Character Devolopment.

As the rehearsals progress I have started to make a personal connection with my character. Miller states that ‘if the specifics are not stated or implied in the dialogue, as actors you are free to make any choices you wish regarding the given circumstances’ (Miller, 2010: p. 48). Our script is a devised script and with no playwright to propose a backstory for my character, I have taken the liberty to devise one myself. I have kept in mind what my character has said about himself through dialogue in the script so my biography does not contradict what has already been written. Miller writes that ‘whatever you select, however, the choices must be justified by the script, or not to contradict the script in any way’ (ibid). Through reflection on who I think my character is and how I think I should play my character I have written a short character biography. The biography is as follows:

My Mother died during childbirth so as I was growing up in a small village near the castle it was just my Father and I living together. My Mother was ill while she was carrying me and I was blind from birth. I never thought I was unfortunate, because I did not know any better I accepted my condition. My Father and I are close, he had small job playing the piano at an Inn near the village and every night I would go listen to him play. He taught me everything about the instrument from tuning to playing and I instantly fell in love with music. As the years went by taxes went up and eventually I had to find a job to help keep the house. After a few months searching for jobs, I heard about a position in the castle for piano tuner. The job was paying well but the downside to the job description was it would be for a year and that the piano tuner would have to stay on the premises. My Father did not want me to leave he kept saying “we will be ok” and “I’ll find the money somehow”. We needed the money desperately and so to save our family house I took up position despite my Father’s pleas. I promised him I would visit as much as possible and although I could sense he was upset and reluctant he allowed me to leave.

These are my character’s given circumstances that I have gave my self. Miller writes that ‘given circumstances should be chosen because they make the story as exciting as possible’ (ibid).  The reason I have taken the time to write a character biography is to make my character more three-dimensional thus making my character more enjoyable to play and watch.

Works cited

Miller, Bruce. (2010) The Scene Study Book: Roadmap To Success. USA, Limelight Editions.

Character Development Scenes.

As we are producing a completely original piece of theatre we do not have the security of performing a well known play, which audiences may have preconceptions of characters backgrounds, personalities that the play therefore can miss out and take as a given to their audiences. I therefore believe it is important to offer the audience more of an incite into our characters, each having important back stories created in our casting session workshop that i believe we need to bring to the audiences attention.

It is a difficult task trying to relay information without making it seem as a necessary scene in order to continue with the rest of the play. I therefore believe that to contrast the naturalistic setting our script has created quite reminiscent of a fairytale, we can have a parallel surrealist movement woven into the play, representing a cryptic look into each characters pasts or current issues that have made them the the way they are today, without looking too matter of fact. The following scenes will be completely comprised of stage directions and no dialogue to play to the ‘tech heavy’ side of our production.

 

 (See ‘Appendices Character Development Scenes’ for the script i produced of these)

Keeping up with spending

Just a quick post to put up the picture of the spending spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will keep detailed track of what money is spent on what items and how much money we have left in the budget. As previously said, if we feel we will overspend, fundraising ideas will be put into play.

progeny spending (2)

Click image for clearer picture. If this does not work,  the top lines say: Company sectors, Items bought, Cost and Money remaining (according to budget).

Underneath is then the sectors such as marketing, set, etc.

This spreadsheet will be filled in as and when to keep on top of our spending.

 

Francesca

Budget

Our company have created a budget in the same way that we would have done if we were applying for Arts Council funding. We have taken into consideration every aspect of our performance which will need money putting towards it. If subject to change, budget will be updated.

See budget below.

budget (2)

 

A list of all items which are bought and paid for will also be made to keep up to date with how much we are spending and where. We do not want or need to overspend. This will soon be put on the blog for an idea of layout. However the final one will not be put up until the performance is ready as it is subject to change frequently.

Fundraising will be used if necessary to cover any other aspect of performance.

 

Word Count: 134

Francesca & Jamie

 

 

The Monologue

During rehearsal time, I have been thinking about monologues and why we use them. I decided to do a short post on what a monologue is and why we have decided to use one in our production. I have included some brief research on an opinion which opposes to the use of monologues.

“A monologue is a lengthy speech by a single person” (Abrams and Harpham, 2009, p.85)

“The monologue differs from the dialogue in the lack of verbal exchange and in that it is of substantial length and can be taken out of the context of conflict and dialogue” (Pavis, 1998, p.218)

 

As I see it, a monologue is a theatrical device which is used to portray a character’s inner feelings. You do not necessarily come across monologues in every play you see or read, yet they can be used as one way of just one character communicating with the audience, whether it be directly or indirectly.

In Scene Two of ‘A Gothic Tale’, my character, The Countess, delivers a monologue. It is a long speech which introduces herself indirectly to the audience. The monologue gives a brief explanation as to who she is and what she is doing. The speech also foreshadows the rest of the scene, and partly the rest of the play.

It is questionable, however, whether or not monologues should be used in theatre at all. As Pavis states, “[Monologues] are often condemned or restricted to a few indispensable instances. Besides the fact that it is static, even boring, it is seen as improbable. A man alone is not expected to talk aloud, so that showing a character confiding his feelings to himself is easy to ridicule as being unrealistic and improbable. (1998, p.218)

In this case, the monologue is used not only to give depth to the Countess, but it is also used to allow the audience to clearly see the change in her personality later on in the play. Her monologue introduces her as a newly married woman who is vulnerable and shy. Later on however, she is quite the opposite. Her speech is there as an inner consciousness, questioning everything that she is worried about. At this point in the play, she is about to lose her virginity to the Count. She has a few moments on her own where she is able to think about what is happening and what is expected from her, and the monologue reflects her feelings towards the situation. This also allows the audience to get to know, what they think, is her true character.

Although not all playwrights agree with using monologues, I believe that the Countess’ speech fits well in our piece. She is the only character with a monologue, and she is the only character who changes dramatically. Her honesty in the monologue is able to fool the audience who later on find out that she has turned into a much darker character.

 

Works Cited

Abrams, M.H and Harpham, G (2009) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston USA: Cengage Learning Inc.

Pavis, P (1998) Dictionary of the Theatre. Terms, Concepts and Analysis. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Inc.

 

 

Francesca Simeoli

Word Count: 490

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