Initial Response to the Play

I read the play before rehearsals with no prior knowledge of who the characters were and the story that would unfold. This really allowed me to be dragged into the story and connect deeper with the play and its themes. 

Lanford Wilson’s writing style is very complex and uses different timelines to build the whole story. This allows the audience to see a glimpse of what is to come while also keeping them guessing. At the end of The Rimers of Eldritch a murder takes place but this is kept wrapped up throughout the play to ensure the event has a big reveal therefore allowing the audience to have a bigger emotional response. 

The play really looks into corrupted morality while isolating individuals who are different like Skelly and Eva. Slowly Wilson reveals that everyone is part of a shared moral decay. These factors intrigued me further and I felt so eager to get started.

Casting:

We spent the first week doing workshops and getting to know our director Jessica Millward before moving into auditions. This part of the process I found difficult because I couldn’t work out which character would be right for me. I felt as if I resonated with many characters so wasn’t sure what scene to audition with. I chose a scene between Eva and Robert. Eva’s journey is very unique and interesting to explore (see 1a). We wrote down our top characters down at the end of the audition and then waited.

I was cast as Wilma who was someone I was willing to play but I wasn’t too sure of her journey. I was excited because she is a town gossip and brings some lighter energy to such a dark play. Contrastingly, I felt the challenge of being able to keep the energy high and drive the storyline. This character is not quite in my casting bracket so initially I struggled to find the right physicality but kept working through this until it felt right. To fully become this character I had to trust my acting process and had confidence in what I can create which I think I developed in the rehearsal weeks.

Research

Understanding the text:

Throughout the process we did lots of table work as a class to gain a greater understanding. At first the play was quite confusing due to the timelines, working out which part fits where and making the relationship connections.

We did uniting together where we would write down all the certain facts in the text (see 2a) so quickly I started to connect the dots and had many discoveries about my character and the world surrounding her (see 2b). I have realised from doing this that working as a whole group to find these discoveries is a really important part of my process but also I have now explored this method fully and know how to integrate it into my own individual process.

Social, Political & Historical Research:

Researching the social, historical and political context of the 1960s in Missouri allowed me to connect deeper and create the full world of my character and disconnect from a 2025 lens. Our class divided up all the sections into small groups then shared this knowledge (see 3a).

Understanding social norms and expectations of women at the time was really important to aid my work as Wilma and how she fit into but also stood out of society.

In addition I did extra research into the clothing of the time but specifically what I thought Wilma would wear. Fashion moved from early-decade elegance towards young-driven revolution including mini skirts and dresses which is something my character found a big change as she was in her late 50s at the time. I wanted to explore how Wilma fit into all this change (see 3b).

Accent:

I see accents as one of my strengths but I didn’t want to be too comfortable in that so I looked into the Missouri accent and brushed up on my Southern American accent (see 4a). I found watching clips on youtube to really help in order to connect with the characteristics more (see 4b).

Next I was made accent captain so I had a 1-1 chat with Jessica Corner about what exactly we wanted to find in the accent. Jess wanted us to go more General American with some Southern but as a class we felt strongly about keeping it more Southern. This is a strength of ours and since the town is made up Jess was happy for us to do this for the cohesion of the characters.

I had 1-1 chats with my class delving into any struggles and what to do next in terms of the accent (see 4c). This really boosted my passion for accents and the possibilities of what accent work can create.

After this work I was able to make choices for Wilma’s accent and voice (see 2b). I chose a decently strong accent as she is an older character so would have a thicker accent. I wanted her to have a smooth buttery quality to her voice. Vocal warmups helped me to find this and I believe this became truthful and natural.

Analysis of Process

Character Process/Exploration:

Our director aided us when it came to starting our process through using facts within the text. Firstly I began by exploring what the playwright and other characters say about me (see 5a) then what I say about others to help me understand my characters thoughts towards others in her world. This allowed me to add more detail into her mind and build this more full version of her (see 5b).

I used Stanislavski’s questions to allow me to gain a deeper understanding of the world (see 5c). My given circumstances then became very clear and I could pin point Wilma’s objectives and tactics to achieve what she wants throughout scenes and overall the whole play.

Additionally, I used laban efforts to focus more on the feelings Wilma experiences. I used this especially in a scene between Wilma and Robert where I focused on ‘press’ to intimidate and switching to ‘dab’ to interrogate. This technique I have found allows me as the actor to feel what is going on in the mind and body of my character, this helps me to quickly switch into their life in a safe but powerful way. 

Something I explored more as the process went on was what animal my character would be. I began by thinking Wilma was a brown bear but I came to realise in some moments there was another side of her that was very different. This hit me in one of our rehearsals and I instantly knew the dynamic between mine and Sacha’s characters was perfect for hyenas. This new link created so much more for me as it meant I was able to look further into a manipulative and dark side of Wilma (see 5d).

I also looked at the unbroken line of action which I have used before and I find it creates more of a through-line so that Wilma’s whole journey can be believable and strong along with techniques from Uta Hagen such as the fourth side. Before rehearsals and shows I walked the space plotting exactly where my scenery and eyeline would sit. This allowed me to truly see Cora’s cafe and Evelyn’s house as well as the town she grew up in.

Bringing in garments is something that has become pivotal in my acting process. As well as creating a vision board for my character (see 3b & 5b), I started bringing in clothing and shoes I thought suited her (see 5e). This boosted my connection to her and meant I could take that step closer to becoming Wilma.

I valued ensuring I was listening in the rehearsals and performances. I found myself becoming bored of scenes due to the repetitiveness then Jess reminded us that “listening is willingness to be changed” which really resonated with me so I focused on doing this which created so many positive changes within my work and enhanced the believability of the world.

Physical Work:

At the start of each day I did a full physical and vocal warm up to get myself ready for the day (see 6a). We also included warm ups as a full group to help us connect as a class and prepare for aspects of the day like singing. This part of my process allowed me to see how I was feeling for the day and prepare for scenes coming up.

Originally I struggled with finding the right physicality for Wilma. I didn’t want her to be too similar to myself but also not something that wasn’t believable. I spoke to Aaliyah who was our movement captain and she gave me interesting points to think about. Firstly I looked at what the effects of having a slight back injury would be which pushed me to think differently about how she walks and posture. Secondly another point of interest was my head movements and facial expressions. This aided me because Wilma is very judgmental and this allowed this trait to come across clearer, through doing so I was able to fall into a physicality perfect for Wilma. The idea of hyenas also worked well and I believe she was someone to invade personal space so this was another thing that furthered my connection to her movements.

For Wilma I positioned my centre of gravity in my hips, helping me capture the right age and a sense of confidence and being judgmental in moments such as during the Cora and Walter scenes.

Thinking of my physicality in these ways is a new way for me to understand the movements and opportunities for my characters so upon reflecting, I will ensure to begin this sooner.

Inspiration:

One source that inspired me was ‘Aunty Carol’ from ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ (see 7a & 7b). I found this source really useful for the aspects of Wilma being very nosy and oblivious as to what others think as well as her physicality and laugh. Another source for me was ‘Marley & Marley’ from ‘A Muppets Christmas Carol’ (see 7c). This idea links to Wilma and Martha appearing everywhere and almost being omnipresent. The strong links to these characters allowed me to separate myself from Wilma and develop a more full rounded performance.

Director Notes:

I really enjoyed doing call times for our scenes. This meant we got really focused time on each aspect of the performance which helped me to make choices and discuss ideas. Initially, I found it intimidating and wasn’t sure if I’d be okay to make big choices and for them to potentially fail but as the rehearsals continued I realised our director was very open to new ideas. Most of my notes linked to the blocking of scenes due to the performance being set in traverse. This was strange to do at first but started to become second nature and worked really well for using the whole space, allowing me to keep it full of energy as every part of the stage created something new. Listening was also a note of mine but I worked on this and in doing so it allowed me to boost my work and not get stuck in one rhythm.

Personally, for my process I would have preferred more use of techniques from Uta Hagen as these connect strongly to my process but this did not align with our director. This was definitely a learning curve for me and I will keep in mind that every director has different methods for future work.

Personal Reflection:

Reflection of Process:

Looking into Stanislavski’s questions allowed me to have a strong base to expand off. I feel as if my process really allowed room for growth and powerful character development. Finding the perfect animal connection furthered my work so much and meant in some scenes I could really use this to get a reaction from the other characters. I am very proud that I now have a super clear process that fits me well.

Overview:

In conclusion, I think I could have started with bolder choices from day one so that I could have really explored different styles and characteristics of Wilma. Also I wish I worked out my physicality sooner so I could have delved even deeper but now I know for future work that I have a method that suits my style of learning. This project was incredible. Working with an external director created so any opportunities and opened up new ways of working which I resonated with. I really appreciate the positive and trusting space we all created as a group and this allowed me to not be afraid and push myself during this time. I would have liked slightly more variation in Wilma but I am also very proud of what I created.

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