First Response
Figure 1
The Rimers of Eldritch (Figure 1) is set in Missouri in 1967, the same time the play was written. This project was directed by Jessica Millward.
My initial response to the play, having read the text, was that I found it challenging to follow the storyline. Furthermore, I found it difficult to immerse myself in the play. Initially, I felt unable to emotionally connect with the characters. I found it difficult to follow the storyline as the play is not written in chronological order. Consequently, I chose to re-read the play, and after a more detailed approach, I found that there was a main theme of secrecy within the play and how secrets can cause harm to others. This message interested me as an actor, and I became excited to embrace it.
Research
Figure 2
Character
The main character I’m playing is Peck Johnson. Figure 2 was created whilst researching my character. Having a fact sheet on my character means I know concrete details such as family, job, class, and religion. These details informed my character choices. This helped bring the character from writing to real life, which in turn helped my process as I could then imagine what my character’s life was like.
One significant fact was that Peck went to church. A character choice I wanted Peck to have was strict religious values. This meant I had to battle with right and wrong in my actions. Faith can be comforting as there is someone looking over him, but it can also lead to fear of any wrong actions he might do. This brought depth and meaning to his actions for me.
Figure 3 highlights my research into corn farmers’ day-to-day work as well as typical meals. I did this by watching a documentary and making notes. This research improved my understanding of what Peck’s life looked like. Having this understanding made Peck a real person to me.
A fact was that Peck had a bad back. I chose that it was due to a lot of physical labour on his farm. Knowing this helped me understand the day-to-day discomfort he was in, which meant I could embody that within myself using techniques from my movement classes, such as weight.
Figure 4
World Of The Play
Figure 5
We researched the world of play for this production by creating a map (figure 4) and fact sheets (figure 5). The map illustrates the context of distance between locations in the play, while the fact sheets indicate the relevance of locations and points of interest, such as the coal mine. This aids character familiarisation of people and objects that they see in the day-to-day world. Furthermore, this is important because it strengthened my understanding of the character’s reality and lived experience in their world.
Figure 6
Figure 7 A & B
Historical/Political
Figure 6 shows the company researching the play. Working in smaller groups helped us to be more efficient in meeting the deadline and gathering information. The research is useful to the company and me as it gives insight into living in Missouri in the 1960s (Figure 7 A & B ). However, this method has a fault, as someone might produce misinformation and share it as a fact. This could lead to choices that are untruthful to the characters at the time. During this era and slightly before the time period of the play, political tensions arose from people accusing others of being communists. This political tension and heightened sense of fear caused mistrust within most communities in America. Residual political tension may have been present within the play community.
Around 1967, larger farming groups were monopolising the agriculture market, causing economic pressure on smaller farms. This specifically links to Peck, as his farming business was small and under economic strain. As an actor, I can use this to make character choices, for example, Peck is stressed about the future. This emotion can bring more depth to a character.
Developing Technique
During this project, my aim was to develop my imagination; therefore, I looked into Stella Adler’s technique. One of her core emphases is on imagination. I believe this technique is a powerful tool for me and provides a higher quality of embodied performance. Peers and teachers felt my character was embodied; this feedback was given when I was using my imagination. To improve this technique, I found images from small towns in America in 1967, specifically for my scenes, where I could build upon the specific visualisation shown in (Figures 8 A & B ). This gave me inspiration and helped ground my imagination in order to enhance my attention to detail.
Stella Adler learned directly from Stanislavski, and like him, she emphasised the importance of given circumstances. Given circumstances are important to me as they ground me in the world and allow me to make bold choices authentic to my character. Figure 9 shows my work done on each scene in relation to the given circumstances.
Analysis Of The Process
Figure 10
Preparation For Rehearsals
Before we started rehearsals, we went unit by unit, which was set by the director (Figure 10). This meant everyone’s uniting was concordant. Additionally, we found all the facts that were in each unit and wrote them down on A2 paper. These factors allowed for a more harmonious way of working. Furthermore, the facts ascertained during this process aided the naturalistic element of the performance.
Moving on from this, outside the room, I made three lists (Figure 11). This preparation of script work helped me broaden my knowledge about the character as well as the play, and this gave me insight when going into rehearsals to make big offers.
Figure 11
Figure 12
Character Exploration
To connect with my character, I used a mood board (Figure 12). This helped me have a visual stimulus to refer to before going into the rehearsals. The pictures illustrate what emotions and demeanour the character portrays within the play.
Another technique I used was Stanislavski’s inner monologue to develop my character’s personality. This gave authenticity to my actions within scenes. In turn, the audience will see the character and not me.
Scene Work And Collaboration
We worked within scenes using a unit-by-unit approach; this helped to split up and focus on the specific scene. Methodology I used to aid blocking involved creating an image on the script depicting the character’s position, entrance and exit. During rehearsals to get timing accurate, cue lines were added before starting the scene. This helped us to be efficient with the scenes and helped with the pace of the show, as the director’s vision was that the production was quick-fire.
Prior to scene work, we carried out a line run and discussed where the unit takes place. This collaboration helped the cast members and director work in unison.
We discussed each character’s objectives, given circumstances and relationships in the scene. This enhanced understanding of character relationships and objectives. Following this, we would play with the scene on its feet whilst setting up character relationships and working within the director’s vision. During this time, we thought about what our characters were looking at and when, and who the line was going to. This is important because it will affect how the character presents themselves, and this can change the underlying meaning for the audience.
Figure 13
Figure 14
Response To Feedback
Figure 13 shows a clip from the scene with Patsy (daughter of Peck) and Peck.
When working on the scene with Patsy, a note from the director (figure 14) changed my thought process with Peck’s relationship with Patsy. This changed my understanding of Peck by making me realise that the actions of my character were coming from a place of love, and internally, this changed Peck’s inner monologue. Therefore, I was able to empathise with Peck, thus changing my approach and understanding as I gained a deeper insight into Peck.
Following up with the director, a choice was made that Peck has given a dowry for Patsy to be wed. This further provided a deeper context for the character, their emotions and the dynamics of their relationship with Patsy.
Breakthrough Moment and Challenges
A breakthrough moment was a character choice I made, which was that the farm was not financially sustainable. This affected the emotional pressure placed on Peck, their personality and their relationships with family members. Having made this choice, it provided me with a context to work with Peck, and consequently, I felt more embodied in my character.
An obstacle within the play was identifying with the character, as there was a juxtaposition between the character not sharing thoughts and feelings; however, Peck then goes on to share this with his son and Trucker. This does not align with their authoritarian personality, and therefore, I considered that this may have been shared as a method of manipulation and persuasion. This has led me to feel that the character may have a narcissistic and/or sociopathic personality type.
Personal Reflection
Growth and Development
At the beginning of the rehearsals, I understood the character to embody toxic masculinity with an authoritarian and possibly a narcissistic and/or sociopathic personality. However, after feedback from the director, I realised that the actions of my character towards Patsy were still very negative but were coming from a twisted place of love for Patsy.
At the start of this process given circumstances were a strong objective for me to grasp. I now have an enhanced comprehension of the given circumstances. Having a better understanding of this technique allows me to implement it in all future works, which will help me feel grounded within the performance.
Self-Awareness And Emotional Journey
We had a discussion with the director about how to get in and out of character, as the nature of the play is quite dark (Figure 15). A method of this was using character shoes, so there was a clear boundary of when we were in character and out of character. It is important to get out of a character because it could become all-encompassing. Having this method of working made Peck feel like a real person within the rehearsal room, which benefited the realism within the play.
I put myself forward for the preacher’s improvisation, and I found this challenging as I had not done any research on that role. I found that doing this in front of everyone was very exposing, and this felt like pushing myself out of my comfort zone and taking a risk. However, this risk paid off, and I got the extra part, showing that pushing outside of our comfort zone is how we develop as professionals.
Figure 15
Strengths And Areas For Improvement
A strength within this project was making big choices. This is important, especially at the start of the process, because it gives ideas of what happens within a scene, as well as bringing the text to life. A quote that stuck with me was “like a painting, make broad brush strokes to begin, then do the detailed work”.
After having a meeting with the director, Jess told me that I was making big choices that were brilliant ( Figure 16). However, I was doubting my choices. Looking back, I knew I was lacking confidence, and I have always been self-critical, which I know hinders my confidence. Not being confident during rehearsals can also be projected to the showing of the project. Moving forward from this project, I really want to focus on building my confidence. I will do this by journaling daily positive self-talk as well as putting importance on self-care.
Figure 16
Overall Learning Experience
After completing this project, a key takeaway for me is that if I cannot empathise with a character I am playing, I become disembodied from the performance; furthermore, this can impact the authenticity of the character. Therefore, any character that is far removed from my own morals and values, I need to empathise with their story to present an authentic performance. Additionally, as an actor, I need to prioritise improving confidence. This will help me in all aspects of acting, especially in rehearsal rooms and performances. The more confidence I have, the more enjoyable my work will become because I will not be constantly doubting myself.
This project has influenced my goals and aspirations for the future by giving me confidence, and I feel that I am developing as an actor. Consequently, I feel more prepared to attain my future goal of working within the theatre industry.
