*Appendices Character Development Scenes

Ex-Wife Character Development Scene

‘Twinkle Twinkle’

Centre Stage is completely blank, no angels, no bed, piano (to the side but not in position and out of view).

Stage Blackout, 20 seconds of music playing before anything begins, sound escalating (Twinkle Twinkle Bioshock song) When the glitches in the music are heard this is when the strobe light should come on in sync with the music.

A Loud Scream from the EX WIFE in darkness

During the strobe light sequences we will see the EX WIFE being thrown into the Bloody Chamber with other bodies around her, all masked and in different positions. We will see the count throw her in, a brief glimpse of his silhouette also (as a recurring image).

There should be 5 sequences of strobe lighting and the actors positions should be as follows

Strobe 1: dead bodies in the chamber

Strobe 2: dead bodies in the chamber and the silhouette of the count

Strobe 3: Scream from the EX WIFE and the COUNT dragging her through the chamber

Strobe 4: EX WIFE alone with the bodies, beginning to mumble to herself, agitated, hands in head trying to avoid looking at the bodies surrounding her.

Strobe 5: EX WIFE laying Downstage Centre, eyes wide open staring into the audience.

The final strobe position leaves it ambiguous to the audience on whether she is alive or not, allowing suspense for her later return in SCENE 3

Housekeeper Character Development Scene

‘A Fairytale is Made’

Classic Fairytale opening music (see notes for track), is played throughout the theatre straight after the dark opening to create a stark contrast.

The HOUSEKEEPER enters in fine dress with nicely styled hair. This scene is meant to be seen as your classic fairytale setting, and the audience physically see the set being created and bought on just the way the HOUSEKEEPER wants it. In her eyes everything should be perfectly positioned.

The Angels come on first and we are not hiding the fact that we are using stage hands, as it adds to the liminal effect of two worlds and the physical creation that we have made.

‘We are not pretending that we are not pretending.’

The bed then follows.

Followed by fairy tale props e.g. hairbrushes, mirrors etc

Whilst this is happening the HOUSEKEEPER is acting as almost a conductor to the stage hands who are moving in sequence, almost mechanical. Reflective of your classic fairytale scenes such as Cinderella having her dress made by animals working in sync.

As we begin to see the set come together, the mood starts to change when the stage hands start bringing on dead plants, bramble, broken mirrors, wonky pictures, broken china … ruining the image of the fairy tale that the housekeeper has tried so hard to create.

The HOUSEKEEPER is frantically trying to fix everything and put things right – whilst this is happening the stage hands start to tear at her clothes and ruin her hair. We see from this how the HOUSEKEEPER came to be.

The scene will end at the end of the song with just the housekeeper DS Centre surrounded by a decayed and corrupted set.

Blackout – signalling the end of the fairy tale world.

Countess’s Character Development Scene

‘A Dream’

The COUNTESS at the end of Scene 3 is still in the woods heading back to the castle.

There will be a huge shift in action during this scene from a bleak setting to a dream sequence. This is signalled to the audience through the beginning of ‘Mr. Sandman’ playing, it will seem so out of place it is almost comical. This is reverting back to a glimpse of a fairy tale setting, where the trees/statues will come alive, moving together with a pleasant atmosphere.

Smiling and waving to the countess, handing her flowers etc as she walks through the forest. She then finds the COUNT who is also acting out of character and like the traditional prince charming. This is representative of the life she could have had.

As the COUNT and the COUNTESS are waltzing through the forest the music will suddenly start to change, the same song but incredibly slowed down to represent the corruption and unreliability of fairytales. Very carnival. .

The trees/Statues will start to close in on the COUNTESS as the COUNT disappears, circling and enclosing the COUNTESS symbolising her feeling of entrapment. This will escalate until the COUNTESS finds it unbearable and the trees and statues claim her – resulting in the countess herself becoming almost puppet like and a part of the forest, like the previous wife she has met.

Scene ends with the trees back in original SCENE 3 positions, THE EX-WIFE, SNOW CHILD and the COUNTESS are now all part of the forest covered in dead plants and disfigured imagery.

 

Count’s Character Development Scene

‘5 Stages of Grief’

Throughout all of this scene there is a voiceover from a ‘self-help: dealing with grief’ video. Building up through the 5 stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Leading to a resolution in the voiceover.

However, in contrast to this we will need 6 spotlights spread across the stage each representative of a stage of grief, when each stage is mentioned 5 lights will come up in sequence, housing one of the counts dead wives. Representing how the count has dealt with his own personal childhood traumas [SD1] .

Whilst the lights are coming up you will see the silhouette of the count slowly walking behind the bodies – to give the audience the feeling of his presence there.

In the end there should be a final resolving sentence in the speech and the final spotlight will come up on the count in the middle, surrounded by his 5 dead wives representing his five stages of grief. A Paradox is created between what we are hearing and what we are seeing.

The count is staring ahead blankly, almost on the verge of tears, to see a more emotional side of the count – contrasting with the character we are represented with in the play.

Voice over dialogue:

Thank you for choosing a practical guide to overcoming loss and bereavement.

Just take a few moments to breathe deeply and calmly. Feel yourself letting go and relaxing.

The bereavement experience includes the concept of grief, as pain and suffering must be experienced in order to heal and resolve the loss event.

Loss is an integral part of life. It is not something that happens to us as we live; rather, it is life itself. In our view any events that involve change is a loss that necessitates the process of grief and transition. A loss event requires that some part of the individual be left behind and grieve before the process of transition and rebuilding can occur.

-The first assessment starts with a request from the client seeking counselling services. A pre counselling intake form is used. An initial assessment in necessary to determine if the statement is within the normal grief experience or if there is a level of lethality to the suicidal ideation.

– Guilt is the other very strong emotion that the grieving feel. Some guilt will be justified or appropriate, for most of us will be aware of times when we hurt someone we loved and are aware that we can no longer repair or heal the hurt.

Denial of all feelings may lead to persistent depression.

-Trauma can also be experienced through violent acts such as murder, rape, war, hijackings, and varied forms of attack and destruction.

– Moreover, counsellors need to know when a client’s issues are beyond their professional scope and a referral is indicated. Despite disagreement in some areas there is general agreement that unresolved grief which becomes diagnosable as a syndrome or as a mental or physical disorder can have social, psychological, and medical implications for the larger society, and warrants intensive professional intervention.

– Eventually you will get to the point where you know deep down that you have to do something to regain a sense of control in your life. Regaining a sense of control will help your waves of grief lessen in intensity and frequency.

-The pain, experience, and resolution of grief takes place on two levels: within oneself and within one’s environment. It involves many changes and reflects many dimensions. The process of grieving is healthy and adaptive. It gives you the time and space to adjust to the many changes that result from the death of your loved one, both at a physical and emotional level. Even though you may never ‘get over’ the death of your loved one, it is possible to learn to live without them physically in your life and to find meaning again.