initial response to stimulus

Before the first day of our rehearsals I read through the play with the simple objective of enjoying it. This was important to me as it gave me the opportunity to have my own opinion on the moors before discussing it with our external director.

My initial response was having many questions, not about the plot but for the character motivations. I struggled to grasp some of the major plot driving actions like why the mastiff ate the moorhen when he does, or why Emily falls in love with Agatha, but something i was certain on was that i was very intrigued by jen Silverman’s writing. Being able to set up character conversations without it feeling forced or unprompted. I also thoroughly enjoyed all of the unanswered questions that were created throughout the play. It gives the reader a strong sense of imagination about what the moors might represent, or how the characters found themselves in their current position. Although the general premise of the moors is inspired by books like Jane ayre and wuthering heights, the character tropes and relationships are able to be portrayed as original due to the sharp and witty writing from Jen Silverman.

casting

Because of our performance of the pantomime limiting our availability we were unable to hold official auditions for any roles we wanted, so on the day before our first rehearsal we were sent an email with our casting.

 I was cast as the mastiff for scene ten. Being cast as the mastiff was a given as it was the only male character in the performance, but being cast as the mastiff in scene ten (the last scene of the performance), made me very excited as I had read this to be one of the highest emotionally dynamic scenes in the play. This scene is the climax to the subplot between the mastiff and the moorhen as it shows both of the characters discussing the lives they wish to live with each other, but the moorhens differ drastically from the mastiffs. This excited me because it meant I had one of the most meaningful scenes in the performance and thus all of the build up from past scenes. Subsequently, I felt the pressure of this scene building up as it is the culmination of the work of all my peers and I knew that I would need to research all of the prior mastiff scenes motives.

discussions and ideas

On our first day of rehearsals we spent the whole rehearsal reading through and discussing the play. At first I thought this an unnecessary amount of time for discussing the play we hadn’t even researched yet, and while it did take longer than I would have liked, it gave every cast member an equal opportunity to talk about their character and what directions they believe the performance should be taken. I also discovered that it gave me another lens to look at the play through, in terms of taking on board the thoughts of all of my peers, including ones who I had no overlapping scenes or characters with, and thus had an unbiased opinion on my character’s role in the play. This process, while shocking to me at first, was a great help to our class’s understanding of the play and I believe I will take more value from this experience than I initially thought I would. 

On rehearsal day two our goal for the day was to unit the text. Uniting was something I was familiar with but not accustomed to, as I had found in past experiences uniting did very little to serve me as an actor. This was because I was viewing uniting as the result, the step by step beat/tone changes in scenes, instead of the eye opening process that it was. When we united the moors as a company it acted as an opportunity for everybody to equally discuss the thoughts and motives of every character when other characters changed a unit. for example in scene 7 when Agatha walks into the scullery to see Mallory laughing and shouting at Emily scrubbing on the floor. This of course changes the unit as there is a new character in the scene. But uniting as a company offered so much more than simply noting this as a change in the air, it allowed us to discuss what specifically changes in each character. For example we discussed whether or not Emily would have felt safer from Mallory’s abuse with the entrance of Agatha and if she thought Mallory would react with the same level of dramatic energy that she had been giving just moments before, or would Agatha condone this sort of behaviour and allow Mallory to continue as she was. All of this discussion led to fountains of thought and ideas for every performer to take and transfer into their scenes if they so wished. I transferred these exact unused hypothetical ideas from scene 7  into my scene, scene 10. I thought the sudden panic of not knowing what the person across from you is going to say or do would be very useful for the mastiff, given his puppy-like nature in the majority of this scene.

Class Research and development:

At the end of our first rehearsal we were all tasked with researching a distinct feature about the play, for example some were given the moors, 1840s food, or even housemaids. I was tasked with researching Mastiffs. Due to the nature of my research topic I was very easily able to find facts about mastiffs throughout all of time (see 1a). At first I thought that, as a household pet, the majority of these presentations wouldn’t apply to me, that my character would never have to worry about politics. But nonetheless I took notes, waiting for the time when I may need to think deeper into the mastiff’s environment. (see 1b)

In the first 2 weeks of rehearsals we followed a structure of 2 scenes a day. This meant that I would be watching and learning from my peers for the majority of my day. This became 4 out of my 5 working days due to the fact that I was only in the last scene. 

Though I naturally found it best to observe the mastiff’s throughout the weeks, watching their movement techniques, and noting their recurring mannerisms, I also found it very useful to observe other characters, for example I felt I got a lot from watching the huldeys, seeing what it is that makes them so outcast from the others and what it is that makes my character fond of her.

Character research and development:

Characteristics:

I started by using Stanislavski’s technique of given circumstances to go through the facts that were laid out by the author about my character, (see 2a). This was definitely the most challenging character I have done this with due to the lack of attention given to him by other characters.

I then followed this by looking at the things that I initially noticed about my character. His depression-like approach to the world was the most notable of his attributes.

I started by researching depression and its causes, how it affects people mentally and physically (see 2b). I believe this helped me grasp a strong understanding of all of the mastiffs’ recurring actions and ideas. For example his monologue at the end of scene 1 and his monologue at the beginning of scene 6, both a clear moment of self reflection and confusion with the situation he finds himself in. 

The final main characteristic that I looked into before physicalising him, was his nature in being a dog. How many of these feelings, expressions, ideas and choices were influenced by the fact that he is a canine. Researching all mastiffs alike I dug into how people approach them, how people have thought of them over the years, and why they might seem as docile as they are. 

This is something I have done before with characters in past performances, but never with an animal, and due to these factors my level of detail was forced to increase. This is an experience and learning check point that I believe will positively improve my process in roles to come.

Practical research and findings:

Characteristics:

I started by using Stanislavski’s technique of given circumstances to go through the facts that were laid out by the author about my character, (see 2a). This was definitely the most challenging character I have done this with due to the lack of attention given to him by other characters.

I then followed this by looking at the things that I initially noticed about my character. His depression-like approach to the world was the most notable of his attributes.

I started by researching depression and its causes, how it affects people mentally and physically (see 2b). I believe this helped me grasp a strong understanding of all of the mastiffs’ recurring actions and ideas. For example his monologue at the end of scene 1 and his monologue at the beginning of scene 6, both a clear moment of self reflection and confusion with the situation he finds himself in. 

The final main characteristic that I looked into before physicalising him, was his nature in being a dog. How many of these feelings, expressions, ideas and choices were influenced by the fact that he is a canine. Researching all mastiffs alike I dug into how people approach them, how people have thought of them over the years, and why they might seem as docile as they are. 

This is something I have done before with characters in past performances, but never with an animal, and due to these factors my level of detail was forced to increase. This is an experience and learning check point that I believe will positively improve my process in roles to come.

Practical work with teachers:

Animal studies:

 On the monday of week 2 our movement teacher eilon came to our rehearsal to give a supporting lesson in animalistic movements and mindsets. This lesson was very useful to me as only 5 people in the ensemble were playing animals, myself included in that number. This meant that eilon was able to give more time to each of our performances respectively. It also meant we had more time for things like questions, discussions, and practical practice. This session was very useful to me because it gave me a moment to not just explore my character beyond the timeframe of the script but to be able to take proper physical risks in terms of deciding my characterisation. (see 3a)

Accents:

American accents was something I was very excited for us to work with as I have always considered myself to have a strong general American accent. But something I noticed very quickly into our rehearsal process was that my accent was slipping up when i tried to speak faster especially on one syllable words that are one after the other. I tackled this problem by going over them slowly initially, then eventually working my way up to the speed I desired for the scene. This is a process i believe was incorrect for me to choose, and at my next given opportunity in a performance I would approach this with a much more structured and taught method, for example using vocal techniques to help me warm up into it.

Choreography:

one syllable words that are one after the other. I tackled this problem by going over them slowly initially, then eventually working my way up to the speed I desired for the scene. This is a process i believe was incorrect for me to choose, and at my next given opportunity in a performance I would approach this with a much more structured and taught method, for example using vocal techniques to help me warm up into it.

3a

Overview:

starting the days at 10:00 and ending them at 18:00, with the only topic of discussion being our performance, led to a very strong change in approach from me. Because of the way we were working with an external and professional director i believe i shifted the way I was viewing our performance, from a curriculum project to a show with professional necessities, some of these necessities being; call times, table reads, 1 to 1 rehearsals, closed rehearsals, external accent work, external movement work, and music calls. This project has been eye opening because I allowed myself to be vulnerable to these things, I had never worked with all of these factors at once and to do so was very intimidating, and yet, keeping all of these nerves in mind, I wish I had more time on this project. Not only to take in more of the professional standard i am reaching for but to keep growing my character, i believe there will always be a yearn to do more with all the character i have performed, but i thank the opportunity i was given as i feel i have taken yet another great leap in my journey to becoming an actor.