Mrs Tremblay

Today we were designing a stage in order to perform an abstract rendition of our verbatim scripts. (See below for both.) We all picked a starting position on the stage and when a question from our verbatim was asked we could all answer but we had to stop talking if someone else began, even if we hadn’t finished. Also, any time we spoke we had to move, in character. This created a very surreal, dynamic scene and made otherwise ordinary monologues interesting. We were all very keen to develop this concept further in the hopes of including it, or something similar, in our devised piece.

Mrs Tremblay

Our Stage:

Mrs Tremblay

Transcription of Dylan; Verbatim:

What is your biggest regret?

(Quietly, looking down) saying stupid (Looks up nervously).

What would the best day of your life be like?

(Looks up in different directions uncertainly) (Smiles sweetly) (Quietly) my birthday (Smiles and rocks the chair side to side).

Who do you think you’ll be in 10 years?

Uh… (Looking up, left) (Pause) s-staying here (looks forward, small rocking forwards).

No who do you think you’ll be?

(Smile drops) leans forward with chin) uh… (Fidgeting) I just want to stay here forever.

But who? Not where, who.

(Looks left) uh... No-one (Smiles left, looks forward, bigger smile)

Right… What are you afraid of?

(Head stays still, eyes move right) werewolves… (Looks forward as if for confirmation).

What keeps you awake at night?

(Head stays still, eyes move right) (Thinking) (Looking forward) being scared.

That it? Yeah?

(Nodding, smiling uncertainly) yeah.

Mrs Griffifths

In today’s and last lesson we focused on the animalistic qualities of the characters from ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and to what percentage this zoomorphism was displayed. This is a technique associated with Anton Chekhov, the Russian dramatist. I believe the exercise helped our characterisation greatly as we were able to assume certain mannerisms and idiosyncrasies improving the realism of our characters.