The processes involved in developing the three characters for performance. Flashcards
1.
Read the play, watched the film (where you could), watched scenes where you could.
- Understand the writers
Shakespeare didn’t like the aspect of girls marrying young, use of iambic pentameter, sounds like a heartbeat, closest beat to natural speech. Franca Rame and Dario Fo – they were a couple, co-wrote, interested in feminism, equality – socialists. Franca Rame was kidnapped by fascists because she was a political activist. Henry Naylor – he went to Afghanistan. He took a famous online post about a woman called Rehanna and merged it with the true story of the Angel of Kobane who killed hundreds of ISIS fighters.
- Historical context
R+J girls married young, who was on the throne Elizabeth Why was it set in Italy? Fashionable it’d be seen as cool. the plague (that’s why Romeo doesn’t get the letter!),
Angel – What is Kurdistan (an area which spans 4 countries, but they don’t have their own country), the rise of ISIS after 9/11 wars. Who the YPG were? Kurdish military fighting ISIS
Who the real Angel of Kobane was – a woman who killed hundreds of ISIS fighters.
Looked at what fundamentalist Islam – women had to stay covered, no education etc.
ISIS paid people which gave people a reason to join them.
Woman Alone – Gender stereotypes, expectations, family dynamic (men were the breadwinners and women had to stay home).
- Developed characterisation
R+J what happens when people grieve, have a breakdown – screaming, hearts beating fast, breathing hard, people sweat, laughing manically – incorporating this into your physicality. Woman Alone – trying to act fake posh. Hopping around – she wants to show off that she’s really well off but, in reality, she is isolated and stuck in the house. Gave her a shrill voice because she is subconsciously acting out the gender stereotypes, she’s loud because she wants to keep her attention. Advertising radio voice to demonstrate fakeness of her life because in reality, she is desperate. Angel - she’s 12, sudden, she’s scared, confused. Play her dad too who is gentle but hard, he’s a man so I change my voice and physicality. I lower my larynx. Learning how to hold a gun.
- Used Stanislavski and Uta Hagen techniques – and Actions.
Rebuke nurse for saying she shouldn’t think well of the person who killed her cousin
“Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband” – I shout this with much contempt to show the anger and youthfulness of Juliet.
Reassure herself – “But wherefore villain didst thou kill my cousin, that villain cousin would have killed my husband”. Sharp intake of breath to show she is trying to process this.
My husband lives that Tybalt would have slain and Tybalt is dead that would have slain my husband.
Retiring from breakdown – “Where is my father and my mother nurse” devoid with energy doesn’t really care for the answer. I say with no emotion.
In Woman Alone I had lots of actions such as “I charm you”, “I surprise you”, “I confide in you”.
In Angel, when playing the father, I had “I comfort you, I teach you, I tell you off.
6.
Experiment and rehearse. Uncountable amounts of time.
7.
Work with director – Take on-board notes.
8.
Performed it at the school showcase.
