Throughout semester one of Actor and Text, we’ve learned many techniques to help shape and guide our processes and performances as actors. Many of which I found helpful in enhancing my craft and diving deeper into characters’ objectives and characteristics. I’ve found myself using techniques such as various involving punctuation, rewriting heightened language, and ‘world building’ to shape and improve pieces I’ve performed and my process as a performer.
In week four, we learned Cicely Berry’s technique of “walking the text,” which, in class, we applied to a section of Juliet’s text from Romeo and Juliet.
This strategy really changed the way I approached punctuation as a whole, highlighting its purpose beyond just grammatical. In the image above, I note when to use the metre and when not to, something I’ve been very conscious of ever since. Especially with heightened language, since it’s written in almost a song format, it’s difficult not to fall into the habit of using the same word inflections that rhyme, following a pattern, potentially making the piece feel stale throughout. With this note always in the back of my head, I’ve learned to simply state the words, making it seem more fluid and natural, rather than following a distinct rhythm the entire time. The physical movements with each punctuation mark add a physical element to the speech, allowing for a more obvious recognition of changes in speech pattern or objective. I’ve had the habit of overlooking punctuation in the past, acknowledging it grammatically, but never stopping to think of the true purpose of the writer or the performer. With distinct movements such as changing direction with each comma, stopping with each period, and spinning on a question mark, I can fully digest and recognize the purpose of each mark within the character’s objective and storyline. Similarly, not every punctuation mark and period necessarily means the actor takes a full beat. In the future, I plan to use this tactic when first receiving or looking at a monologue or large chunk of text stated by a character I’m portraying. I will physicalize my text and punctuation to engage my entire body while simultaneously noting when it would be appropriate to pause for a brief beat rather than a complete stop. As a performer, I believe this will enhance my physicality, as it’s something I struggle with, and will be intertwined with the text, making my performance more well rounded and developed.
Similarly, in the extract from The Importance of Being Earnest, we marked the locations of the largest and most significant beats, making a mental note of the punctuation and how that plays a part in shifts within the scene.
The beats I marked were the ones that were most driven by each character’s objective in the scene. In Lady Bracknell’s line on the third page ending with “good society,” there’s a large beat taken when she says “has probably, indeed, been used for that purpose before now,” in efforts to push further her objective of not allowing Jack to marry her daughter by belittling him and making him feel lesser than. She does this once again on her last line, “a girl brought up with the utmost care,” showcasing how each beat shift is intertwined with the punctuation, pushing forward the character’s objective. This scene specifically was a great way to lay down a baseline for this technique, since Lady Bracknell is such a “larger than life” character. Having more sudden or apparent dynamic and tactical shifts is much easier to identify when the character themselves switches between big emotions often. And though Lady Bracknell doesn’t necessarily have significant emotional shifts that hugely differentiate, she still has that same quality where, since she’s quite vocal, it’s more clear to see her shifts within the scene. She was constantly switching between tactics of belittling Jack and asserting her dominance through status.
I’ve begun using this technique specifically in songs, acknowledging the punctuation within the lyrics, noting how it can affect the voice, and better portraying the acting and the song’s overall arc/objective. I recently looked at this technique with “Meadowlark” from The Baker’s Wife. I noted how one of the last lines states, “if love has come at last, it’s picked the worst time, still I know I’ve got to go!” I found it very interesting that the comma broke up the phrase this way, making it seem like “picked the worst time” is some sort of intrusive or afterthought, as if the singer is sitting in and daydreaming when referring to “love coming at last.” Realizing this, I made the acting choice to seem lost in my thoughts and almost off track at the beginning of this phrase before being interrupted by my own thoughts of “worst time.” This subtle acting choice provided more layers and nuance to the performance and her overall character, adding a layer of grappling with one’s true desires versus what they think they deserve
Coming back to Romeo and Juliet and heightened language, one of the key techniques we’ve learned is to rewrite the text into vocabulary you understand, or simply paraphrase each section’s overall meaning.
With Juliet’s monologue in Act Three, Scene Two, we did just that. Heightened language, especially Shakespeare, has always been very intimidating for me. I always thought that either my vocabulary wasn’t strong enough to understand, or I wasn’t a good enough actor to portray his work properly, but since discovering how to rewrite his work into language I understand, I’ve been far less intimidated by it. Juliet’s monologue in this section is lengthy, and not understanding what she’s saying makes it impossible even to begin to grasp her objective in this scene and the entire show. I didn’t realize how driven by intimacy Juliet was in this scene, something that wasn’t nuanced in any way, and that my mind skipped over because of the language. Understanding this key driver and Juliet’s other goals in the piece helps me make specific acting choices, vocally and physically. I was better able to display her drive for sex and love while remaining more poised and composed due to societal standards, layering Juliet’s character to feel more human and less like a standard “Mary Jane” sort of trope.
We also did this on a smaller scale for the extract from Act One, Scene Five, of Romeo and Juliet.
I translated Juliet’s lines into language I’d understand so I could properly portray what she meant when speaking to Romeo. Even though the scene is very iconic and I roughly knew the overarching narrative being portrayed, there were certain aspects I wasn’t entirely sure of the exact meaning or reasoning behind, character-wise and writer-wise. With the specificity of the language, I was able to better play into Juliet’s character and mannerisms with my partner during the workshopping of the scene. Since learning and diving deeper into this technique of language, I’ve been able to apply it to more contemporary pieces as well, rewriting and better understanding more poetic language or specific references to Shakespeare’s work I possibly didn’t fully grasp at first glance.
I used this technique with a song in my repertoire book, “The Party’s Over” from Bells Are Ringing. The entire song is essentially a series of clichéd party tropes symbolizing this woman’s heartbreak. I was able to translate some of the more obscure ones into language I could understand, dissecting them and revealing the intention behind the metaphors.
My favorite and most influential technique I’ve learned is the aspect of world building. I’m not sure why I’ve never thought in depth about it until now. Me and My Girl was probably the first time I truly dove into the world of the play/piece.
Politics of the time play such a massive role in the world of the show and each character’s background, it’s honestly shocking that it’s always been something to kind of slip my mind. Even something as seemingly minuscule as the fashion of the time allowed me to picture the characters in my mind, making them more realistic and true to character. Understanding how, politically, the 1930’s saw a softening of the class divide further supports the entire plot of Me and My Girl, providing context and background for character motivations and reasoning.
I used this again for Romeo and Juliet, gaining a deeper understanding of the characters’ surroundings.
This, along with the importance of religion at the time, fully shaped the context for why Romeo and Juliet pursued their love the way they did. Geographically understanding medieval Verona, Italy, helped me picture the city’s layout, deepening the risk and severity of the two lovers sneaking around together. Likewise, in researching the city’s layout, I examined the popular music and instruments of the time, setting the scene for what Juliet or Romeo would hear around the city and at the party. This process helped me completely envision the scene and my partner contextually. Now, I use world building and research for every piece of material I use, songs and monologues. I’ve not only been able to expand my knowledge of my process as a performer, but I’ve also gained so much context historically that I’d either forgotten about or never learned, especially when it comes to certain regions.
I recently used this technique when preparing “A Wonderful Guy” from South Pacific. Though I knew it took place during World War II, researching and delving deeper into the nuances of war nurses and America’s attitudes toward foreigners gave the song and Nellie’s friend’s reactions to her singing so much more context, deepening my understanding of Nellie’s character. Considering a woman’s role of the time largely shifted the nuance I held within the song. Due to war, women started taking over men’s jobs, making them more prevalent in society. And though Nellie was stationed on an island, she could still feel this shift, especially in the pushback she and the other women received from the men regarding their roles, even as nurses. Recognizing and applying this new layer to her character made my performance less shallow; before, it seemed like I was just a two dimensional woman singing about being in love with a man, but with this newfound refinement, my performance gained a sense of subtlety and real characterization.
Semester one of Actor and Text significantly deepened my understanding and my performance tools through numerous techniques taught throughout the term. With these, I’ve truly been able to enhance my knowledge of each character I portray and learn about, both in and out of class. Though punctuation, rewriting heightened language, and world building stood out the most to me, every technique I’ve learned this first term has contributed to my growth as a performer and artist and will continue to shape this growth for the foreseeable future.
Adolf, G., Berry, C., Jule, S. (1956) The Party’s Over [Lyrics]. SONY BMG.
Available online:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6ZGHBhzsrPtawijvdeVNZD?si=b0d9cfd223064be1 [Accessed 10/01/2026].
L. Arthur Rose, Douglas Furber (1937) Me and My Girl [Libretto]. London: Noel Gay Music Company Ltd.
Oscar, H. II, Richard, R. (1949) A Wonderful Guy [Lyrics]. SONY BMG.
Available online:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4CcPmqNHpLDCl1IHxmfkZd?si=7a3aa3bdeacc41df [Accessed 14/01/2026].
Oscar W. (1988) The Importance Of Being Earnest. Edited by Russell Jackson. London: Bloomsbury.
Stephen, S. (1999) Meadowlark [Lyrics]. JAY Productions LTD.
Available online:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0BvGZuPDgHmAqrJLYNKZyp?si=46a611ef0c1e4334 [Accessed 07/01/2026].
William S. (2015) Romeo and Juliet. Edited by René Weis. London: Bloomsbury Publishing
