Actor and Text Portfolio 

Student number- 21500875 

Throughout my first year studying Musical Theatre, I have established a clear routine and process both personally as an actor. When I first joined the conservatoire, it would been reasonable to question whether I have any process at all. However, one term in, I now have a solid understanding of how I approach text and song. 

This process as developed largely through my actor and text classes. Whenever I learned a new technique in those sessions, I actively sought out professional actors who use similar methods, throughout this portfolio I will refer to quotes from actors that have inspired and made me confident with my own process 

“I could not read it out loud”- Henry Winkler 

A big hurdle in my acting process has always been reading. Due to my dyslexia, I always try to avoid reading out loud as much as i can since I struggle reading something out loud that i have never read before. At the star of the year, during our table reading class, where we read the play “punk rock” I strongly related to Henry Winkler’s description of freezing when asked to read out loud. I felt embarrassed, scared I would read it wrong and make a fool out of myself in front of my new classmates.  

That class showed me that if I wanted to grow as an actor, I had to step out of my comfort zone and actively practice sight-reading on my own. Although I did end up reading a part in the class it was still very choppy and not at the standard an 18-year-old should be reading at. Outside of class, I began working on random monologues that I have never heard of before like “Tar Beach” by Tammy Ryan and “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. I started with contemporary monologues, where the language felt familiar and manageable. This allowed me to focus on simply getting through the words one at a time. I then moved onto Shakespeare where I studied Helena’s monologues from A mid-summer nights dream and Juliets monologues from Romeo and Juliet.  

I also volunteered to read more at work. I work doing princess parties and at the parties the princesses read all the children a book. I usually stear very clear from the reading and lead the singsong instead but for the last few parties I have done I have been the one reading. Some books i was more confident with as I have heard them before but reading the new ones whilst staying in character and doing an American accent was quite tricky. However, I did it and I feel like it really benefitted me.  

Hearing Henry Winkler openly admit that he too struggled with reading aloud reassured me that this challenge doesn’t have to limit me as a performer. It is something I can continually improve. Winkler mentioned that he highlights his script in yellow to help him read- something i also do. Although my sight-reading has improved, I still find it difficult to figure out texts like a Shakespearean play. However, as part of developing my acting process, I have now created a strategy specially for approaching difficult texts and language.  

A key thing I have learned about working with difficult text is that, in order to approch it confidently, I need to understand the writers intentions and the historical context in which the work was created. Stanislavski uses the term given circumstances in “An Actor Prepares”, referring to the specific environment and conditions- often explained through the 7 Ws- that an actor must fully grasp. When I began working on Romeo and Juliet, I realised that understanding Shakesspeare’s intentions, the social expectations at the time, and the ways in which a character may subvert or comply with those expectations is essential for making grounded character choices.  

To make difficult text more managable and simple to interpret, I developed the following step by step process 

1. Read the scene or monologue  

2. Research and scan the wider play 

3. Find a monderised translation  

4. Research the time period 

5. Research the fashion of the period 

6. Research the writer 

7. Apply the given circumstances to the character 

8. Re-approach the text focusing purely on grammar  

Applying this process to Romeo and Juliet helped me see that Juliet is not only rebelling against the norms of her time, but she is also deeply naive- believing wholeheartedly that she and Romeo are destined to be together forever. However, the realisation that had the biggest impact on me was recognising how profoundly isolated she is. She is thirteen, with very little family support. As an actor, this is something I do not personally relate to, so understanding Juliet requires deeper research into the social structures of the period.  

My research too the form of mind maps, bullet point notes and conversations with peers, which helped me explore Juliet’s emotional life more fully. Once i felt grounded in the context, I was inspired by Nick Moseley’s “Actioning and how to do it”.  Applying a single overarching verb- such as urgancy or fantasising- across the monologue  helped me identify shifts in thought and moments where certain actions felt our of place, such as the line “And when I shall die, take him and cut him..” I also walked the text, changing direction which each new thought. This physical exercise helped me recognise how frequently Juliets thoughts shift, as my direction changed constantly.  

Using these strategies has made approaching difficult texts feel far less daunting. It has o helped me realise that, although the language is different, the fundamental approach is similar to working on a song: both require navigating heightened emotional expression through structured text.  

“If you’re not going to do it the right way, I dont think you should do it at all” – Michelle Monaghan  

My approach to difficult text has directly shaped the way I now approach songs. Previously, I believed there was a significant difference between the two; I thought text required far more analysis, whilst song could be ‘blagged’ with my voice alone as I do tend to add a lot of emotion into my voice. My training over the last month has shown me my assumption was wrong.  

I now understand that exploring a song often requires more work, not less. Not only do I need to unpick the text, but I must also decode the musical language on the score. Due to this, my scores have gradually become just as annotated as my acting texts. 

When working on “On MY own” I began by looking at the dialogue immediately before the song. This contextual text revealed Eponine’s deep loneliness and her longing for a relationship with Marius. It also confirmed  the given circumstances specifically, that the song takes place on the street of Paris. My process of heightened text naturally fed into my approach to this piece. 

Researching the June Rebellion was a key part of my preparation. I realised that what I thought I knew about Les Misérables was incorrect: I had assumed it was set during the French Rebellion. Learning that it is set over forty years later, during the June Rebellion, changed my perspective entirely. France was still recovering from conflict, which is essential context when making character choices. 

I now see that there is no difference between performing text and performing song. Both require creating my own interpretation and making my own decisions about a character, intention and meaning. 

Before joining the Conservatiore, my process was to watch performers such as Samatha Barks and write down every choice they made so I could copy them. Training has taught me that this is not an acting choice, nor does it help me grow as an actor. I have realised that I do not need to imitate anyone’s vocal or acting choices. In fact, my recordings of my performances made this clear: copied choices feel disconnected and circumstances feel true and embodied.  

A major turning point in understanding this came during R&D week while working on “Dead Famous”. With limited source material besides the context I was given, I had to basically build the character myself. Performing Evies song “Imposter” was really interesting because other people also played evie and sung songs that were written by her character and it really showed me how varied interpretation can be. This experience reinforced the value of the actor and text work we do, as it allowed me to apply those tools to new writing, creating  my own world and analysis to build a character that in the end I was proud of. 

Micheal Monaghan said “If you are not going to do it the right way, I don’t think you should do it at all”. Before joining the course, I wouldn’t have understood the importance of musical precision, why a composer chooses a semibreve instead of a crotchet. Now, from exploring songs by myself and with my singing teacher and from R&D week I recognise how vital it is to analyse musical language, conduct research, and fully understand the text within a song.  

At the start of the term, Aaron told me in ATS that I was simply recalling memorised material. I didn’t understand what he meant until I attempted to walk the text and realised, I had never truly considered where the thoughts occurred within the song. Identifying these shifts in thought in song, is now something I deliberately focus on. Without them, the song becomes nothing more than a string of words. Doing the work “the right way” has made me more confident and more secure in the choices i make.  

“Grammar is planning left and right” – Martin Scorseese 

While research has helped inform many of the choices I make, I have alos learned the importance of grammar. Writers use grammar to indicate where they believe a new thought begins, growing up as a part of gen Z, communicating through messages with little grammar and plenty of typos I believe I am almost “grammar blind”. Over the summer, a friend told me they couldn’t understand a text I had written because of my lack on punctuation. This made me realise that when approching scripts, I was ignoring grammar or not recognising it meaning at all.  

When working on Oscar Wildes “The Importance of being earnest” I discovered just how vital grammar is to interpreting the text. In Lady Bracknell’s lines, punctation highlights her authority, sharpness and precision. Without understanding Wildes deliberate use of commas, full stops and exlamation marks, I would not have been able to fully grasp her rhythms or status. I didn’t need to conduct an extensive analysis, but I did annotate the text using different colours to highlight different grammatical features. Each punctuation mark served a purpose in Wilde’s writing, and colour-coding them made rehearsing with Alex much easier could instantly see where new thoughts or pauses occurred.  

I’ve also realised that grammar appears everywhere and can make sigh-reading far more manageable. Often, punctuation naturally signals where i can pause, breathe and shift thoughts. 

Applying this understanding to my musical work has been equally valuable. For example, when analysing the song “Little bit in love” the grammar in the lyrics on the sheet musix immediately revealed moments of pause and thought. Musical notation such as rests, reinforces this but it is the grammar in the text that first communicates the tone and pacing.  

Throughout my first term, I have built a clearer, more disciplined, and far more personal acting process then I ever imagined possible. Confronting challenged such as my dyslexia head on and making my process tailored to that. Difficult text has pushed me out of my comfort zone, however my research-based approach grounded in given textual analysis and my musical interpretation. I now understand that songs and scenes demand equal work and research, and that authentic performance comes from my own choices rather than imitating others. Experiences such as working on Romeo and Juliet, Dead Famous and songs like On my Own, have taught me how to create meaning through research, musical awareness and thoughtful character work. Ultimately, this term has shown me that doing the work “the right way” not only improves my technique but also builds my own confidence in what i create.