Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Directed by Beth Knight

Research

Research has been a crucial first step for me going into this project. My knowledge about American history was very limited so expanding my knowledge of the political, social and religious topics was helpful. Having a deeper understanding of the struggles of that time, how different people in society are perceived helped my approach to character development once we were cast. We had a full afternoon of rehearsal dedicated to the research of American history, specifically focusing on impacts to New Hampshire. This gave me a really strong starting point so I could then expand my research in my own time. (see 1a)

1a)

World of Play

For a bit of context, the play is set in a town called ‘Grovers Corners’ in New Hampshire. It is evident that the characters of the play are born and raised here and it is extremely uncommon for anyone to leave. This meant they’ve all grown up surrounded by the same religion and social background. Most people of the town are members of the Congregational Church (see 1b) so they are Protestant Christians. The history of Protestant Christians dates all the way back to the 1600s and continued to be the dominant religion in New Hampshire. When The Great Awakening started during the 1730s ministers encouraged individual faith and weakened Congregational control. It led to increased religious enthusiasm and divisions in churches between revivalists and conservatives. It had a permanent effect on Protestantism. However, in New Hampshire Protestantism continued to be the driving force behind its society, with a strong belief for the Congregational church and what it stood for. By the early 1900s, Congregational women became more active through church societies and reform movement but still worked within traditional expectations. They were expected to be married, never get divorced, have children and care for their home. 

1b)

Character

Mrs Gibbs is married to Dr Gibbs through an arranged marriage, and they have two children, George and Rebecca. We decided Mrs Gibbs is around 35 years old, and married Dr Gibbs at 18 (see 1c). Having a doctor as her husband in a small town such as Grovers Corners immediately puts you up on a pedestal and increases your influence and expectations from others. She is a member of the Congregational Church and attends weekly choir practice. Traditionally at that time women were expected to be devoted, obedient and focused on their home. However, Mrs Gibbs has such a big hole in her soul and feels the only way to fill it is to leave Grovers Corners and see more of the world. For example, in the scene with Mrs Webb she confesses to her that she believes “one should visit a country where they don’t speak in English, and they don’t even want to” (see 1d). Even though my historical research didn’t necessarily directly impact my rehearsal process and character work it gave me a better understanding of the context of my character in the world of the play. It emphasised how uncommon and unsettling having this type of desire is at that time for someone, especially a woman. (see 1e)

When it came to developing my technique and research, I wanted to watch something that has the same essence of a story, revolving around family, grief and other worldly activity. So, I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Surprisingly, there were so many parallels in character relationship and moments of energy that I could draw from in rehearsal and take inspiration from. For example, the chaotic household energy between George and Rebecca really reminded me of George Baileys relationship with his brother and mother, the strong relationship to the moon in both stories and most of all, the overriding message to live your life to the fullest and appreciate every moment. 

1c)

1d)

1e)

Analysis of Process

My initial response to the play and the characters was that it was quite mundane, revolving around ordinary everyday lives but with an unexpected ending. The end really intrigued me but at first, I was very confused because it was so different to the rest of the play so I found it hard to understand how it fit. This prompted me to want to read it again and once I did, I felt as the play was about something much bigger than the people living in ‘Grovers Corners’. This was an exciting feeling to have going into our first rehearsal.

Character

We explored this concept a lot so the conversations we were having about our characters through the first week were exploring traits and qualities that weren’t in the play. (see 2a) For example, my character, Mrs Gibbs, wants to leave Grovers Corners, she feels as though she needs to escape. It’s clear from the script that she has a strong attachment to the moon, I think this is a clear link to her fascination of how big the world is, but she will never get to see it. It took me a few weeks to come to a conclusion as to why that is, she has all the resources to travel yet she doesn’t. I believe she is truly scared that her dream is more exciting than the reality. She’s trapped in a life that she doesn’t want so for me approaching this character, I needed to think about how she’s kept going all this time, and what is motivating her and keeping her grounded. My own intuition about her is that every night she sits out on her front porch with a cigarette and a glass of wine looking out at the moon, having her moment to do what she wants without anyone to tell her ‘No’. When I first said that in rehearsal it got a couple laughs, however that was something that helped me feel like she is a real person with her own flaws, desires and dreams. This enabled me to hook onto a part of her world outside of the play and then during rehearsal I could carry that into my scenes. For example, in my first scene in Act 1 (see 2b), the children getting ready for school, its chaotic, unmanageable and overwhelming, so my objective is to get through the morning so I can have my cigarette in peace. I found it extremely useful creating a part of Mrs Gibbs that the audience never got to see. It helped me as the actor to stay grounded within her and feel more connected to the way her mind works.

2a)

2b)

The character ‘Mrs Gibbs’ is spilt between Norelle, Isobel and me. The interesting part of sharing this role is that Mrs Gibbs goes on quite a journey throughout the play in her marriage, with her children (specifically George) and within herself. So, in each act she’s at a different place emotionally, physically and spiritually (see 2c). This meant we all had different given circumstances to play. To make sure we had a through line of characterisation we had regular conversations and observed each other in scene rehearsal, which was very beneficial. Collaborating our different ideas and perceptions of Mrs Gibbs meant we could create a more in depth understanding of our character which aided the audience to follow her journey. 

2c)

Physicality

We had a lot of physicality chats throughout the process to enable us to bring a realistic portrayal of Mrs Gibbs to the stage. It was also very crucial because there were a few moments when we’d be on stage in each other’s scenes but with no lines, so we wanted to make it consistent and believable to the audience that we were playing the same person. We focused on 4 sections which were:

•  Laban
• Hooks
• Tension
• Weight    
• (see 2d)

2d)

After doing a full run through of Act 2 and 3 I noticed I had some gaps in my characters intentions and motivations. As I don’t have any lines in these two acts all the work I needed to do was internal to find what was driving my characters movements. The moment I found the most challenging was in Act 3 where the Stage Managers are laying out the graveyard and introduce that Mrs Gibbs is dead. We walk across the stage and Isobel takes a seat on the chair that represents Mrs Gibbs grave, but Norelle and I pass it and continue to walk off stage. There was a specific conversation we had about physicality where something clicked for all of us. A core emotion that’s grows throughout each act is resentment, driven from her unfulfilled marriage and desire to leave Grovers’ Corners. I thought this moment in act 3 was the most significant and powerful moment of resentment in the whole play. This became increasingly apparent, and we needed to be able to portray this physically, but we kept on hitting a wall and feeling like it wasn’t working well enough. We revisited earlier techniques we’ve used throughout the year, and the most helpful part was Laban and substitution. I used wring as my main effort, placed predominantly in my back and chest, with a heavy, indirect and sustained internal feeling. At first this feeling triggered an anxious reaction and I’d feel a bit on edge, which is when I then added the substitution technique. This is a concept Alex Palmer introduced me to during Rehearsal Practices. Enabling an emotionally and mentally safe technique to portray somewhat traumatic emotions. When I thought about how resentment sits within my body, I related it to feeling winded/punched in the stomach. I started applying it in an exaggerated way, then I slowly internalised it until my physicality was back to Mrs Gibbs and both techniques were more settled within my body. Combining these two techniques together enabled me to breakthrough that block and portray the feeling of resentment in a safe and sustainable way.

Voice

I felt consistently confident with voice through rehearsals, with a somewhat strong New Hampshire accent. Even though there was an adjustment period at the start, working with Lydia (our accent captain) and Jess I increasingly got more confident. This helped with my projection and keeping a good volume level through the performance. We didn’t get as much vocal support as what was needed but as a group we were really aware and would give notes when needed. But I know my vocal technique would have been much stronger if we had vocal support.

Personal Reflection

This project gave me the space to apply methods and techniques which I haven’t used before, and I identified areas of improvement which I’m now much stronger in. A method of learning lines I will carry forward with me is writing down the first letter of each word. (see 3a) I’ve never tried this technique before, but my peers had mentioned it during our Rehearsal Practice lessons, so I thought I’d try it as I got to a point in line learning where nothing was sticking in my head. It’s a quick and easy method that I’d do during our breaks just to refresh my memory. 

3a)

I found it helpful having our Rehearsal Practice block before going into projects. I wanted to apply as much of what I’ve learnt over the past year into this project, so having the space to be more critical and open minded about what does and doesn’t work for me made me feel more prepared. There were points that I found tricky as certain techniques and approaches worked for others but not me. So before going into projects I tried to reassure myself and feel more confident in my own personal approach. 

An area of improvement for myself for the future is expanding my breadth of research. I struggle with continuing my research throughout the rehearsal time and not just at the start. Especially when I’m discovering new things about the character then applying new research to detail it even more. I want to expand my knowledge on different methods and techniques, and pieces of work that can influence my acting style and understanding of characters. A book I think would be useful to me is “Different Every Night” by Mike Alfreds and ‘Respect for Acting’ by Uta Hagen. I found it really helpful watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” so exposing myself to more art that relates to a project would help me grow more. 

Overall, the main takeaway from this experience is growing my confidence and trusting a process. A reoccurring note I got from our director is that I need to trust myself more (see 3b). I need to trust the work I’m putting in is paying off and that the decisions I’m making are working, and if they don’t then I have it within myself to try something new. I think this comes down to confidence and believing in myself more. I want to continue in my acting journey not seeking approval from others and trusting that I am continuing to grow. 

3b)