A Voice for King Richard III: A chance to see and hear England's 'most maligned monarch' in York

On Sunday 17 November 2024, at York Theatre Royal, state-of-the-art technology will reveal a moving, breathing, ‘living’ face of a long-dead king speaking his own words in the pronunciation of his time. This is the new science of Historical Human Reconstruction or Postmortalism, which uses an avatar of the person, based on the reconstruction of their head.

Over the past decade, international voice coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm, has carried out research to explore the possibility of recreating the voice of a historical figure.

Her interest in King Richard III was fuelled by a talk from Professor Caroline Wilkinson, who had reconstructed the king’s face from scans of his skull. By studying the muscles of Richard’s face, it is possible to get an idea of his expression in resting mode, which is one of the many factors that helped to shape his tone of voice. We can also predict the likely pitch range of a voice from the skeleton.

Professor Wilkinson said: “Since we produced the facial reconstruction of Richard III in 2012, we have dreamt about bringing him alive, to see him move and speak his own words. With the help of advanced digital avatar technology and Yvonne’s voice team, we have been able to realise this dream. The result has exceeded our expectations and represents the most authentic and realistic portrait of this great king, based on all the evidence available.”

Ms Morley-Chisholm, lives in rural North Yorkshire, an area that formed Richard’s power base before he became king. She conducted research into his life story, partly inspired by the work of Philippa Langley, who made headlines around the world when she discovered the grave of King Richard III in a Leicester car park in 2012. Ms Langley says the documentary evidence of Richard’s lifetime reveals a dedicated administrator and a courageous soldier who earned a reputation for justice and fair dealing.

"I had to do a complete U-turn over what I thought I knew about Richard III,” said Ms Morley-Chisholm.

“When he was Lord of the North he believed in protecting the poor and upholding justice. It’s also the centenary of the Richard III Society (an organisation which has challenged the traditional view of Richard as a tyrant) so it seems an appropriate time to launch this project.”

But what did Richard actually look and sound like? There are some clues provided by one 15th century chronicler.

"There is an account in the Croyland Chronicle which states that he spoke with clarity and that he could be heard at the back of the room,” Ms Morley-Chisholm said.

“Nobody wrote anything about Richard’s voice or speech being an issue, so the absence of criticism is helpful. With regard to his physical appearance, again no one wrote about it being different from his contemporaries during his lifetime. The more I looked into his story, the more convinced I became that he was the most maligned monarch.

"He wanted the poorest person in the land to have access to justice. He gave us the forerunner to Legal Aid, gave us a fair jury system and the

presumption of Innocence until proven guilty.”

Ms Morley-Chisholm has found an actor - Thomas Dennis - who will provide the voice for Richard III.

She added: “I came under a lot of pressure to do the launch event in London, but I insisted it had to be in York. This is the place that knew Richard best.

"What will be read out will be Richard’s own words; a letter he wrote to officials about his son, Edward of Middleham, becoming Prince of Wales. It’s a dad being proud of his son.”

Tragically, Edward died aged around 10 in 1484. When his son died, contemporary accounts record Richard and his wife Anne being inconsolable.

“Richard will speak in original pronunciation that has been researched by Professor David Crystal (a famous linguist). I’ve been amazed at the positive response I’ve received to the project. Historians have got him wrong. Richard believed in justice and was trying to show us a better way to live. He loved York and wanted to be buried there which is why this world premiere is being held there.”

Taking the rostrum on November 17 with Ms Morley-Chisholm is the key collaborator Professor Wilkinson and her Face Lab team, and

Professor Crystal. Joining them will be playwright Dr Bridget Foreman from the University of York, as well as historians Matthew Lewis and Philippa Langley MBE.

Professor David Crystal OBE said: “I think people will be surprised to hear a kind of speech that is a fascinating mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar. English pronunciation has changed a lot since the 15th century, but it’s still very intelligible to modern ears.”

Mr Lewis added: “The Voice For Richard Project is a stunning example of how science, technology, and history can come together to help bridge the distance of time that separates us from those we have heard of but could never have heard.

“This is as close as we can get to being in the room in the fifteenth century when a king speaks. I can’t wait for the world to see the culmination of ten years of hard work and innovation.”

Philippa Langley MBE said: “It’s been the most incredible honour to be part of this cross-platform research over its ten years and I would like to thank Yvonne Morley-Chisholm for inviting me to be a part of her team. The World Premiere in York promises to be extraordinary.”

Tickets are on sale now at https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/a-voice-for-king-

richard-iii/

Further information is available at https://www.avoiceforrichard.co.uk

The event will also be Live-streamed.