By Sebastian Albertyn
Introduction to the work
1. Response to the Play
My initial response to Our Town was shaped by its engagement with themes that I have spent much reflection on personally: death, personal relationships, and the performance of community. Wilder writes characters that struggle to balance their obligation to themselves, to their loved ones, and the people that make up their world. All for the struggle to come undone at the quick realization granted by human mortality.
Although the play is set between 1890 and 1910, I found the period to be less of a limitation and more of a guiding framework. The social customs, rhythms of daily life, and communal structures of the time reflected an environment where personal relationships were both unavoidable and deeply interdependent. However, rather than feeling archaic, a lot of these ideas of society still linger and the restrained truth of the characters is as much a modern issue as it ever was.
What struck me most was how the play asks both actor and audience to participate in the idea of remembering. Community in Our Town is not only performed by the actors but also the audience. The audience is invited, through narrator and the stage manager characters to almost participate in the town itself. This makes the unravelling of the narrative and the growth of the characters through the time skips feel almost painfully nostalgic and all the more tragic.
2. Casting
I was cast as Dr. Gibbs, a somewhat stoic and high profile character within the town. As the only doctor around he travels much and takes responsibility for many people, even beyond the community. He is given a lot of respect from both his family and community alike. However, his discipline and adherence to his responsibilities leaves him stuck in a place of gentle authority, where love is an act of service, not compassion and kindness a duty, not a virtue.
3. Text Insight and Research
We spent a lot of time analyzing the historical context of the piece, mapping out the last and next couple of decades worth of events and ideas in American history. This created a deeper understanding of the political, social and religious landscapes of the time. This was the first time I’ve ever done such an exercise with the entire cast, and it was a wonderful use of the first week, building the community concept within the group before we even got to the characters of the town. We then looked at the text and identified themes we thought were worth playing with or were prominent in the characters, eventually narrowing these down to four: Grief, Belonging, Time, the Liminal. We spoke of our own personal experiences within these themes, tapping into memory and stories of our lives and loved ones. This combined with individual personal research into more detail on how communities in that time functioned, created a very connected idea of how we were approaching the play.
Development and Process
1. Character Work
For the character of Dr Gibbs, I looked at a venn diagram of three points of contention that I wanted to play into for his personality. Namely; Respect, Cheeky, Aloof. I thought this would allow me to create more dimensions within his character and give more angles at which to come with for certain moments. A lot of my textual analysis and choices came from this idea. We also looked at the song “St. James Infirmary” by Cab Calloway as an idea point for his energy, including “Lost on You” by LP later on. It was through the tone and energy of these songs that we played with how he walks through and views the town and his relationship to Mrs Gibbs.
The scene with Mrs Gibbs was workshopped using the “post-it note method”, where we played around with spontaneous input from ourselves and cast suggestions to really find a version that felt sincere. This was originally an exercised we had done in Alex’s class, and I find very useful for breaking stubborn choices, or to understand why something is or isn’t working.
Another point we worked on was given circumstances within the context of the period and town. Looking heavily into how everyone relates and knows one another, how they are viewed, and how masculine identity of the time affects those relationships. Education’s place in Dr Gibbs life, and that of his family’s. Dr. Gibbs is very interconnected within the context of the play, and as the doctor, his relationship to Grief and Belonging are integral within the story. I felt that I struggled at times to contain the vast context of his existence within the town. In particular, the opening scene, and interaction with Joe, felt difficult to settle. Particularly in pace and, with so few lines, to really establish Dr Gibbs relationship with the characters.
2. Personal Inspiration
B1
When looking at the characterization of Dr Gibbs, I drew heavily from ideas of people in my life. Memories of being scolded in the principal’s office, and disciplined by my dad. A lot came from my time at an all-boys junior school. I used the old principle as a basic reference to posture, demeanor and stride, and layering other physicality’s on top of that. Again, using the ideas of Respect (B1), Cheeky (B2), and Aloof (B3), I gathered a live reference for each.
B2
B3
3. Physical Work
For physicality we looked to share ideas for a joint basis for the character and add things we felt could be useful. Oscar enjoyed working with a single hand as gestural aid, so we incorporated that and came with ideas of things we both enjoyed for the character. I enjoyed having my hands in my pockets as it was reminiscent of my old principal when he used to lean against his desk when talking to people. I also felt it created a strong presence and calm, adding to the dignity and respect of the character. We also added a saunter in the walk for some cheekiness. It was interesting and rather difficult to work on this in tandem with a partner as the differences in our natural instincts and physical bodies meant for a lot of adjustment to find a strong throughline for both versions of the Dr. Gibbs. It was tremendous help when working with Izzy, who acted as a guide and provided feedback and knowledge.
4. Accent work
For accent, I worked on the idea of a modern New Hampshire with a heavy grain and slightly southern style to indicate the rural nature of the town and Dr. Gibbs youth on a farm, hinted at in the text. I had a wonderful reference by the name of TheGraniteWhispererNH on youtube, who had many videos of prose, stories and poems with his heavy, albeit modern, New Hampshire accent. However, I found that I would constantly slip into a more southern sound. After reflections with the accent coach, Jess, and paying attention to what the cast was doing with their accents, I decided to incorporate a more New York sounding voice, primarily on vowels and choice words within the text. This allowed me to align better with the general accent within the cast, and not sound too southern. I created hooklines, based on what vowel sounds and rhythm I needed for the accent. “Butter-liquor”, “More crooked then the hind legs of a dog” “Putting pen to paper on the declaration of independence”, “George got tired of playing baseball in the yard”. However, in the stress of the moment, in the final performance I accidentally leaned heavy into the southern accent I’m naturally more comfortable in. In future, I will spend even more time on an accent until my body finds it as the default in such moments.
B4
5. Voice Work
When playing with the voice of the character outside of accent, my main focus was trying to create a very strong, calm and deliberate-toned voice, that could be audible. Working in traverse, I tried to be mindful of when and where I’m facing when I’m saying important things in the text. We worked with cast members seated on either side and providing feedback on audibility. Interestingly, this was one of the first times in a play where I had fewer issues with audibility. However, I think I still have room to work on sustaining voice throughout. For Dr Gibbs, I built a warmup focused on chest resonance and clarity through the accent. I thought this would help ground the character into a stronger feeling tone and also aid the directness of his nature. Finding his age in voice was something I also tried to look at, using natural raspiness. Unfortunately this was either completely sustained or lost to a heavy chest cough that I had during most of production. But ultimately, I do believe it was a valiant effort, and will spend more time looking at how I can play with voice in a similar manner in the future.
6. Costume and Wardrobe
For costume, I managed to find some wonderful old photographs of people of the time. I particularly enjoy costume that takes me out of my own natural body as I find it makes embodiment of character much easier. Looking at a simple shirt and trousers, I wanted to add a more erudite look, to help represent the insular mind of the character. I tried for glasses and a waistcoat, but eventually sacked both for a simple scarf. The waistcoat felt too much for the calmness of the character and undercut his rustic roots. The glasses would’ve been nice but was out of budget. The scarf was lovely nod to his warmth that he does try to think with, and I felt it juxtaposed the harshness of his scenes. The moustache was to lean heavier into the period photo references, and was something me and Oscar agreed on to add maturity and distinction to the character.
7. Notes and Improvement
Overall, I jumped right into the rehearsal space with calm commitment. I tried to be steady, honest and focused through every element of discussion in early rehearsals, while maintaining diligence and respect for other actors. I learnt my lines within the first week or so of script, and had references researched early. I think where I began to falter is perhaps the depth of my rehearsal in spare time. I think I could have easily spent more time on practicing the character, as opposed to how much time I spent establishing it.
Mannerisms, accent, voice practice and certain choices weren’t always as consistent as I would of liked them to be. And I find, often, as an actor I enjoy the process more than the routine of practice, and it is a lazy habit that when broken would allow me to elevate my performances. Going over choices until they’re closer to second nature and spending more time on my feet with the work, as opposed to research and discussion. When I do research and discussion, I also need to note them. I tend to create a mental cache of everything, and although it can often feel intuitive and safe, I would be lying to myself if I didn’t believe that a lot of nuance and built context slips out if it is not jotted down for safekeeping.
B5 – Character study notes for Dr. Gibbs
Overview and Final Thoughts
This experience has been a wonderful example of the joint artistic process. I learnt a lot from being able to observe and occasionally participate in other people’s processes and their rehearsal styles. It also brought to light how different my own approach can be sometimes, and with that, what I have to offer the space and the cast. I enjoyed Beth’s directorial style, focusing on a unified understanding and slow build of vulnerability and play within the cast. I see where a lot of my instincts stand, and where my dedication can sometimes be lacking. Ultimately, it has renewed my view of my value as an actor, and built massive confidence in my ability to work well with others, both in the philosophy of the art, and the practical development.
(1985 words)
