Work the script:
A personal must when working on the script, is to know it really well before I get into learning the lines and rehearsing it. Obviously, this is a major process that will happen as the rehearsals begin and develop, but I often like to understand what the play is about and to understand the ways of my, character before we dive into the project fully. For all of this beginning research, I need to:
- Know the story. To start with, just the basic, on-the-surface story. And then as it progresses I will dig deeper.
- Understand the language. It is very much an un-known language to us 21st centenarians, so this will take time but ultimately, it will allow me to understand the story line.
- Really work on and understand my character fully. The meanings of their prescense in a scene, understanding what the other characters say about her (Lady Loveit), her back-story etc.
- Not forgetting embodying her, voice work, characteristics, body and movement even down to the speed she turns her head (bearing in mind she is of a good age.)
- Simply enjoy working on it, despite the read-throughs being painfully long and slow!
Background research:
Research is obviously just as important as the script work...
- To research woman in the specific era. Lady Loveit, as far as I can tell is a well-liked female in the play so I want to look more into her status as well as just researching the history of woman in general.
- Clothing, throughout any era is always a big thing. Research into what Mrs Loveit and the other characters might've worn would be beneficial as well as researching what the clothing she will wear means colours and eccentricity etc.
- The influences and back ground information into how Man Of Mode came about (I believe it was originally based on a poem...?) Further research into Stage Beauty and The Libertine (both partially related films.)
- The usual, being : Social, Economy, Politics, Global and Historical, would all be other headers I would further my research under.
Character study:
Character studies can be as detailed as you wish, and I tend to really dig deep into everything and anything I can which relates to my character purely to help me to perform them as well as I can:
- The background to Lady Loveit.
- Hot-seating?
- How they act around other characters, as well as how they are spoken about from other characters
- Question what they say and do, to further understand them
- Find and/or create characteristics for them through all of the above research.
- Like other projects, go all out on imagination and creativity about Lady Loveit, as well as any other character that pops up along the way; not only on blogs though Issie, make it a more vocal ambition.
Rehearsal Process:
Personally, I think I need to up my game during rehearsals...
- BE ON TIME regularly!!
- Take more notes but share them more instead of not really having the confidence to do so
- Really work on taking-on notes/feedback i.e. come back the follow week to question if I have managed to improve "..."
- Be more vocal. I have the tendency to keep quiet and not express ideas, opinions etc
- Be more observant, about everything to do with the rehearsals
- CONFIDENCE
Learn Lines:
Possibly the most important... Up your game on this one Issie!!
- Again, up my game!! Get them learnt, make it a competition to get them done before anyone else, not to the deadline in which Sally sets!!
- Really work on practising/rehearsing them regularly... especially because of the amount of learns I have for this show
- and don't let Sally down, I'am grateful to have been given such a large role which means I now have some expectations to live up to, in a sense.
