28.04.2021 - Auditions for Actors - Mrs Williams

The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang

Bette's monologue

The Marriage of Bette and Boo Synopsis

The Marriage of Bette and Boo follows the zany, turbulent, heartbreaking marriage of Bette Brennan and Boo Hudlocke. Bette and Boo marry and set about having the large, happy family that Bette always dreamed of. The arrival of their first son, Matt, is soon overshadowed by a succession of stillborns. Bette is heartbroken. Boo starts to drink; Bette starts to nag. Amongst the chaos fighting, both must deal with their wacky families: Bette’s mother and father, who suffered a stroke and now speaks in unintelligible gibberish; Boo’s sadistic father, fond of calling his long-suffering wife “the dumbest woman in the world”; Bette’s sister, ridden with anxiety and constantly apologizing for everything; the family priest, fond of impersonating bacon. Playwright Christopher Durang’s most autobiographical work, The Marriage of Bette and Boo finds humor and compassion in unhappiness, as Matt comes to terms with the love - and pain - that families are made of. 

Scene Synopsis

In this monologue, Bette, who is on her honeymoon with Boo, tells the audience what she was like as a child, how she traumatized her sister, how she had almost had an affair with a married man, and how she met Boo on the rebound.

Character

Bette is a really enthusiastic and funny character.  In order to get the laughs out of the audience, I will really need to practice my comedic timing, as this is a huge part of the monologue.  I will also play her slightly naïvely.  

28.04.2021 - Film and TV acting - Mrs Williams

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

We watched our final episode today and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I'm really grateful that we really pushed during the pre-production and filming, because it looks amazing.  During the filming process, I struggled to focus on the filming process as well as the acting.  I didn't realise that I'd try to put my effort into filming and directing as well as acting.  As a media studies students, I think that I wanted to take a fair bit of control over the filming and the directing, as I had already envisioned what I wanted it to look like and forgot about the acting. 

In the first kitchen scene, I was directed to show more of the sibling relationship between Rachel and Dylan.  I wasn't originally laughing like a sister would when her brother got in trouble, so I changed the way that I was teasing him.  I think if I were to do this scene again, and something I noticed throughout the episode, was that i didn't have enough diction.  I feel like I stumbled on quite a lot of my words, however, I don't think the final episode was too bad, but it could have been more articulated.  In this same scene, I was directed to switch my emotions quickly from teasing Dylan to being upset about thinking that Ken was wanting a family meeting to be mean to Cuckoo.  I needed to show the realisation in my facial expression, which I believe I effectively portrayed.

One scene I really struggled with was the scene where Cuckoo is washing potatoes.  I struggled to portray the love that Rachel has for Cuckoo.  I was directed to look at him with more love, which I struggled to do but I eventually managed it.  I can really tell my units and objectives when looking at the final piece.

Something I picked up from the show, which influenced my acting, was in the family meeting scene.  When Cuckoo mentions making love to Rachel, my initial thought would be that she would be embarrassed, but the show makes it look as if she's blushing over Cuckoo.  I think that this dynamic of Rachel being a 'good girl' is then shifted after she has gone away for her gap year.  

Another issue I felt I was struggling with during the process was naturalism.  I find that acting in front of a camera is a lot harder than acting on a stage in front of people, as you're stopping and starting over & it loses the naturalism.  I got a lot of help throughout in ways to combat this, like units and objectives so I'm thinking about what the character wants.  For example, during the family meeting, my objective for the line, "Dad, did you know about my kiss with the French exchange?" was to prove Lorna wrong and check as I was suspicious of her.  The audience would be able to read this subtext through my facial expressions portraying doubt.

Overall, this was all a learning curve for me.  I realised during this process that film and TV acting is quite challenging, which I think could be resolved if I wasn't as focused on other things going on, like the shot types and angles.  Having said that, I'm so happy with the result and I thought it was hilarious!

26.04.2021 - Auditions for Actors - Mrs Williams

King Lear by William Shakespeare

Cordelia's monologue

King Lear Synopsis

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. The king of France, who has courted Cordelia, says that he still wants to marry her even without her land, and she accompanies him to France without her father’s blessing.

Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision. Goneril and Regan swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds. Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane. He flees his daughters’ houses to wander on a heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise.

Meanwhile, an elderly nobleman named Gloucester also experiences family problems. His illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him. Fleeing the manhunt that his father has set for him, Edgar disguises himself as a crazy beggar and calls himself “Poor Tom.” Like Lear, he heads out onto the heath.

When the loyal Gloucester realizes that Lear’s daughters have turned against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger. Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside. He ends up being led by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought.

In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in an effort to save her father. Edmund apparently becomes romantically entangled with both Regan and Goneril, whose husband, Albany, is increasingly sympathetic to Lear’s cause. Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany.

The despairing Gloucester tries to commit suicide, but Edgar saves him by pulling the strange trick of leading him off an imaginary cliff. Meanwhile, the English troops reach Dover, and the English, led by Edmund, defeat the Cordelia-led French. Lear and Cordelia are captured. In the climactic scene, Edgar duels with and kills Edmund; we learn of the death of Gloucester; Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy over Edmund and then kills herself when her treachery is revealed to Albany; Edmund’s betrayal of Cordelia leads to her needless execution in prison; and Lear finally dies out of grief at Cordelia’s passing. Albany, Edgar, and the elderly Kent are left to take care of the country under a cloud of sorrow and regret.

Scene Synopsis

The play begins with two noblemen, Gloucester and Kent, discussing the fact that King Lear is about to divide his kingdom. Their conversation quickly changes, however, when Kent asks Gloucester to introduce his son. Gloucester introduces Edmund, explaining that Edmund is a bastard being raised away from home, but that he nevertheless loves his son dearly.

Lear, the ruler of Britain, enters his throne room and announces his plan to divide the kingdom among his three daughters. He intends to give up the responsibilities of government and spend his old age visiting his children. He commands his daughters to say which of them loves him the most, promising to give the greatest share to that daughter.

Lear’s scheming older daughters, Goneril and Regan, respond to his test with flattery, telling him in wildly overblown terms that they love him more than anything else. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest (and favorite) daughter, refuses to speak. When pressed, she says that she cannot “heave her heart into her mouth,” that she loves him exactly as much as a daughter should love her father, and that her sisters wouldn’t have husbands if they loved their father as much as they say (1.1.90–91). In response, Lear flies into a rage, disowns Cordelia, and divides her share of the kingdom between her two sisters.

The earl of Kent, a nobleman who has served Lear faithfully for many years, is the only courtier who disagrees with the king’s actions. Kent tells Lear he is insane to reward the flattery of his older daughters and disown Cordelia, who loves him more than her sisters do. Lear turns his anger on Kent, banishing him from the kingdom and telling him that he must be gone within six days.

The king of France and duke of Burgundy are at Lear’s court, awaiting his decision as to which of them will marry Cordelia. Lear calls them in and tells them that Cordelia no longer has any title or land. Burgundy withdraws his offer of marriage, but France is impressed by Cordelia’s honesty and decides to make her his queen. Lear sends her away without his blessing.

Goneril and Regan scheme together in secrecy. Although they recognize that they now have complete power over the kingdom, they agree that they must act to reduce their father’s remaining authority.

Character

King Lear is set in the 17th Century. Women wouldn’t speak their opinion in this era as they could get punished for it, which is what happens in this play. Cordelia stands up for herself in front of her father which leaves her disowned. I will play this with confidence but with fear.

12.04.2021 - Auditions for Actors - Mrs Williams

 Today I'm going to go through my poems and figure out which 2 I want to keep for my self-tapes.  I need 2 contrasting monologues, one contemporary and one classic.  

CLASSIC

In my original 5 options, I only had one classical monologue.  This was Ophelia's monologue in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.  After discussing this with my teacher, I discovered that it is better to do monologue that isn't as common.  I've done some more research and found a monologue that is more suitable.

Cordelia's monologue from King Lear by Shakespeare

Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.
Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, lov’d me; I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.

CONTEMPORARY

My other 4 monologues were contemporary; Amy's monologue from And Turning, Stay by Kellie Powell, Mildred's monologue from The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill, Sylv's monologue from East by Steven Berkoff and Bette's monologue from The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang.  It's quite a tough choice to decide which monologue I want to use.  Here are the reasons I didn't pick specific monologues:

And Turning, Stay by Kellie Powell

This was my second choice for the contemporary monologues.  The play is about a girl named Amy in high school, who has a tryst with her best friend, Mark, only to find out he doesn't want to be in a relationship with her.  This monologue occurs after Mark gets beaten up due to the way he treated Amy.  This character would fit me very well as I am a female in high school.  However, this is also the reason I decided to not chose this monologue.  I feel as if I could challenge myself more than portraying someone who is around my age and in high school.  

The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill

The main theme of this play is wealth and poverty.  In this monologue, Mildred is sitting on a cruise ship, talking about how she has had her wealth passed down through generations and not having to work hard for anything.  The main thing that steered me away from this monologue was my disliking of it.  I will need to enjoy a play and monologue to be able to give it justice when I perform it.  I don't really like this monologue and I think that enjoying it is very important.

East by Steven Berkoff

This was originally going to be my final monologue.  The reason as to why I decided otherwise is because I have already worked on this monologue and play before.  I think that I wouldn't be pushing myself enough if I re-did it.  I also want to explore what else I can do, as there's loads of material out there and I want to test and challenge myself.

Bette's monologue from The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang

This is the monologue I decided to go for.  It ticked every box.  I found it really entertaining and funny, which is a massive factor, and I'm challenging myself. 

05.04.2021 - Auditions for Actors - Mrs Williams

For this unit, we have to pick 2 contrasting monologues and perform them to act as an audition (in the form of a self-tape) to a drama school.  Currently, I am looking at 5 different monologues:

Amy's monologue from And Turning, Stay by Kellie Powell

Don't you dare walk away from me! And don't tell me you're sorry! And don't tell me to forget it, and don't you dare tell me to "let it go." God knows, I'd like to. I wish I could, but I can't! I can't forget that we had something, and you're running away. You're running away! Don't you see, Mark? You're running from what I've searched for all my life! Why, because you're scared? Well, I'm scared too, but you and I - we have something worth fighting for. We could make it work, I'm not saying it would be easy, but I care about you. And I know deep down, under this (Spitting out the word.) bravado, you care about me. And that's what it's all about, Mark, don't you get it? It's the human experience. You can pretend all you want, but you're only lying to yourself. You're denying the simple and wonderful fact that you are emotional, and vulnerable, and alive. Can you honestly stand there and tell me that I mean nothing to you? That everything that happened that night was a lie? That you feel nothing? (AMY is crying or close to it. The following is a painful statement that she makes not to attack or threaten Mark but rather, to allow herself closure with the situation.) I feel sorry for you, Mark. I'll move on. I'll find someone else. I'll be all right, because I will know that I tried. That I did everything I could. But someday you will look back, and you will realize what you threw away. And you will regret it always.

Mildred's monologue from The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill

Please do not mock at my attempts to discover how the other half lives. Give me credit for some sort of groping sincerity in that at least. I would like to help them. I would like to be some use in the world. Is it my fault I don't know how? I would like to be sincere, to touch life somewhere.

(With weary bitterness.)

But I'm afraid I have neither the vitality nor integrity. All that was burnt out in our stock before I was born. Grandfather's blast furnaces, flaming to the sky, melting steel, making millions- then father keeping those home fires burning, making more millions- and little me at the tail-end of it all. I'm a waste product in the Bessemer process- like the millions. Or rather, I inherit the acquired trait of the by-product, wealth, but none of the energy, none of the strength of the steel that made it. I am sired by gold and darned by it, as they say at the race track- damned in more ways than one.

Sylv's monologue from East by Steven Berkoff

I for once would like to be a fella, unwholesome both in deed and word and lounge around one leg cocked up and car keys tinkling on my pinky. Give a kick * at talent strolling and impale them with an impertinent and fixed stare … hand in Levi-Strauss and teeth grinding, and that super unworrisome flesh that toys between your thighs, that we must genuflect and kneel to, that we are beaten across the skull with. Wish I could cruise around and pull those tarts and slags whose hearts would break as he swiftly chews us up and spits us out again … the almighty boot! Nay, not fair that those pricks get all the fun – with their big raucous voices and one dozen weekly fucks … cave mouths, shout, burp and Guinness soaked … If I dare do that … ‘What an old scrubber-slag-head’ utter their fast and vicious lips … so I’d like to be a fella. Strolling down the front with the lads and making minute and limited wars with knife-worn splatter and invective splurge. And not have the emblem of his scummy lust to Persil out with hectic scrub … just my johnny tool to keep from harm and out of mischief … my snarling beasty to water and feed from time to time to rotten time … to dip my wick into any old dark and hot with no conscience or love groan … doth he possess the plague in gangrened bliss to donate to me and not give a shit. I am snarled beneath his bristly glass-edged jaw, beneath a moving sack of leer and hard and be a waste-bin for his excessives and embellishments.

Ophelia's monologue from Hamlet by William Shakespeare

O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!
The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,
Th’ expectancy and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
Th’ observ’d of all observers, quite, quite down!
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That suck’d the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason
Like sweet bells jangled out of tune and harsh,
That unmatch’d form and feature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me
T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see.

Bette's monologue from The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang

Hurry up, Boo. I want to use the shower. (Speaks to the audience, who seems to be her great friend:) First I was a tomboy. I used to climb trees and beat up my brother Tom. Then I used to try to break my sister Joanie’s voice box because she liked to sing. She always scratched me though, so instead I tried to play Emily’s cello. Except I don’t have a lot of musical talent, but I’m very popular. And I know more about the cello than people who don’t know anything. I don’t like the cello, it’s too much work and besides, keeping my legs open that way made me feel funny. I asked Emily if it made her feel funny and she didn’t know what I meant:; and then when I told her she cried for two whole hours and then went to confession twice, just in case the priest didn’t understand her the first time. Dopey Emily. She means well. (Calls offstage:) Booey! I’m pregnant! (To audience:) Actually I couldn’t be because I’m a virgin. A married man tried to have an affair with me, but he was married and so it would have been pointless. I didn’t know he was married until two months ago. Then I met Booey, sort of on the rebound. He seems fine though. (Calls out:) Booey! (To audience:) I went to confession about the cello practicing, but I don’t think the priest heard me. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even give me a penance. I wonder if nobody was in there. But as long as your conscience is all right, then so is your soul. (Calls, giddy, happy:) Booey, come on!

26.03.2021 - Film and TV acting - Mrs Williams

 VOTING

Today was the last day of filming.  We had to film the voting scene and the scene directly after where Ken and Rachel have a conversation as they will be wearing the same outfit and the mise-en-scene and set will be the same.  Louis, James, Hugo, Amelie and I were in this scene so Tristan did the filming and directing.  It went smoothly as the scene was quite short.  

KEN AND RACHEL CONVERSATION

James, Hugo and I were acting in this scene and Tristan was filming and directing.  We had some struggles as in the original scene Cuckoo walks to the back of the sofa to hug Ken and Rachel, but we didn't have the space for that.  Instead, Hugo hid behind the sofa and popped up when he was needed.

24.03.2021 - Film and TV acting - Mrs Williams

 KITCHEN - FINDING CAMERA

Today we filmed the scene set in the kitchen in the morning.  Louis, James, Amelie and I were acting in this scene so Tristan filmed and directed.  Tristan got a large range of different shot types and angles to work with.  This scene went pretty smoothly to film.  We brought props for the mise-en-scene, like jam and bread and a notepad and pen.