The Rimers of Eldritch – Lanford Wilson
Directed by: Jessica Millward
Initial Response to the Play
“The Rimers of Eldritch” is a play written by American playwright Lanford Wilson, and is set in mid-20th century Eldritch, Missouri (a decaying mining town in the south of America).
When I first read the play, I was confused by the narrative and the big cast of character names. I then re-read the script multiple times in order to fully grasp the play’s themes, and to prepare myself to make informed offers during rehearsals.
I also researched various reviews written about past productions of the play in order to better understand how the piece has been historically perceived by its audiences. Such preliminary research helped me to identify the key parts of the play and some integral features of each character (see 1).
World of the Play
As we started our research, Jess adopted an ensemble-based approach in which we all covered different topics of research and collated it into a solid foundation for the group to begin dissecting the script. This took place over the course of 2 weeks (see 2a).
From this process, I was able to understand the play’s setting, and how the paranoia and fear present during the 1950s influenced Lanford’s writing. The investigation of religion in 1950s Missouri was especially important because of the play’s Christian references. As such, understanding how religion was used as a tool to fuel segregation in the South was key to interpreting the play properly.
To supplement this research, I looked into more aspects of the playwright’s life and the influences that impacted his writing. (see 2b) This taught me about the various challenges Lanford experienced as a gay writer. He was shunned by his religious community and this sense of persecution is evident within the piece. His references to family and spirituality is also accentuated by his choice to set his stories within the Midwest.
We also created the world of the play by drawing out a map of the town (see 2c). We attempted to be as accurate as possible, and only included certain landmarks if a character made explicit mention of it. This was a useful tool in visualising our setting.
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Understanding the Text
The biggest feature of this play is the concept of secrets. The script is written in a way that makes the reader question if any character is telling the truth. In order to attain the truth of the piece, our ensemble curated a list of facts obtained from the script. These were bits of information that were not up for debate (see 3a). Although this process was quite tedious, it was needed to boost our understanding of the play. To add to this work, I noted any questions I personally had on my script (see 3b). This taught me to not get complacent with my research and instead consistently work towards clarifying any uncertainties.
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Auditions
I am thankful that we had the opportunity to audition for our roles. This simulation of a common industry practice allowed me to work on my professionalism and approach to calming my nerves. Jess commented on my behaviour in the audition room (see 4). This taught me that my excited demeanor brought a good energy into the room and made my director feel I was authentic. I will keep this in mind for the future. I will also be mindful of my use of space as that is something Jess noted as an area for improvement.
Casting
I was cast as Lena. Originally, I was disappointed because I was not cast as one of the bigger roles that I told Jess I would have wanted. However, there were unforeseen positives. Firstly, this was a good reminder that in the actual industry I may not get the role I want, but I should still develop my given character as best I can. Secondly, I was happy that my role was not shared with another actor and I was able to train my emotional acting stamina by being a character involved throughout the play.
Character
Lena is an energetic highschooler, who is easily influenced by her mother (Martha) and her best friend (Patsy). The interactions she has with them and her boyfriend (Josh) reflect how much she aims to please. This trait of hers became a challenge for me as I struggled to identify moments in which she was speaking truthfully, and when she was speaking as a tactic.
To solve this issue, I made a list of everything said about her, everything she says about herself and everything she says about others (see 5a). This helped me to keep a record of Lena’s world, and identify definite truths or potential tactics in her speech. From here, I created a bunch of questions inspired from each of her scenes (see 5b). This allowed me to delve further into the intentions behind her words.
Since Lanford did not provide much information on Lena, I feared my characterisation becoming one-dimensional. To combat this, I found as many adjectives for her as possible, identified how she viewed other characters and answered specific questions (see 5c). This helped me to discover subtle nuances within her, making her feel more like a real person.
Uta Hagen’s 9 questions (see 5d) allowed me to remember the exact intentions behind her words. This helped prevent a sense of anticipation. I would refer to this sheet of notes before entering a scene to root myself in Lena’s Given Circumstances.
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Process
Before coming into the space everyday, I would do a physical and vocal warm up (see 6a). This prepared me for the day, and informed me of any physical or vocal qualities I needed to note and work on.
A major breakthrough moment that heavily influenced how I approached Lena’s movements occurred after our first “stagger-through”, when my peers provided feedback on Lena’s physicality (see 6b). This taught me to break down her movement into smaller categories (see 6c) and be precise with why and how she moves. I also worked to identify and remove the physical habits that I fall back on during characterisation.
Using Laban efforts (see 6d), helped me to understand where and how she holds certain emotions in her body. I associated her eagerness with a ‘dab’ and this fidget-y quality to please rested in my fingers. Her conflicting emotions felt like a ‘wring’ which erupted from my lower belly, like a punch to the gut. During the rarer occasions in which she portrayed anger, I felt a ‘press’ sensation coming from my chest, which incidentally formed a confident upright posture. Slight shifts like these made a big impact on my physicality, and made her feel less like an established caricature.
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Creating Lena’s World
The 1978 film “Grease” (see 7) was my source of inspiration. Although Sandy and Lena differ in class, it was important for me to use media to visualise the 1950s, and how modest girls carried themselves. Observing Sandy taught me that her and Lena share a need to please. I noticed how simple her gestures were. Although she maintained a poised demeanor, her facial expressions conveyed her true feelings. I decided to reflect this in Lena’s movements by trying to stand upright, but emoting a lot through my facial expressions. By identifying key gestures that separated my physicality from Lena’s, I was able to immerse myself in the role more quickly.
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Scene work and collaboration
My approach to scene work revolved around finding a bold offer that provoked different reactions in my scene partner. I used this to overcome my habit of sticking to a specific choice, especially when the offer yields positive reactions. This approach helped me during a scene in which I had one line. I struggled to find the intention for Lena to stay silent during the majority of the moment, and the vagueness of the line made it difficult to understand. To overcome this, I would deliver my line to different characters and used a variety of “actioning” words to vary my tone. This gave me a wider range of potential choices. Jess observed my playful process and how this prevented me from sticking to a specific choice (see 8).
Director Feedback
Lena’s personality involved projecting a character of confidence to impress others. This meant that she often masked her true intentions in front of others.
In a scene in which Patsy announces her engagement, Lena tries to conceal her fear with mock excitement (see 9). I discovered that whenever I overreacted to Patsy’s statements and made Lena’s feelings really clear, the audience found the scene comedic. This positive reaction led to me leaning into the comical aspect of the scene. As a result, I prioritised making the audience laugh with my overt responses, which meant that I struggled to feel connected with this scene.
Jess reminded me to play the scene truthfully. She told me to ignore the audience and focus solely on how much Patsy’s words were affecting Lena. This was a challenge for me as I tend to rely on audience responses to inform me of how effective my performance is.
This note taught me the importance of trusting my connection with my scene partner. With each rehearsal, I worked on being fully present, understanding what my character wants and why, and responding genuinely. I did so by revisiting my notes on Lena’s given circumstances. This led to a more realistic representation of Lena’s situation, and by committing to how grave the circumstances are to her, the scene ended up being authentically funny.
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Intimacy
This was my first time acting in a choreographed intimacy moment, so I was quite nervous. It was comforting to know that Jess took measures to ensure that me and my scene partner were comfortable with each step. My main worry with the scene was that there were a lot of movements that I kept jumbling up. I annotated my script with as much detail as possible in order to avoid this (see 10a). Such specificity was also needed in the slap. I had a bad habit of not sticking to the same actions during the lead up to the slap, which meant the action would often go wrong. To right this, I kept practising it, ensuring the choreography was replicated exactly each time (see 10b).
However, due to this intense work on specificity, I began anticipating the next move. This made the scene feel rehearsed and inauthentic. This taught me that although specificity was integral, embodying Lena’s emotions and thoughts was still the focus of the scene. By referring to my notes on her intentions and allotting time to practise the scene more, I became more confident in using each movement as a tactic to accomplish my objectives.
Jess constantly ensured that “check-ins” were conducted, and that the rehearsal room was a safe space to express any boundaries or discomforts. I will adopt this mindset during future productions and keep the safety of myself and others at the forefront of my mind.
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Final Reflections
Overall, I am proud of the production that the ensemble and I produced. Although I wish we had more time to develop our characterization more, I am still glad that I was able to use this project to explore and understand the importance of intention and tactics. I am also proud that I stepped out of my comfort zone and incorporated Laban techniques into my process.
Moving forward, I want to work on being more comfortable with experimentation. Even though I challenged myself during this process, I believe that if I work on being more experimental and open to bold offers, I will provide myself with a good foundation to begin making more interesting character choices.
As a whole, this project has taught me the importance of providing actors with a space to push themselves and take risks. I am so grateful to have had a director that prioritised the creation of such an environment, and I hope to replicate this in future productions. I am also glad to have been given the opportunity to practise and refine my acting process, which is a journey that I am sure will continue after this as well.
