Our Town
Written by Thorton Wilder
Directed by Beth Knight
Initial Response to the Play
In advance of the project starting, I read the play twice. The first, I read blind with no knowledge of the playwright or play itself. This was an unbiased read, without any pressure of over analysing it. The second, I had done some basic research into who Wilder was, and what themes he wrote about. In doing this, I could then start to form initial responses into the world of the play.
Wilder splits the play into three acts, and cleverly creates a script on the appreciation of human life. Initially, I had aversions to the themes of the play. I made notes on how appreciating things at every second of every day can be “exhausting” [See figure 1a]. I also noted that the dead in act three chastising George’s grief was wrong, and that “Grief is celebrating life.”
Figure 1a
This didn’t stop me from coming into the process open minded, and in doing this I certainly learnt a lot more about what the play was truly about.
Casting
The casting took place in the first week via interviews. Personally I find that talking about myself is not something I have a talent for. Performing an extract and showing my talent that way would have been a lot easier for me, though I was grateful for a different audition experience.
Being cast as Mrs Webb in Act 2 concerned me due to the limited volume of dialogue. I felt I would not have enough to really delve into the process and confront myself artistically. In discussion with Beth, I was told that I was given this role as my personality compliments Lydia, who she saw very clearly as the role of Mrs Webb. I think this upset me slightly as I felt like a “second choice”, could I still find ways to make this character my own?
Research & Analysis
During our rehearsal process I would add to my research notes – tailoring it specifically to the characters and developing the history of New Hampshire [see figure 2a]. To help me personally, I would print these off and glue them into a small notebook I bought for this process. [see figure 2b] This allowed easy access to my notes, putting them all in the same place and sectioning them with tabs.
Figure 2b
Figure 2a
Political/Historical
As a class, we researched both political and historical events in America from the 1600’s onwards. On A3 sheets, we split up the periods and wrote down anything we found that correlated with the time period [see figure 2c].
I was fascinated in fashion for women. The clothes they wore would have affected posture and restricted movement [see figure 2d]. For the older women in the play, I went back a few decades before the play started. They would have grown up with different fashion trends, and therefore their physicality would have been affected in separate ways.
Figure 2c
Figure 2d
Figure 2e
World of the Play
As well as quantitative research, I wanted to explore more qualitative ideas. During my research, I found that there were issues with loss of habitats in the White Mountains, an important landscape in New Hampshire. I made sure to research art around the white mountains during the 1800s, so I could understand what it might have looked like to the characters during their lives and the thoughts they could have had on the matter. It allowed me to see more abstract perceptions of the area, painting a picture of its character rather than just facts and figures [see figure 2e].
Character Research
For accent, I took the time to watch multiple videos and listen to audible sources [see figure 2f]. Example speakers really helped me, and noting down sounds that stood out to me allowed me to apply it to my script work. Audibly learning about accents made it digestible for me; I could understand this particular subject more in this form of media. To solidify my learning, I created a reference sheet. In this, I also used examples of my own lines and applied them to the rules to use as warm up exercises.
Music is a huge part of my process and one of my discoveries in this was that the phonograph was invented in 1877 [see figure 2g], which meant that music wasn’t easily accessed unless you were musical yourself, or knew someone musical. So, I then directed my research into common songs Mrs Webb would have known to help me start building personality and prepare me for my rehearsal process.
Figure 2f
Figure 2g
Preparation for Rehearsal
I could feel my nerves manifesting in a way that made me want to back away from rehearsals. To counteract this, I altered my warm-up from less energy boosting exercises, to stabilising ones. This involved meditation work, gentle vocal warm ups and calming stretches. At the beginning of the process, this was helpful in preparing myself to be present. I would then add in more exercises to tailor specifically to the character for a finalised warm- up [see figure 3a]. This still involved grounding work, but also louder vocal warm ups and singing exercises for the songs. A full body warm up helped me to feel loose, and prepared my body for a long rehearsal day.
Figure 3a
Character Exploration
The way I explored this character involved lots of emotional discussions with Beth, which I found super interesting. I hadn’t worked in such a giving way before, the best way I can word this is that we discussed Mrs Webb as if she were someone who we knew personally, and loved very deeply. It humanised her on a fervent scale. Doing this allowed me to create this vision of her in my head; reaching into depths and tapping into her emotions.
Her Act 2 speech was a vulnerable moment; vulnerability is something I find difficult. I had the opportunity to work 1 on 1 with Beth, where I found some beautifully rich moments. I recorded this voice note immediately afterwards [see figure 3b]. Handling this moment in this delicate way, and Beth having faith in me, is what made it work.
Figure 3b
Reaching this state, however, soon started to feel “unalive”. I thought about why this was, and tried a new technique. I had set memories and moments I played in my head alongside emotional music [see figure 3c and 3d]. Running through these given circumstances in my head reminded me what was important to her in this moment, and why she was so emotional in this speech. I was no longer using my experiences for fuel, but using HER experiences. Although tears didn’t always fall – it felt connected every time I ran it. In which I then accepted crying wasn’t important, being alive was. I had found a way to continue feeling alive in this moment despite running it multiple times.
Figure 3c
Figure 3d
Actioning helped by creating a tool box of words I could use at particular moments. [see figure 3e] For example, I used “amuse” with Mr Webb in Act 2 when he took up my hand to dance. I could also exchange them in with others to keep moments alive.
I used Uta Hagen’s endowment in the funeral scene to endow rain (blinking lightly as if hit by raindrops or hunching my shoulders for the cold). I employed transference with Ed’s character, using my younger sibling’s partner, to give me ways I could interact with him that I knew. Hagen helped me to embellish my performance with life, adding in the subtle moments to make the performance more specific to Mrs Webb.
Figure 3e
Scene Work + Collaboration
As soon as we were casted, Lydia and I met up to create a pinterest board and answer questions. [see figures 4a and 4b] Doing this we could compare our visions for the character, analysing where the differences were and work on a full picture.
Figure 4a
Figure 4b
For her movement we played songs from her period, and moved together. [see figures 4c and 4d] We copied each other’s idiosyncrasies until they aligned. Movement was important, especially for a period piece, and experimenting with movements in this abstract way allowed us to sync Mrs Webb, but also ourselves. We understood each other’s vision.
For her background, we had thorough discussions to analyse her complexities [see figure 4e]. The work I did with Lydia really fuelled my performance, it pushed me to make bolder choices in rehearsals as I started to feel more confident in who Mrs Webb was. The discussion we had was the groundwork in allowing me to safely perform her more vulnerable moments.
Figure 4c
Figure 4d
Figure 4e
Me and Louis (Mr Webb) had intimacy check in’s before every run. We also created a sense of place so we knew what the room looked like, and could apply Uta Hagen’s 4th side [see figure 4f]. We chose out the floors, the wallpaper and added in furniture our characters could interact with. This made us feel immersed and understand the characters’ world.
Responses to Feedback
Getting regular notes felt like a daunting idea at first, but I was grateful for every one. After our interview at the beginning, Beth said I felt like I was the kind of person who didn’t advocate for myself, which after only three days of knowing her shook me. So, I went away and wrote down 4 notes for myself on post-it notes, sticking them into my folder as a reminder to keep fighting for myself [see figure 4g]. I wanted to grow, not fall into old habits.
Figure 4f
Figure 4g
We would be noted at the end of every run. My main notes were slowing down, and finding a through-line on the speech to make it more dynamic. Every note she gave me on the speech, I would take it away and practice in my room. I would come back and give myself something specific to work on based on the notes, rather than overwhelming myself by trying too many new things at once. Working on smaller bits each time felt like putting a puzzle together, and worked to get to a place Beth and I were happy with.
Personal Reflection
At the beginning of this process, I had a divergence to the themes of the play and worries about my character. Nonetheless, I had an open mind and allowed my views to be completely changed. I can see now that this play is beautiful, how complex and tragic these characters are, and the themes being so important to explore. I am also glad to be given the act 2 moments to explore, as there was an extreme that I was allowed to go to with them. It was a shame that I didn’t see these stakes when first given the role.
I am aware that not all directors give such extensive notes as Beth. I relied too heavily on her notes and I could have had more constructive notes for myself. That being said, this was my first ever “professional” working environment, and emotionally I was putting in so much. Reflecting back, my notes for myself were less on my performance and more on my own disposition, how I could take up more space, be braver and bolder. I was constantly working on my presence and my confidence, I believe it paid off.
When it came to written work and documenting my findings, I fell short. Although I used practitioners techniques, I should have been more concise where and when I had used them in the process so I had a clear point of reference for myself. I would have loved to use through-line more, as this has been helpful in the past. I will make a physical sheet of all processes from practitioners that I find helpful as a sort of checklist to use in the future, so I don’t forget.
Summary
This process has been one with many bumps. Although I was fortunate to work with Beth who encouraged me in such a caring way, I must not wait for permission from a director to take up space. Simply, I must just do it. Not always choosing the first response I have, but exploring all options, both subtle and higher stake choices. I will continue with faith, faith in myself, in my cast-mates and in my director. I know I can work well with others, and I’ve learnt that I’m a very dedicated performer (I put a lot of time both in and out of my rehearsal project, so much so this was commended by Beth). However, when it comes to constructive and analytical thinking about my performances and character, I had to be pushed.
I want to be the kind of actor that comes in with thoughtful insights, and can articulate them with confidence.
