This portfolio documents my process in developing the role of Emily in Act 2 of Our Town, focusing on how research and character exploration informed my performance choices.
Research and Context
My research for Our Town focused on the political and social climate of the United States in the early twentieth century, Thornton Wilder’s intentions in creating the play, and the everyday life of Grover’s Corners. This research was essential in developing my understanding of Emily and in grounding my performance in informed, context-based decisions. The discoveries I made allowed me to be intentional with my choices and ensure my work remained truthful and precise.
Our Town is set between 1901 and 1913, which was a period of stability in the United States prior to the First World War. Our Town falls within the Progressive Era, marked by widespread social, moral, and political reform. This movement emerged as a response to growing inequality, expanding cities, and sudden industrial growth in America, with a focus on improving society through proper education, strong communities, and social responsibility. The values of the time are very relevant to the play and present themselves clearly in the way life operates in Grovers Corners.
Gender roles were clearly defined, with women expected to move from dependence within the family straight into marriage and motherhood. This research helped me understand Emily’s thoughts and feelings, particularly her feelings towards George, and her attitude towards marriage. Emily was raised on the idea that “marriage is a wonderful thing”, and it is evident throughout the play that marriage was something she desired. However, the sudden shift from being dependent on her family to becoming a wife with new responsibilities was daunting. This realisation that everything is about to change is seen in the contrast between the Act 2 flashback and the wedding scene. This is a great opportunity to explore physicality; in the flashback, Emily is confident and poised, whereas in the wedding scene, she is panicked and unsure, causing her movements to be less controlled and restless. The research reminded me of the pressure that was placed on young women at the time and informed the choice I made.
Thornton Wilder made the world of the play deliberately ordinary. Grovers Corners is a stereotypical small town in America, where life is slow, the residence is all very familiar, and community habits and daily routines frame how everyone behaves. As part of my research, our director suggested we watch It’s a Wonderful Life to have an idea of how smaller communities function. This time helped me understand the use of the line “no one locks their doors.” It shows the familiarity and trust people had. I also learned that as cities grew and the United States became more industrial, people became more cautious, as referenced in the play, that folks are getting “citified” and locking their doors at night. The minimalist staging removes practical scenery so that the actors must craft the world through their intentions and performance. When researching into the use of the Stage Manager, it showed that Wilder believed theatre should focus on the essentials and deter actors from overacting, resulting in a more truthful performance. Understanding both Wilder’s intentions and the simplicity of small-town life helped me identify the importance of keeping my portrayal of Emily direct and natural.
I worked closely with the other two actors playing Emily when investigating her character and discovering her journey throughout the play, as it was necessary to ensure continuity and understanding throughout the piece. I performed as Emily in Act 2; however, understanding her curiosity and romantic nature in the first act, as well as her contemplation in Act 3, helped me create a clearer picture of Emily’s behaviour in Act 2. She’s no longer a child, but she is still unaware of how finite life is. I aimed to balance youthful joy with uncertainty, showcasing a young woman still full of life and curiosity, but who is stepping into adulthood and all the social expectations that come with that.
Overall, the research I conducted allowed me to approach Our Town with a firm grasp of the historical and theatrical context. By rooting my practice in Wilder’s intentions and the actuality of early twentieth century American life, I was able to produce informed and honest choices, ensuring that my portrayal of Emily felt authentic.
our town research timeline
Analysis of character
My exploration of Emily focused on her emotional intelligence, sensitivity and her deep attachment to George. Early rehearsals revealed that Emily has more emotional and intellectual awareness than George; however, she deliberately chooses to have patience over confrontation, waiting for George to reach the answer by himself. This informed my main objective in their scenes, to guide and support George whilst fortifying the relationship between the two of them. The main obstacle I discovered was Emily’s fear of transitioning into adulthood, especially leaving her family, childhood home and the loss of safety that comes when stepping into marriage. This contrast between her fear of change and the certainty of her love became central to how I played Emily in Act 2.
I approached the confrontation between George and Emily as a moment that Emily had been rehearsing in her mind long before it had actually happened. Emily is direct and honest, and I wanted to focus on her vulnerability instead of playing the scene as reactive or accusatory. Actioning was essential for this, I worked mainly with nurturing actions such as coach, inspire and encourage, while only using damaging actions like expose or accuse when necessary. As a result, that moment was rooted in compassion and Emily’s belief in George’s potential, reinforcing the idea that truth is central to their relationship. It was evident that this approach was successful, with the scene being played with vulnerability rather than conflict, letting the emotional shift between Emily and George feel earned.
The wedding scene required me to think deeply about the physicality of my character due to the emotional turmoil she experiences in the scene. It is evident throughout the play that Emily’s love for George is absolute; her anxiety in this scene comes from the sudden upheaval of her life and being thrust into adulthood. This informed the physical choices I made; my movements became more erratic with repeated gestures like touching her chest, highlighting her distress. The shift in the scene takes place when George says, “I love you.” I understood this moment to be a recalibration, the moment Emily realises that everything will be okay. I took this moment to release tension and stress through my breath and by relaxing back into Emily’s natural posture, which is very straight and composed. This marked a definite emotional transition from fear to bliss, grounding the scene in reassurance.
Collaboration was integral to the development of my performance. I worked closely with the other actors playing Emily to ensure consistency with gestures, physicality and objectives. We maintained the same choices for Emily’s posture, her gestures and the use of her hands, creating continuity between the three of us. Using Laban efforts such as dab and flick to help build her natural tempo and embody her lightness, curiosity and emotional openness. Keeping a high centre of gravity and a large kinesphere helped produce a sense of youthful confidence; this cohesion helped the audience follow Emily’s journey and gave us a clearer throughline as actors.
Ed was an incredible person to work with as well. He made bold and thoughtful choices as George, which gave me some great moments to work with. His portrayal of George was warm, genuine and loveable which supported my work as Emily and made the relationship feel truthful and grounded. We shared a great understanding of the scene and each other’s characters, which was great
We shared a strong level of mutual understanding, particularly in responding to what was unspoken rather than simply the text. Through active listening and full commitment to each rehearsal, our scenes remained fresh and alive, never feeling repeated or mechanical. Ed’s professionalism and dedication created a collaborative environment that allowed both of us to take risks and stay fully engaged in the work.
One of my main challenges was sustaining Emily’s physicality; the feedback I received from our director highlighted that I would slip back into my own posture and natural walk at times during rehearsals. To remedy this problem, we held additional meetings about physicality to streamline Emily’s posture and gestures, finding easier ways to sustain the movements and remain in character. Another challenge I encountered was the transition from the gentle, intimate scene between Emily and George in the drugstore straight into the heightened emotional state of the wedding.
Making the quick emotional shift between the flashback and the wedding scene was a challenge; in earlier rehearsals, the scene felt disconnected and dishonest. To manage this, I started preparing for the scene by taking shorter breaths and pacing to manufacture that feeling of anxiety before going on stage. Once I had made this change, my performance felt genuine and connected, which strengthened my ability to connect truthfully with my scene partners. This process assisted me in creating a consistent portrayal of Emily, built on clear intention, collaboration and emotional awareness, while adapting confidently to challenges and feedback.
Emily Webb-.docx – My notes on Emily throughout the performance.
Personal Reflection
Working on Our Town has been a very fulfilling experience. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to explore a character in depth within such an incredible play. Navigating Emily’s vulnerability, patience, and compassion inspired me to work with greater restraint and emotional precision. Balancing between my own instincts and the intentions of the play was a difficult process at times, but with the support of my research and the work I had done on Emily’s character, I managed to develop a deeper awareness and a truthful performance, which was incredibly rewarding.
In this rehearsal process, I found myself becoming increasingly more self-aware, especially in recognising when a moment or physical choice needed refining. Feedback from my director, paired with my observation of my peer’s physical work, highlighted that some aspects of my physicality needed polishing.
During this process, I was confident when receiving feedback and would workshop the offers I had been given straight away. Removing the fear of failing and committing fully to the feedback I had been given helped establish a strong rapport between myself and my scene partner, as well as with my director. Experimenting with the notes I had been given straight away helped me towards a truthful performance. One of my strengths was trusting instincts in the moment, whilst maintaining the intentions of my character. Moving forward, I want to enter rehearsals with bolder ideas immediately and work on taking away the fear of failing completely, allowing myself to trust the process and my own ability.
My biggest improvement throughout this project has been my ability to convey a character consistently through physicality. Maintaining Emily’s posture, gesture, and movements helped me feel more connected to my character and aided me in responding truthfully within the play. I felt my performance in this play was one of my best pieces of work due to the attention I gave to my character’s physicality, and I want to take this diligence into future projects.
This process allowed me to see how the alignment of the work I have done on my skills has given me a clear framework for constructing a character that I can carry forward into my future work. Combining my technical skills with research and distinct physical choices strengthened my ability to create authentic performances. I believe I have grown in my adaptability and confidence, and I have discovered strategies to approach new material more systematically. This process has not only deepened my understanding of Emily and Thornton Wilder’s work, but it has also bettered my own artistic practice.
