Research

We began rehearsals by working in groups on areas of research: political events, economic influences, social events, music and literature. We then presented these back to the class at the end of week one (see 1a). This was useful because it made the research more manageable and allowed me to delve deeper into a small section.

In 1963 John F Kennedy was assassinated, leading to Lyndon B Johnson taking office, passing social legislations such as the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, however they were met with violent resistance and social unrest. Through research we discovered that Wilson had scattered the play with hints towards the injustice and violence in America through the lens of the characters and plot. My character Martha reflects the conservative views of the time as she describes people who are unlike herself as ‘unnatural’ and believes that justice is served by the end of the play, even though an innocent man in murdered. Furthermore, I read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee as the two plays follow a similar plot and themes.

It was fundamental for me to be more educated on Missouri, where the play is set, to better understand my characters lifestyle and childhood (see 1b). During this process I discovered more about Wilson’s life, as he grew up and studied in Missouri, which has a clear influence on how it is described in the play, as Wilson’s opinions on Missouri are reflected through the characters. Therefore, it was important to honor Wilson’s intentions and give an accurate representation of his version of Missouri.

I also carried out research into fashion at the time, creating a Pinterest board to use as inspiration for my character (see 1c).

As Martha is in her 50’s, I looked into women’s clothing in the 1930’s and 1940’s to image the type of garments that she would have worn throughout her life. I found that A-line skirts and white button-down blouses, creating a versatile look suitable for various occasions were popular. I then researched class and jobs to determine Martha’s final outfit which suited the time period, her age, occupation and status within the play (see 1d).

In previous projects I have struggled with research because it seems overwhelming and time consuming, however I have learnt that breaking it up into key sections gives me clear headlines to look into further, so I will use this strategy in the future. I also discovered that knowing the playwrights’ intentions and how their life experiences influence their writing can be useful to understanding a character and their role within a play, which I feel I have neglected previously, therefore I will ensure that I begin my process by researching the playwright.

Initial Response to Play

Prior to the auditions I read the play twice with an open minded view of the characters. This allowed me to focus on the narrative and themes of the play. In week one we completed an exercise where everyone wrote down one theme and then we individually put them in the order that we believe they appear in the play (see 2a). This was an unexpected breakthrough moment because it demonstrated to me that everyone has a different interpretation of the play, which is influenced by people’s experiences, and hearing different perspectives helped me to discover more about my character and play with new objectives within each scene. This taught me that it is vital to converse with other cast members in the initial stages of rehearsals, as previously I have only focused on my opinions, so I will bring this into future projects (see 2b).

Wilson’s writing style is poetic realism characterised by naturalistic dialogue that is elevated and full of subtext (see 2c). Musicality in speech is used to reveal emotional truths, which happens rarely for Martha in the play, so when she tells her daughter that she watched the neighbourhood dog die, the rhythm in her dialogue is most evident. This moment is impactful because until now Martha has appeared fully in control, showing little emotions and a lack of sympathy for Eva, who is suffering from being the victim of rape, however an event that may seem insignificant to others becomes the moment when she beings to break, revealing masses about Martha’s backstory. I decided to use Stanislavski’s system alongside the moments of musicality in Martha’s speech to build her past, inspired by Katie Mitchell, and create an unbroken line of action for each scene to develop my characterisation (see 2d&e). Although it was written in 1966, I drew parallels to modern day where society cannot escape prejudice and people often avoid saying what they truly mean.

Character Process

After being cast, I made a list of what I say about other characters and and key questions, because I felt that this was vital to understand the plays intensions(see 3a,b&c).During rehearsals I used Stanislavski’s techniques from An Actor Prepares (1937) of objectives and tactics, by making choices about Martha’s intentions(see 3d). A downside to this technique is that my choices felt limited and predetermined making my line delivery robotic, however my director reminded me of the quote ‘listening is the willingness to be changed’ by Mark Napo, which enabled me to be altered by my scene partner and when I wasn’t affecting them, I would change my tactics. Going forward I will ensure that I don’t get fixated on my initial choices to keep the scene fresh. A discovery was that often characters don’t achieve their objective and this can make moments more truthful because in real life situations we often fail, so I accepted that Martha wouldn’t always get what she wanted and considered how she responds when she is unsuccessful. This gave me more to play with, as I created an internal monologue for Martha, giving her conflict as she desperately wants to succeed but feels disappointed when she doesn’t. This was evident during scenes with Wilma because Martha idolises her and respects their friendship so feels a pressure to gain validation from Wilma.

I watched the sitcom I Love Lucy (1951) for inspiration, drawing parallels to Lucy and Ethels friendship (see 3e).

Before rehearsals we did a physical and vocal warm up alongside a focus game, and I completed an independent character-based exercise, reminding myself of Uta Hagens 9 questions from A Challenge for the Actor (see 3f). This gave me a readiness to work, put me into Martha’s mindset and created concentration within the group. My director felt that I didn’t have a clear understanding of Martha’s feelings towards others, therefore I wrote down 3 adjectives of how Martha perceives the townspeople as preparation for the performance. I reminded myself of these before going onstage, giving Martha conflict and focus during the scenes as she attempts to conceal her true feelings(see 3g). This was a pivotal moment because I discovered that using points of concentration (Mike Alfreds) during the performance calms my nerves and makes the scenes feel more truthful, so I will use this in the future.

Breakthroughs

A breakthrough moment was when I drew my attention to adopting Martha’s physicality. Feedback from my director was to develop physicality further, so that I transform into the character, rather than allowing my shadow movements to take over. She suggested choosing an animal that Martha shares qualities with, which I decided was a hyena. This instantly elevated my physical choices, as I researched how hyenas move and began adding my findings into the scenes, refining my movements (see 4a&b).

Although this was useful, I felt that I had lost the truth of Martha, so I decided to give her an injury to see how that would impact my embodiment. Martha has worked as a domestic cleaner for 17 years and from research I decided that osteoarthritis would suit her backstory. This occurs when degeneration of joint cartilage means that the bones rub against each other causing pain, swelling and decreased mobility(see 4c). I embodied this by having Martha often stand with her weight on her left leg, holding her hand on her hip for support and stability. This was an area of development because as my knowledge of Martha evolved, I was able to apply Lecqo’s 7 levels of tension to create a truthful character, improving my physical performance skills, which I aim to build upon in future projects (see 4d).

I discovered that Laban Efforts was a useful way of showing my characters conflicting thoughts and feelings. I decided that Martha is externally a ‘press’ and internally a ‘flick’, which worked in contrast throughout. During the scene with Cora, where Martha confronts her for sleeping with a younger boy, I placed my centre of gravity in my hips, standing my ground, and used sustained, slow movements of my body and voice to irritate Cora and show my higher status. I paired this with moments of suddenness when Cora is concealing the truth, where I quickly move closer to her and shift my physicality to become unpredictable, making Cora feel uneasy. The challenge was ensuring that my entire body was using the efforts as I found myself only embodying them in my chest and arms, so I took some time to focus on getting the efforts into parts of my body that were being neglected, such as my head and knees(see 4e). I then attached the metaphor ‘eyes in the back of my head’ to the effort of ‘flick’ which helped me to embody it further. Laban is one of my strengths because it’s a quick way to get my body to connect with my emotions, therefore I aim to use it earlier in my process.

Director Notes

One note from my director was to find variation and lightness within each scene, to ensure that Martha is authentic and truthful. I quickly found a nasty quality to her as she involves herself in other people’s business and shares her prejudice opinions, however I needed to find moments of comedy and a softness to her as she can be caring at times. I found that a reference point for Martha and Wilma’s dark humour, wittiness and omnipresence was the Marley brothers from The Muppets Christmas Carol (see 5a).My director then workshopped the scene between Martha and her daughter, focusing on Uta Hagen’s fourth side, which led to a significant shift in Martha and my understanding of her. I realised that during this scene she is vulnerable and her motherly instinct kicks in, as she tries to protect her daughter from making impulsive decisions. The fourth side helped to create familiarity and a sense of privacy for my character, as we placed the scene in Martha’s living room. This is a side that I hadn’t found in Martha before, but upon reflection I noticed that I felt disconnected. Our director then asked me how I think Martha would deliver the news in the scene. My scene partner and I decided that a long form improvisation would be useful to explore our relationship further, and the director encouraged us to choose an event to cause an emotional shift. To understand my life as a single mother, I chose to find a letter that Lena had received from her father, who is wanting to meet up with her. Through this I found a deeper connection to my scene partner, and it raised questions about what Wilson is trying to say through Martha, helping me to develop my character(see 5b). The response to the emotional shift was unexpected, as I felt a tightness in my chest and panicked, which are similar feelings to the Laban Effort of ‘wringing’. I then used Uta Hagen’s emotional recall by visualising my childhood cat and leaning into how I felt and responded to their death to use during the scene. This brought up questions of why Martha feels connected to this stray dog, which I discovered was because it represents Lenas childhood and innocence, which has now disappeared. My choice to use Hagen’s method allowed me to develop Marthas emotional truth and was a way for me to get into character mentally

Overview

In conclusion, I wish that I had prioritised my physical embodiment in the rehearsal process, however I focused on the practicalities of learning lines and analysing the script first. I have learnt that I need more time to refine my physical work to ensure that my portrayal is truthful, which has influenced my aspirations as I would like to tackle a physically demanding role, so that I can explore animal studies to the extreme. I discovered that my main strength is being present and prepared for rehearsals, however this means that I struggle to find new ideas, so I aim to develop my ability to make new choices which I will do by having less preconceptions about the text and my character prior to rehearsals.