Day Eight of My500Words

My 500 Words - Day 8: Write a list

Today's #My500Words challenge is to simply write a list. I tend to be concise in my communications. My background is in marketing where messages are emotive and direct and not prone to waffle. So this is a dichotomous challenge to me. My training says, short and to the point. My brief says at least five hundred words. My first thought was to list my acting bucket list, but I felt it would be a push to stretch that to 500 words without superfluous waffle. 

But since I got home yesterday, after a long and stressy day, heading down south for an audition, I realised that I have next to no time before my next project is upon me. Tomorrow, in fact. I haven't had time to make a start on it yet. Since I got called in to help a local theatre out when someone pulled out of their production. On top of that, with all the hoop-jumping, job hunting palavar taking up much of my time, and then prepping for the audition, my time has been limited. 

As this is where my focus now turns, it gave me the idea of writing roughly down what I do to prepare at the start of each new project. It won't be of any use to any one who already acts, because it's simply a break down of what happens, but I still thought I would write down the process, just in case someone is interested and hasn't had to prepare to play a character in a theatre production before. 

It might be different for different people and for different plays and characters but I'm going to walk through this one. I'll probably add to it as I go along and add examples related to the play I am about to work on, which is the small, but challenging part of Hilda, in Emlyn William's 'Someone Waiting'. If I add any further info, I will add it in a different colour, just to distinguish my initial free-writing from my additions.

Of course, I am adding the usual disclaimer that the point of these daily challenges is to write freely and to flow creatively without self censure, without pausing to check grammar, spelling or punctuation. So there may be horrific examples of both.

Preparing for a play

1) Read and highlight

Make sure that you have the correct script. I have unfortunately on one occasion been way too keen to get going and bought the wrong (and longer) copy of a script by mistake. Take it from me, it is tricky to unlearn lines once they are in your head. Check to see if there will be any cuts made so that you don't memorise lines that you don't need.

I read through the entire play before the initial cast read-through and understand where my character fits into the story. Highlighting my character's lines as I read. 

I highlighted the text for 'Someone Waiting' as soon as I was first handed the script. That turned out to be a mistake. I found I had missed out small sections and, since it's been a while since I first picked up the script and highlighted it, the highlighting has faded so I need to do it again. Oops!

2) Learn your script

Learn the script before rehearsals. Easier said that done sometimes I know. I felt slightly guilty as I typed it, as if I am saying do I do say, not as I do. I don't always manage it. It isn't always possible. Life get in the way. Other projects come up in-between or some banal day job that pays the rent gets in the way of real life and you end up not having as much time to prepare as you would have liked. 

But at least aim for for it. The closer the better. The more lines you have in your head before you begin, the more time you will have to put proper depth into your characters, the more details you can focus on in rehearsals and the more real the characters will be to you and to the audience. There is nothing more irritating than to begin finding your character and really putting on a most excellent performance, two days before the end of the run. Than feeling that if you had just had one more week to prepare... so start asap.

3) Take notes

As I read through the script, I take notes of any valuable relevant information about the story and the characters that stands out initially to me. Not just from what the script might describe explicitly about their appearance, behaviour and the way they speak, but hints and subtext implied from their lines and those from the other characters and their reactions. What kind of environment they are in socially and economically and how this might shape their status between the other characters. The time in which the play is set, although this may be open to interpretation as the director may wish to change the entire era in which the play is set. e.g moving Shakespeare into a more contemporary time period.

4) Research

After you have read through the play you may find out that you need to do further research about your character or the time and place in which they lived. How they spoke, what their personality is like and ways to get to know our character. It really is up to you how much research and how much depth you want to go into for your character. There are whole books on that stuff. The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit is a great book. It condenses and summarises a lot of information from all of Stanislavsky's books. I'd borrowed them all previously and just didn't have the time to read through them all, so this was very useful.




In 'Someone Waiting' I've found out through the text that my character is 'Cockney'. I have never had to use that accent before. I am not sure if it essential for the part. However, I will be looking into it and to practice. If it is definitely required, I will be ensuring that I begin to read my character in that accent. I will have to do some research. I will look up Youtube videos and find films where the accent is done well and naturally. If I find any sections of text challenging, I will phonetically break it down and work on it until I can get it correct.

There is a section in the play where I know that my character moves from sober to drunk quite quickly. I have never had to act 'drunk' on stage before so this will be another challenge that I will need to practice and do some research around. I need to pick out, from the details in the text, what her relationship is to the other characters. 

5) Schedule

As soon as the rehearsal schedule is out, I get it in my diary. As soon as it is in my diary, it is all but set in stone. When I make a commitment, short of illness or death, I see it through. Even if I have committed to an unpaid project. Once in rehearsals, to pull out of a show puts extreme pressure on the rest of the cast and crew. It does not matter whether I am working on a paid project or a small, just for fun community project, I think it is still important to behave professionally. 

I know it's not easy. The industry is a competitive and saturated market that expects people to put out and be there at the drop of a hat. Yet often deadlines are tight, communications are poor and good working practice falls along the wayside. However, I think it's is best to hold by your integrity and values. I think if you are professional and a good person, the right people and the right projects will find you.

If rehearsals clash though, ask. You might not always be needed. There might be a little wriggle room to rush from one rehearsal to another or swap things around. Especially if you are not an integral part to the scene for the day. Or even if you are. There may still be flexibility. If you don't ask, you won't know. Better to be open and up front and find out than risk taking on too much and letting people down or missing out on an opportunity by saying no when it may have been possible to do both.

6) Rehearsals

Be there. On time. Or early if you don't know the cast. Get the chance to know everyone, as opposed to just turning up, doing the dos and leaving. I don't know why I am even saying this. I'm rubbish at it. That's more of an instruction to myself. It takes me a while to get to know people and I'm more sociable, one-on-one than in a group. But I do love the process of working with and getting to know new people, even if it does take me time. I've made some wonderful, supportive and caring friends over the years as I've moved from cast to cast. 

7) Blocking

Blocking is set out during the rehearsal period. It is where the positioning and the movement is decided. It is the choreography of the play. Where you are standing/sitting, when and what you are doing, where. 

Write where you are standing and on which side of the stage, down on your script - in pencil as it may well change. Yes, you might think that you will remember. It seems obvious that you move to that one spot. But after three or four rehearsals with the director changing their mind several times on several different scenes and lots of discussion and notes in-between, you may forget where it was you were meant to be standing. Just write it all down. That's why you do it in pencil. Change is inevitable.