, “This is where I will scream,” or simply the word “scream,” during some rehearsals to reserve the full sound for when there is a vocal coach on hand.
2. Get professional support.
You can’t learn how to scream safely solely by reading about it. Backstage advises actors to seek vocal training, because “the best way to protect your voice through all shrieks, hollers, and howls is to work with a trained professional.”
This is especially true for anyone who wants to learn how to scream and sing, which may involve more complex techniques and may be repeated over longer periods. Metal vocalist Adrienne Cowan also advises singers to “work with a voice teacher online or in person if you can.”
3. Listen to your body.
“The most important note is: If it hurts, it’s not safe,” Sadler says. He explains that an unsafe scream may leave you with a tickling feeling, a tingle, or outright pain in your vocal folds, whereas a safe scream “should leave you feeling ready to go again, with your muscles invigorated and full of blood.”
4. Always warm up and cool down.
This one goes for all vocal work, but it’s especially important for screaming – and even more so for singers. Backstage warns to “never scream on a cold throat,” advising singers to do their usual singing warmup and actors to do some voice and speech warmups, sliding sounds through their vocal range on a hum or “ng” sound. This video from Extreme Vocal Institute leads singers who want to learn how to do high screams through some simple warmup exercises.
Backstage also advises performers to do a cool down after a show involving screaming with exercises such as descending scales or slides on “ooo” and “eee" sounds.
5. Think about your physicality.
When learning how to scream vocals in music, Cowan stresses the importance of breath support.
“Imagine that you’re trying to touch your belly button to your spine as you’re exhaling,” she says.
Meanwhile, Sadler encourages actors to “put their back into it” by engaging their back muscles.
“Back muscles are the extensors of our body, and part of their job is to decelerate movement. Most of us scream with too much respiratory force, so your back helps you balance out that tendency,” he says, advising performers to try a pulling motion with their arms to engage their back.
6. Support your neck.
A stable neck is an essential part of safe screaming technique. “Shortening the back of the neck or pushing the chin forward can be very problematic, and may introduce tension into the larynx that results in vocal pain,” Sadler says.
Backstage suggests placing your palms on the back of your head and “gently but firmly” pressing your head back as you scream, or yelling while pressing your head forward against your fist.
7. Be wary of certain sounds when screaming speech.
When you are screaming words rather than just noise, Sadler advises reducing the power of certain sounds to avoid sudden changes of pressure. These include plosives (where the airflow is blocked, such as B, D, K, P, and T sounds) and fricatives (where the airflow is forced through a small gap, such as F and V sounds).
Lastly, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and be creative. Even if the script says to scream, “make sure you’ve explored the options first,” Sadler says. “Is it really a scream, or is it a wail, a cry, a lament, a call, and so on?” The choice is yours!