Rehearsal after rehearsal...

This week has been a bit challenging, to say the least. It got off to a great start with Mike's workshop which, as he has said, took Stanislavskian and Brechtian techniques and applied them to our historical characters. It was nice to be able to get away from the scenes for a rehearsal and just spend some time getting in to our characters, and also learning about how the other girls see their characters. I think it also gave us a bit of a chance to get to know each other too. Mike led the workshop without the slightest hint of fear, so much so that we didn't suspect he was nervous. If anything, he was making me a bit nervous as he really was applying the techniques just as I remember learning them years ago in college and being quite the teacher-figure.

It was helpful to think about Gret and her movements and gestures, and to some extent the world from which she emerged, despite her being an entirely fictional character. I think, however, I am going to need some help from Mike to get me into character as Angie. I am finding her increasingly difficult to fathom out as the rehearsals go on. She is described a 'slow-witted', 'lumpy' girl. She is regularly referred to as being thick and shows it on occasion. But she shows very different sides to her character depending on who she is with. Her first appearance with her younger friend, Kit, shows her being aggressive and dominating. She's moody and full of attitude. This is continued with Joyce, her 'mum', who she despises and threatens. It's anger she shows more than slowness with these two. But with Marlene she is desperate to impress, sweet and polite and her lack of intelligence really comes across . It makes me wonder that perhaps she is not just stupid, but maybe there has been no one around to notice that she is struggling and to help her. Her Dad has left, her Mum blames her for not being able to have a life and kids of her own and the only kid around is 4 years younger than her, it's not surprising that she is a bit angry. But to portray all these traits and emotions and still keep her a realistic and rounded character is proving difficult. Not to mention that I am playing a girl more than 10 years younger than myself! It will require quite the stretch of the imagination by the audience and I really hope I can make it work.

Well, I have had plenty of time to work on Angie this week, with three consecutive rehearsals during the week and I am already exhausted! I have rehearsed Act 3 over three nights, but because not everyone is able to do rehearsals on the same day we rehearsed once with Emma and myself, with Mike being Liz, once with Liz and myself, with Mike being Emma and then slotted it all neatly together with myself, Liz and Emma. Well, maybe not so neatly as Leasa would have liked. It is a really difficult and emotional scene and brings the whole play together. However, watching the confrontation between Marlene and Joyce as a spectator gave me shivers so I think it will turn out well.