The Rimers of Eldritch by Lanford Wilson, directed by Jess Millward
First Impressions
I usually free-write my initial impressions of plays after the first reading, but due to the complexity of the chronology, large cast and their relationships, it took three readings to establish a good understanding of the plot in this case. The story follows the lives of an isolated town affected by the murder of an elderly man alienated due to his unsavoury reputation. It felt derivative as it follows many Classic American literature themes and focusses on character rather than plot, so I conducted more research than usual to find the crux of the play. My views perpetually changed and it would have been useful to document my first impressions to refer when seeking different perspectives for fresh acting choices.
I had a strong understanding of mid-century American history from previous studies, so the most potent information came from researching Lanford Wilson and his vision of the play, shown in Document A, to understand the ‘raw’ energy he envisioned. Previously, I have only researched surrounding context of plays, not original productions, because I have a tendency to be influenced by an artist’s intentions. I would apply this research approach again for texts that lack immediate impact because they need to be both seen and heard.
Document A
Audition & Casting
I auditioned for Cora for three reasons. Firstly, Cora is an ambitious, sensual and moralistic woman in the revolutionary Sixties. She is also a town pariah since Eldritch has not modernised, so I was excited to bring justice to her character. Secondly, I felt I could relate to her on a personal level which presented a challenge I wanted to face. I am more comfortable playing high-energy roles, opposing my own nature. I enjoy discovering humanity in characters where it is concealed, however Cora’s heart is often laid bare and portraying her vulnerability was daunting. Finally, it was a small role to play, allowing me time to learn to pace myself in a rehearsal process with my health issues.
I took this opportunity to experiment with a professional audition process I could use in the industry. Document B notes my preparation of creating a small biography of Cora to understand her mentality and influence her vocal choices. Additionally, Document C is a recreation of the physical work I used to prepare, consisting of a line of methodical action, Laban efforts, and world-building. I swapped between them continuously in order to maintain a simultaneous focus on them as I struggle to multitask intentions. This proved really effective as I felt established enough as Cora to allow room for bold choices, including inhabiting silences and establishing the audition room as the diner. I used costuming to add layers, and although I engaged with it truthfully, I also found it distracted me and reduced my nervousness. In retrospect I think this brought too much detail to the scene, being more appropriate to a screen performance. Consequently, I perhaps played to the room rather than a theatre and my vocal energy suffered as a result.
I was delighted to play Cora in Act Two, but quickly found more enjoyment in exploring Mavis in Act One as I could self indulge in my comedic strengths. Truthfully, Mavis did not require much work, whereas Cora’s development was a relentless labour of love but consequently she became a much fuller character.
Document B
Document C
Table Work
Our director, Jess, started with table work, which involved dividing the play into units and creating a fact sheet to establish the absolute truth. I have never distinguished fact from fiction in texts before, and found the process tedious and the truth inconsequential. However, it actually proved incredibly helpful when rehearsing. I realised how each of the character’s lenses uniquely slanted the truth. This reminded me of how Aaron Sorkin writes dialogue that is a few steps removed from what the character actually wants to say. As a result, my acting choices were impacted more than I expected as I was able to highlight truths, tactics, and literary devices. Once cast, I then placed more importance on the views from actors about their character. I found my interpretations often conflicted with theirs, and so needed to be more accepting in order to create a cohesive play and professional ensemble. I considered each character in detail to map the relationships even if we did not interact in the play. Establishing such a community gave me a strong sense of atmosphere which I could feed to the audience. The table work provided a solid foundation to draw upon ensuring I did not need to return to the basics in rehearsals.
Document D
Workshops
Jess facilitated many workshops including thematic work, Document E, in which we each offered a defining concept for the play and arranged them all in chronological order. This brought to light how many scenes had multiple and underlying themes, and considering their consequences revealed how cyclical and interlinked they were. Making academic work interactive was new to me and I shall apply this to every future project as it marries both my academic and creative approaches.
I found improvising scenes essential for building characterisation. I used to find improvisation stressful because I relied on the structure of a script to guide me into ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choices. I felt I played Mavis as an archetypal gossip but I considered Uta Hagen’s idea that people play many characters throughout the day. I took the view I was presenting Mavis after a caffeine shot, which gave me the freedom to commit to bold perspectives providing I had justification. I will take this to all rehearsals, I can start with bold ideas and adjust them accordingly.
Jess’ character preparation sheet, Document F, forced me to deepen the biographies of my characters. I rely on rehearsals to find the facets of characters, however listing fifty adjectives, as opposed to my usual ten, proved how limited this method has been for me. Also, writing what other characters say about each other was very helpful. Much of Cora’s character is determined by the reputation given her by the townspeople, so I could choose when and to what extent, I proved them right or wrong.
Document E
Document F
The ‘First Pass Stagger Through’
This run revealed the division between playing Mavis and Cora. I was confident in embodying Mavis who lacked the depth of preparation of Cora. I then struggled becoming Cora because I over-intellectualised her development. I took liberties with playing Mavis comedically through her effervescent gesticulation, strong accent and high pitch. With this bold start, I worked backwards to find why she might behave this way. This is not a truthful approach to character creation so I worked with Kara who played Mavis’ daughter, also melodramatic, to ensure there were familial similarities to create a fuller, realistic portrait.
Conversely, I constructed such a complex and humane structure for Cora that I felt almost too intimidated to inhabit it. I knew she needed a grounded and still physicality to contrast that of Mavis, to illustrate her defence mechanisms and allure. I find suppression of movement difficult so watched contemporary and recent representations of 1960s women to find a rhythm I could embody. I subsequently realised this was a selfish pursuit; instead, I should meet the story rather than adapting it to me. The research and journey to this realisation, available in Document G, was necessary because I had ideas to draw upon, but I needed to simplify my objectives. I wanted to capture specific limb movements, but it would have been more effective to consider a state of being and provide a tension level or Laban effort to show it. In future, I need to trust my body to tell a story as a whole and not focus on specifics.
I was keen to show Cora’s complexity through considered silences and movement, but the energy of my scenes was more diminished than the rest of the play, so I think they appeared weak rather than deliberate. To counter this, I created a process detailed in Document H, to explore plotting silence and intention, which requires further workshopping but was instantly successful. I realised Cora’s natural state is never revealed as each scene has an emotion which supersedes my detailed work, so her collected energy did not allow for interesting choices. I wanted to play Cora because much of her dialogue is exposition, so her intentions are less obvious, and I had to be creative in delivering it. I found it more useful to action her lines based on her needs and then consider her wants. Finding the balance with these elements was unremitting, and my notes, seen in Document I, are largely self-critical which brought discipline to each new run, but lowered my confidence massively.
Document G
Document H
Document I
Character Development
I created lines of action for each scene, as the vignette style of the text does not allow a logical flow for an actor, see Document J. This was fundamental to my process as it informed my physical intentions, relationships I created with my scene partners, and the imaginary world. Once I had memorised them, I attached them to a song, Document K, which I played through my mind before entering and found it immensely effective for dropping into character.
Document J
Document K
I had an epiphany during a rehearsal with Jo, our vocal teacher, as I was straining my voice when Cora shouted, which felt truthful but was unhelpful as an actor. We discussed how there are different realities for stage, screen and real-life. I understood the difference in methodologies for the acting mediums, but regardless, have always strived to give a human performance. Now I see how this has to be suspended to a varying degree depending on the type of performance and its style, thus freeing me from the boundaries I created to give ‘accurate’ representations.
The biggest challenge was ‘killing my darlings’, particularly those which I value and knew fulfilled the assessment criteria. I did not expect to be concerned by the assessment as I placed more importance on serving Jess’ vision. This was a minimalistic visual style paying little regard to the characters’ physical world or how their inner world affected it, for instance nervously adjusting aprons. I noticed I added details during the performances, and although I may not have fulfilled either brief with conviction, I am pleased I included them as it gave the audience a sense of place in what is a visually desolate play.
Document L – Pinterest boards created for visual references
I developed during the process after realising that my usual response to feedback was to push my creativity down several paths, through insecurity. I received relatively little feedback from Jess throughout, and I assumed she had a negative opinion of my work. I regularly sought feedback from my peers, ignoring any positives and only settling when I heard enough constructive criticism to satisfy me. I discussed this with Jess and was reassured that my understanding of story, variety of choices and connection with my peers meant she did feel secure with my work. I acknowledged that my drive for feedback could drain the energy of the company, and I needed to independently provide myself with balanced feedback which is a more professional and sustainable approach. This, alongside Jess’ silent support, forced me to rely on my instincts and process rather than court affirmation. I found I prefer an adaptable process to curate my activities for the character, as opposed to a rigid structure where I quantify my success on whether I complete a prescribed activity or not.
I lacked security with lines in the Johnson family scene, which is fast paced and reliant on accuracy. I felt confident practising alone, but struggled with adapting to multiple actors in rehearsals. I try not to learn cue lines so that I have a realistic urge to speak but this was injurious to the scene. I need to experiment with different ways of learning lines and place more emphasis on finding the naturalism within my dialogue rather than relying on an apathy of learning cues.
Show Day & Conclusion
Unfortunately, I was unwell and only fit to attend the final dress run and performance day. I had planned an extensive warm up process which I could not complete So I trusted I had embodied enough of my rehearsal work; fortuitously, in the end, since this stopped me from overanalysing my choices. The feedback I received provided reassurance in my performance, and despite recognising that this may be subjective, believe it will bring me more confidence in future work.
I enjoyed the process hugely, as Jess created an immensely supportive, professional and energetic atmosphere, and I would like to engender the same in upcoming projects.
The Rimers of Eldritch!
