OBJECTIVE: To undertake an acoustic analysis and auditory-perceptive evaluation of voice quality of professional theater and student actors. CASE REPORT: An actor, for whom the voice is an essential occupational tool, requires special care. The contribution of the speech therapist to this professional class is important with respect to the treatment and prevention of voice problems as well as vocal improvement. Since knowledge about a category is necessary before any interventions can be performed, this exploratory study compared the vocal profile of two categories of individuals who use their voice professionally in drama. The participants' voices were analyzed acoustically (using Dr. Speech 3.0) and evaluated auditory-perceptively (using GRBASI). CONCLUSION: Increasing technical development in the arts has led actors to seek to improve their performances in various ways. This study followed a professional speech therapist who collaborated with technical acting staff (physical techniques teacher, directors, and so on) to determine how best to prevent vocal problems, and how to identify improvements suited to the requirements of the use of the voice in theater. The study is presently underway and is scheduled to be completed in December 2013, and so we present only a partial conclusion.
