DUKE. There is a kind of character in thy life,
That to th’ observer doth thy history
Fully unfold.
Measure for Measure (1.1)
CHARACTER WORK USED TO BE ABOUT USING DIFFERENT accents, having a different way of walking and transforming your appearance with nose-putty, make-up, wigs and a padded costume. When Laurence Olivier started out in regional repertory theatre, his one big aim was to make sure that the audience didn’t recognise that he was the same actor who was in last month’s play. Character was a surface transformation. Something you put on. But since the age of film and television, that has changed somewhat. Character transformation has become much more subtle. As Stanislavsky said:
‘Why devote so much care to the external appearance? Why not rather make up the soul?’
Nowadays, people often complain that actors are just being themselves and that they are the same in everything they do. These people would say that the age of transformation is over. But I would disagree.
It’s true that actors often play characters who are very similar to themselves, but, think about it, no two people are really alike. Even identical twins each have their own personality and particular life experience. So although the exterior appearance of a character may be exactly the same as the actor who plays the part – and they may speak with the same voice, have the same physicality, and even wear the same clothes – the true transformation of the modern actor lies deep within their soul.
At ArtsEd we want our students to understand the process of internal transformation and subtle characterisation very early on in the training, and we do that without using scripts or any predetermined outline of character. We do it by showing them a process of character creation that draws on their own life experience, their observation of other people, and their ability to create and build a character experientially through improvisation. We do it with a series of exercises we call ‘lonelyhearts’.
Observation
There’s a story in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig where he describes an incident that happened on a creative-writing course. As I remember it, one of the students wanted to write an essay about the United States. The tutor’s heart sank at the enormity of the subject, so suggested, without disparagement, that she narrow it down to just her local town. When the essay was due, the student had nothing to show. ‘I tried and tried,’ she said. ‘But I couldn’t think of anything to say.’ The tutor could see that the student was frustrated. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Forget the whole town. Just write about the main street.’ The next day it was the same problem. No essay and a lot more frustration. By this point the tutor was starting to get frustrated himself. ‘You’re not looking!’ he said. ‘The more you look the more you see. Narrow it down to the front of one building on the main street. Start with the upper left-hand brick.’
The next day the student came back full of excitement. She handed him a five-thousand-word essay. The subject was the front of the Opera House on the main street of Bozeman, Montana. ‘I sat in the hamburger stand across the street,’ she said, ‘and started writing about the first brick, and the second brick, and then by the third brick it all started to come and I couldn’t stop. They thought I was crazy, and they kept kidding me, but here it all is.’
It’s amazing what you can actually see if you examine the details.
Observation of the Room
The actors walk around the room looking at everything.
And I mean really looking. They should start taking notice of things they usually take for granted. A bit of paintwork that is peeling away. The light fittings on the ceiling. The way the door fits into the door frame. The handle of the door. The chairs that they sit on every day. They should make a mental note of the colour, the texture, the shape and the size of all the things they look at. As they do this, they will realise how much they usually ignore. Each aspect of the room that they observe has a history. A story to tell.
Observation of a Detail
The actors choose something in the room, examine it in detail and then tell the rest of the group all about it.
As the actor focuses their attention on one particular item or part of the room, they should think about its history and purpose. Who might have put it there? What is the relevance of its position in the room? How old is it? How does it work? If it’s chipped or broken, how did it get damaged? etc.
After the actors have had time to think about the item or part of the room they have been examining, each one of them should tell the rest of the group about it. They should start with the observable facts, but then they can move on to their conjecture about its history and purpose. It’s amazing how much they will find that there is to say about even a simple light switch.
The actors imagine that they are aliens (who look exactly like human beings) who have just landed on Earth and are seeing everything for the first time. In pairs they go out into the street, observing and discussing everything that they see.
As they walk around, the actors should describe each tree, car and paving stone, etc., to each other in great detail. They should do this for about fifteen minutes, and they should make sure that they concentrate on the objects they see and not the people.
Observation of the Self
The actors make an objective view of the way they themselves behave in different situations and with different people.
There is no doubt that we all have different ways of behaving to suit certain situations. For instance, the way someone behaves with their partner is often very different from the way they behave with their parents. It is also different from the way they behave with their peers, their colleagues or their tutors.
Over several days, the actors should make an objective observation of their own behaviour in different situations. They can start off by making a mental note of the way they talk to other people. Their choice of language when they talk with their parents isn’t the same as the way they talk with their friends. They use different vocal qualities and turns of phrase. Their vocal ‘mood’ can also vary. While talking to some people they may be perky and bright, but others may appear disinterested and offhand.
Then they should notice the way they project their personality in different situations. For instance, they may seem more confident with their partners than they do with their fellow actors. Their posture may vary. Their physical energy may change. People do a lot of ‘acting’ in their everyday lives to suit the situation they are in, so the actors should start to build an objective view of their own behaviour and the various ways they present themselves.
The actors should write notes about the different ways they behave in some of the following situations:
Their notes should contain the following observations of their own behaviour in each of the situations they choose:
• Physical posture
• Vocal quality
• Choice of language
• Flirtatiousness
• Seriousness
• Mannerisms
• The way they project themselves
• Their sense of themselves
• How attractive they feel
Being Themselves
Each actor demonstrates to the rest of the group three different ways they behave with other people.
This can be done in a couple of ways. For instance, they could do a solo demonstration by making an imaginary phone call to their parents, and then another to an old school friend. And a third to their boyfriend or girlfriend. Or they could present an improvised conversation with other actors in the group who are pretending to be their parents or school friends, etc.
It’s quite a revelation to the actors who are watching, because most of the time they only see each other behaving the way they do with the rest of the group. Tough, macho boys can be quite soppy with their girlfriends. Shy, quiet girls can be really stroppy with their parents.
Observation of Others
The actors go out into the street to observe how other people behave.
They should go to cafés, supermarkets, parks or anywhere they can watch people without being observed. They should be very careful how they do this, in case they freak someone out. It may sound invasive to observe strangers, even if the strangers don’t know it’s happening, but as long as the actors observe without judgement, interference or imposition, it’s actually quite harmless.
Each actor finds a suitable public place to observe a stranger and then writes notes about the following things:
• Mannerisms
• Vocal qualities
• Laughter
• Posture
• Energy level
• Confidence
• How they use their hands
• The language that they use (particular words and phrases)
• The way they dress
• Status (and how it changes with different people)
Based on their observations so far, the actor uses their imagination to speculate about the life of the person they have been observing, and writes notes in answer to the following questions:
Being Someone Else
Each actor adopts the mannerisms, speech patterns, energy levels, etc. of the person they have observed, and then the actors improvise short scenes with each other as those people.
Before they start the improvisations, the actors should get into small groups and tell each other about the people they have observed. This will help them consolidate their observations and give them confidence to take on extreme mannerisms or speech patterns.
The improvised scenes should be done in pairs and should be quite simple. For instance, the actors could be two strangers meeting at a train station, or in a shop, or a waiting room. If the scenarios are reasonably bland they won’t overwhelm the character exploration.
Discussion
After all the actors have done their improvisations, the group should discuss which aspects of the observations were the most helpful, and whether the mere fact of taking on another person’s behaviour and vocal patterns gives an actor a greater understanding of that person’s character.
Lonelyhearts
The object of this series of exercises is to show how actors can create characters from the inside and the outside at the same time. They can combine observed mannerisms, factual knowledge and their own creative imagination to support and express the inner life of a character.
The actors also learn how to develop a complex, multilayered character by experiencing some of that character’s life through improvisation. Actors often learn more by being their characters than they do by talking about them. As I said earlier, these improvisations must be truthful. No one should try to impress or entertain the people who are watching, otherwise the point of the improvisation is lost.
Choosing a Character
Perfect Partners Dating Agency
This series of exercises will culminate in a lonelyhearts link-up session, which will involve improvised meetings between lonelyhearts characters who know nothing at all about each other – so it works best if the actors have been working through the process in two entirely separate groups. For some of the following improvisations, the acting tutor can perform simple, truthful role-play improvisations to help guide the actors through the process and keep them in character. For later sessions, the acting tutor can take on the role of someone who has set up a fictitious dating agency called Perfect Partners. For the lonelyhearts link-up session it is preferable to have two acting tutors role-playing associates from Perfect Partners so that both groups can be kept apart until the last minute.
Each actor selects a character they find interesting by looking through the personal ads in newspapers or magazines.
These ads are often listed in what are known as the ‘lonelyhearts columns’. Although it is possible to use the internet to find detailed descriptions of people looking for partners, it is actually best to use the simple three- or four-line newspaper or magazine postings. These concise, abbreviated entries can be quite evocative, and they leave plenty of space for the actors’ creative imaginations to fly.
In London, Time Out is a great source for this exercise. The advertisements are paid for by the word, so, in order to save money, the people who post them often use a short-hand code, much like the abbreviations used in text messages. Here are a few of the more popular codes and their explanations:
|
WLTM |
Would like to meet |
|
GSOH |
Good sense of humour |
|
LTR |
Long-term relationship |
|
TLC |
Tender loving care |
|
NS |
Non-smoker |
|
BDSM |
Kinky sex (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) |
|
OH |
Own home |
|
OFAC |
Own flat and car |
|
SWF |
Single white female |
|
ACA |
All calls answered |
Euphemisms are also used, especially when people don’t want to be too explicit about their desires but still need to contact other people with the same interests. For instance, ‘physical relationship’, ‘open-minded female’ and ‘sensuous male’ are all indications that sex is on the cards, whereas ‘possible relationship’ or ‘long-term relationship’ are more likely to indicate a desire for romance. ‘Curvaceous’, ‘voluptuous’ or ‘well-built’ usually means fat, and ‘petite’ means small. Some people don’t want to brag about their wealth, so they write ‘solvent’, which means they are quite well off. After looking through some of these ads it’s quite easy to get the picture.
Although contemporary acting often involves being a character who is close in age and background to the actor, for this exercise it is useful for the actors to broaden their range of choices by choosing people who are very unlike themselves. I suppose I could go the whole hog and say that gender is not an issue, but since girls often have to play male characters in school, and boys find it very hard to play female characters without feeling silly, I suggest that the actors choose characters of the same gender. Having said that, it would be fine to choose someone who has a different accent, a different background, or a different sexual orientation. However, since these characters will eventually be going out into the real world, it is best if they choose someone who is within an age range that will be believable when they meet strangers.
Character Questions
Each actor writes down the answers to some of the character questions found in Chapter 5 (pages 87–90).
As the actors build their lonelyhearts characters, it is important to remember that the ads have been posted by real people who are genuine in their desire to meet other people. This is not an opportunity to be judgemental or to make fun of anyone, so the answers to the character questions should be carefully considered to ensure that they are reasonable assumptions. At this stage it is only necessary to answer the questions that might be useful.
Choosing a Character’s Music
Each actor selects a piece of music that they think is appropriate for their lonelyhearts character.
Music often stimulates an emotional response and, as such, it is a useful point of focus for the actor’s intuitive imagination.
The music the actors choose can either be something that they feel their lonelyhearts character would listen to themselves, or it can be a piece of music that seems to embody the life of their lonelyhearts character. As they think about their selection and listen to different pieces of music, the actors will get a deeper understanding of their lonelyhearts character’s hidden life.
Writing a Character Monologue
Each actor takes on the persona of their lonelyhearts character and writes a first-person monologue based on all the information they have gathered so far.
By this time the actors will have gathered quite a lot of facts about their lonelyhearts character, some as the result of the ad, some as the result of reading between the lines of the ad, and some as a result of letting their imaginations answer questions about character. Now they can start to use their acting skills to build on these foundations.
In order to get in the right mood, the actors should take the time to think about their lonelyhearts character. They should play their selected piece of music to help them concentrate and they should gradually allow themselves to ‘become’ the character.
When they have done that, the actors should play their character’s music while they write a first-person monologue about who they are, why they have posted a lonelyhearts ad, and what sort of person they would like to meet. They can also add any background information that they think might be helpful. Family background. Educational background. Relationship background. And so on.
This exercise is best done as homework, where the actors can play their characters’ music without disturbing other people. But if the exercise is done in a rehearsal room, the actors can either wear headphones as they write their monologue, or do the exercise without playing music at all. They can write as much as they like, but somewhere between three hundred and five hundred words would be appropriate. This will probably take them about thirty minutes.
A Character File
The actors should start to collect all their written work in a file or folder for future reference.
During the course of this process, it is useful for the actors to refer back to the work they have done in the creation of their lonelyhearts character. Sometimes it will help them become their character and at other times it will simply be a reminder of things they may have forgotten.
A Significant Object
Each actor brings an object to rehearsals that they imagine has some significance for their lonelyhearts character.
In the same way that the actors brought in a significant object when they were telling stories about themselves (see Chapter 1), they should now find something they think would be important to their lonelyhearts character. The object could be an item of clothing, a favourite teddy bear, a present from someone their lonelyhearts character loves, a train ticket to London, anything. However mundane it may seem, each actor should think about the reason that this object could be important for their lonelyhearts character. If they haven’t got a suitable object amongst their own possessions, a trip to a charity shop can often be a way to solve the problem.
Presenting the Character
Each actor places their lonelyhearts character’s significant item in front of them, plays their character’s music in the background, and reads their monologue out loud to the rest of the group in character.
Presenting their lonelyhearts characters to the rest of the group in this way will help the actors to get a close emotional connection to the character.
After each actor has presented their monologue, they come out of character and participate in a group discussion about their lonelyhearts character choices and what they have created so far. Additional ideas should be thrown into the pot by the rest of the group for further consideration by the actor. If they are found to be useful they can be added to the mix.
The significant object and the chosen piece of music will become helpful ‘keys’ that the actor can use to access the emotional life of their lonelyhearts character during rehearsals.
A Character Diary
From this point on, each actor creates a diary for their lonelyhearts character.
This diary should be written as if it was the lonelyhearts character’s own diary. For instance, the above exercises could be written up as follows:
‘Today I met a group of new people. I had been asked to bring a piece of music to play that I have some connection to, so I brought _______ because _______. I was also asked to bring an object that is significant to me. I brought _______ because _______. Then I told them all about myself. Afterwards we had a discussion. It was all about me and I began to realise that _______.’ (Etc.)
It’s useful to put everything into words because it will become a focus for further reflection and a reminder of the things that may have been discovered during a particular session. The diary can be kept in the character file.
The Quiz Night
As their lonelyhearts characters, the actors improvise a quiz night. The quizmaster is the director or tutor who is running the session.
This session is the first opportunity for the actors, as their lonelyhearts characters, to be involved in an extended group improvisation. These group improvisations become a major part of the creative process from now on as the actors build their characters experientially.
For this session, the actors should each arrive as their lonelyhearts characters and bring something that their character might use to pass the time. A drawing book, some knitting, a book to read, perhaps an iPad or a PSP, a yo-yo or some worry beads – whatever would seem to be appropriate. If they want to wear items of clothing that will help them feel like their lonelyhearts character then they can, but at this stage it’s not essential.
They are told beforehand that they are meeting for a quiz night, and they should treat the whole group improvisation as if that was the reason they have come. When they first arrive, they should talk amongst themselves as any group of strangers would who were meeting for a quiz night. Their lonelyhearts characters may be excited about the prospect of having some fun, or they may be nervous about meeting new people. They may feel confident about the prospect of a quiz, or they may feel anxious. Whatever would be appropriate for their character.
The whole session should be run like a real quiz night with the director/tutor acting as the master of ceremonies; the only difference is that the questions are really character-building questions, and the answers should just be written down rather than being discussed. The lonelyhearts characters can interact with each other at any time, in the same way that people would interact at a real quiz night.
Here is a list of questions that can be asked:
• What is your name?
• What is your date of birth?
• What sort of school did you go to?
• How well did you do at school (qualifications, etc.)?
• What is your family background?
• What is your present domestic situation?
• How do you earn money at the moment?
• How would you like to be earning money in the future?
• Who is your best friend?
• How much time do you spend with your friends?
• What do you like doing when you socialise?
• What is your favourite book?
• What is your favourite TV programme?
• What is your favourite film?
• What is your favourite piece of art?
• What is your interest in culture?
• What is your interest in politics?
• What travel destinations are you interested in?
• How do you spend your holidays?
When the quiz is over there will, of course, be no winner. But the characters can interact with each other just as they might after a real quiz night.
Naturally, the answers to the quiz questions can be added to the character file.
The Evening Class
The actors, as their lonelyhearts characters, do a group improvisation in which they have all arrived early for evening classes at an adult-education college. The improvisation takes place as they wait for their classes to start.
This exercise is designed to help the actors to start thinking in the way that their lonelyhearts character would think if they were having a conversation with strangers. They are employing Stanislavsky’s ‘Magic If’. In other words, they are discovering how their lonelyhearts character would behave if they were in that situation. They shouldn’t pre-plan how to behave, they should just be ‘in the moment’.
It’s best to put the actors into groups of three or four for this exercise so that the quiet characters are not overwhelmed by the more extrovert characters.
Prior to the session, the actors are told the following:
• They have each enrolled for an evening class in an adult-education establishment – so they must decide what sort of class their lonelyhearts character would want to join. A language class, pottery, martial arts, painting, car maintenance, etc.
• When the improvisation starts they must imagine that they have arrived at the adult-education establishment half an hour before the classes start – so they should each decide why their lonelyhearts character is early. Maybe their lonelyhearts character made a mistake about the time, or maybe they are always early. Maybe they don’t have a watch. Maybe they didn’t have time to go home before the class so they came straight from work. Whatever the reason, each actor should know exactly why their lonelyhearts character is early.
• Each actor, as their lonelyhearts character, must talk to the other people who are waiting, even if their character is shy – it’s important that they find a reason for their lonelyhearts character to talk, otherwise they won’t discover anything new. Their characters have already posted their lonelyhearts ads, so they could be using this evening class as another way to meet new people.
• They must stay in character for the whole discussion and sustain any physical, vocal or emotional mannerisms that they may have discovered so far.
• They must neither dominate the conversation nor avoid it. They should talk and listen and try to learn as much about their lonelyhearts character as they can.
This improvisation should continue for about thirty minutes. When it’s over, each actor writes their lonelyhearts character’s diaries about the experience while it’s still fresh in their minds.
As always, this exercise should be followed by a discussion with the whole group about the experience and what they might have discovered.
The Self-help Group
The actors get into groups of six or seven and, taking one lonelyhearts character at a time, they improvise a series of self-help sessions. Each improvisation lasts about ten minutes.
For this exercise, each of the actors has to imagine what sort of self-help group their lonelyhearts characters might attend and why they would attend it. The following list of problems and possibilities can be a helpful guide:
• Alcohol dependency
• Addiction – drugs, cigarettes, chocolate, trashy magazines, the internet, etc.
• Lack of confidence
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger management
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Eating disorders – anorexia, bulimia, overeating
• Agoraphobia
• Claustrophobia
• Inability to make commitments
• Fear of flying/spiders/snakes, etc.
The actor going first tells the rest of the group what sort of self-help session they feel their lonelyhearts character would attend and then leaves the room to prepare. The rest of the group take a minute or two to create characters who they think might go to such a session. These should be different from their own lonelyhearts characters.
The lonelyhearts character then comes back into the room and the improvisation starts. The lonelyhearts character should do most of the talking in order to delve into their own particular problems. The rest of the group can keep the improvisation going by asking questions and talking briefly about their made-up characters’ own experiences.
This is followed by a group discussion before the next actor has their turn.
This exercise helps the actors to think more deeply about the emotional life of their lonelyhearts character. The rest of the group help out by being involved and supportive, making it possible for the lonelyhearts character to open themselves up in a way that may not normally be possible for them.
The Perfect Partners Questionnaire
Each actor, as their lonelyhearts character, fills in the questionnaire below.
Completing the questionnaire is to prepare the lonelyhearts characters for a meeting with a representative from the Perfect Partners dating agency. This questionnaire can be completed by the actors at home, or as part of a group session with each actor working on their own. It should take about twenty to thirty minutes.
Please fill in the questionnaire and then hand it in to your representative at the beginning of the interview.
Please complete all sections below.
|
What are you seeking? |
|
|
Close friendship |
⎕ |
|
Marriage |
⎕ |
|
Long-term relationship |
⎕ |
|
Fun and laughter |
⎕ |
What are your interests?
……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
What leisure activities do you partake in?
……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
What encouraged you to come to a dating agency?
……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
What age range would you prefer to meet?
|
From…… |
To…… |
No preference ⎕ |
|
What height range would you prefer to meet?
|
From…… |
To…… |
No preference ⎕ |
|
Would you mind if they had children?
|
Yes ⎕ |
No ⎕ |
No preference ⎕ |
|
Do you mind if they smoke?
|
Yes ⎕ |
No ⎕ |
No preference ⎕ |
|
What educational background would you prefer?
|
GCSE/A-Levels |
⎕ |
Degree |
⎕ |
|
|
PhD |
⎕ |
No preference |
⎕ |
|
What interests and pastimes would you prefer?
(Please tick between one and four boxes.)
|
Fine art |
⎕ |
Science |
⎕ |
|
|
Music |
⎕ |
Dance |
⎕ |
|
|
Theatre |
⎕ |
Cinema |
⎕ |
|
|
Printed media |
⎕ |
Holidays |
⎕ |
|
|
Outdoor activities |
⎕ |
Literature |
⎕ |
|
|
Sports |
⎕ |
Pets |
⎕ |
|
|
Gardening |
⎕ |
Interior design |
⎕ |
|
|
Cooking |
⎕ |
Conversation |
⎕ |
|
Any additional information that may be relevant:
……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
The Perfect Partners Interview
Each actor has a one-to-one interview with a representative from the Perfect Partners Dating Agency.
This interview itself is as much like a dating-agency interview as possible. The acting tutor role-plays a representative from the agency, and the improvisation is simply to find out as much as possible about the lonelyhearts character.
Before the improvisation starts, the actors should dress in the clothes their lonelyhearts characters would wear. They should also think about their characters’ hopes and expectations, so they will be able to discuss these things. The actors should be in character before, during and after the interview.
While they are waiting for the interview to start, the actors, as their lonelyhearts characters, should fill in their diaries. They should write about their character’s emotional state as they embark on this journey into the unknown. They should also make another entry in their diaries after they have had the interview so they can express how their lonelyhearts character is feeling while it is still fresh in their minds.
Although the tutor can behave much like themselves, it is important that they have a clear idea of their own invented character and that they take the role-play seriously. They should use a different name, invent a history for Perfect Partners and, if there is more than one tutor involved, they should know a bit about each other and their roles within the agency.
To make this as realistic as possible the tutor should also dress appropriately and arrange the rehearsal room so that it looks something like an office. The more realistic everything seems, the easier it is for the actors to find the truth of the improvisation.
Each of the lonelyhearts characters can be given a sheet with testimonials from satisfied clients:
Testimonials from Satisfied Clients
‘I’m pleased to inform you that I have a new lady in my life. Thank you for the excellent service provided.’ Mr D, Warwickshire
‘I just had to let you know I was very impressed with the way in which the interview was carried out. Chrissie really was great and made me feel very comfortable. Many of the questions she asked were very thought provoking!! She was very professional but friendly.’ Miss G, Dorset
‘He was a great match! He’s intelligent, sporty, well-travelled and attractive. We had a lot in common and I am very impressed with the matching! I was certainly attracted to him and I think the feeling was mutual. I hope we meet again!’ Anna, Swiss Cottage
‘B was a lovely man – we had a great date and we exchanged numbers. He restored my faith in decent men!’ Marianne, London
‘K is extremely charming, personable and good company. A great first date!’ Charlotte, Windsor
‘Thank you all so much for matching J and I – you got it spot on this time! He is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I thought it would be nice to send you an update on how things are going with us. To say they are great is, I suppose, a bit of an understatement. We have just found out that we are going to be parents in February and are both thrilled to bits by the news. From singletons to parents in less than a year, but I guess when you meet the right one there’s no point in hanging around!’ Elaine, London
‘He really made me laugh and came across as genuine and down-to-earth. We had plenty in common to talk about and are planning to see one another again!’ Helen, Berkshire
‘A lovely man and a real gentleman. We enjoyed lively, intelligent conversation and found lots of things in common. It was a delight to spend the evening with him. Thank you so much for introducing us.’ Sarah, London
‘R was chatty and amiable. We lost track of time and were the last ones out of the restaurant. A good sign!’ Peter, Richmond
‘It seems extraordinary but S has completely won me over. I don’t know how we were matched but it works! A thousand thanks to Perfect Partners. I am very happy!’ John, South Kensington
The tutor, as the Perfect Partners representative, should have a selection of questions to get the ball rolling:
• Did you have a good journey?
• Did you find us okay?
• How did you hear about Perfect Partners?
• Are you interested in meeting a man or a woman?
• Do you have any pet hates?
• Do you think looks are important?
• What is your idea of a perfect evening?
The tutor can then continue the interview by using the lonelyhearts character’s questionnaire as a stimulus for further discussion.
At the end of the interview the Perfect Partners representative should tell the lonelyhearts character that they will soon be given details of a prospective partner and that a meeting will be arranged.
After the interviews are over, all the actors should come out of character and have a group discussion about the things they discovered.
The actors, as their lonelyhearts characters, go out into the street and interact with the people they meet.
As I have mentioned, it could be considered intrusive to improvise with members of the public, but if the lonelyhearts characters and the conversations are realistic then the people they talk to will have no idea that they are involved in an acting exercise, and no harm is done.
This will be the first time the actors go out into the real world in character, and it will help them to have specific tasks to perform, such as asking a stranger the way to the station, or deciding which shop their character would like best. They could also engage a shop assistant in a conversation about something their character might like to buy.
The actors learn a lot by doing this exercise. It’s extremely liberating to discover that complete strangers will think their invented characters are real. It makes them realise that quite extreme characterisations can be readily accepted. This is important because actors should understand that being cautious is boring. As long as their creative decisions are supported by an inner truth, their characterisations can be really bold. Anyway, they will know if they are being phoney when they are improvising with strangers, because they will feel phoney as they do it.
There is no way of knowing how members of the public are going to behave and this exercise is quite daunting for the actors, so for their sake and for the sake of the people they meet, they should be asked to observe a few safety rules:
• When they are interacting with the general public, they should try to think in character.
• They shouldn’t use their phone, or give their phone number to a stranger.
• They shouldn’t drink coffee if they don’t normally.
• They shouldn’t drink any alcohol.
• They shouldn’t smoke cigarettes if they don’t normally.
• They shouldn’t feel the need to buy anything they can’t easily afford.
• They shouldn’t go to the hairdresser/dentists/opticians, etc.
• They shouldn’t sign up to pay by direct debit to a charity.
• They shouldn’t get involved in anything they wouldn’t want to follow through.
• They shouldn’t get into arguments with strangers.
• If they find themselves in a difficult or dangerous situation, they should come out of character immediately.
The Solo Date
A representative of Perfect Partners sends the lonelyhearts characters out into the street to meet someone for a ‘date’.
For this exercise, the actors dress as their lonelyhearts characters and arrive for the session as if they were they were arriving at the Perfect Partners office. They are met by the tutor who is role-playing a representative of the agency. The actors should remain in character for the whole session, only coming out of character when they are told to by the tutor.
The lonelyhearts characters are each given the details of a meeting that has been arranged for them. They are given the name of their prospective partner, his or her age, and a specific location. This may be in a café, outside a particular shop, or at some other identifiable place. Cafés are best because the lonelyhearts characters can sit and have a tea or coffee while they wait. They should take their diaries with them and write about how they are feeling as they wait for their date to arrive.
Whether or not they actually meet their date, they are told to be back at Perfect Partners (the rehearsal room) by a certain time, usually about three-quarters of an hour after they leave. As before, they should interact with the general public as long as they are sensible and careful.
Although they don’t know it, this date is a bit of a trick because no one is going to meet them, and they will just have to sit and wait. But as they do that they will be inclined to think about their situation and that will give them the opportunity to write in their diaries.
When the actors return to Perfect Partners, they stay in character and continue the improvisation with the tutor who is still role-playing a Perfect Partners representative. The lonelyhearts characters may well be quite annoyed that no one has turned up for the date and the Perfect Partners representative has to deal with it.
Before the end of the session, the actors are told to come out of character and a group discussion follows about the whole experience.
Going Out in Pairs
Each lonelyhearts character goes out into the street to meet up with another lonelyhearts character as if they were friends.
At the start of this session the actors get together in character pairs that have something in common. During the previous improvisations each lonelyhearts character will usually have met another character in the group that they get on with.
Before they go out into the street, the actors arrange to meet up at a particular time and place. They should give themselves enough time to get there comfortably. Usually about fifteen to twenty minutes. They should then take a minute or two to get into character before they set off separately for the meeting.
They should do some of the following things before they meet up:
• Go to a bookshop and think about what books their lonelyhearts character might read.
• Go to a supermarket and decide what their lonelyhearts characters might want to eat that evening. Thinking about whether they would cook for themselves, buy a ready meal or go out to a restaurant.
• Go to a clothes shop and look at the clothes their lonelyhearts character might want to buy to go out on a date.
• Talk to strangers whenever possible.
• Have opinions about the various things they pass on the way: churches, pubs, factories, health-food shops, butcher’s, statues, police officers, homeless people, etc.
• Walk through the park and think about the countryside.
When they eventually meet up, the two lonelyhearts characters should discuss some of their opinions with each other. They should also each talk about their lonelyhearts characters’ home life. In fact, because they are friends, they can have quite deep conversations about life, relationships, hopes, regrets, etc.
When it is time to finish, they should say goodbye and make their way back to the rehearsal room separately.
As usual, this improvisation should be followed by a group discussion and then the actors, as their lonelyhearts characters, should have the opportunity to write in their diaries about the experience.
Lonelyhearts Link-up
Meetings are arranged between lonelyhearts characters who have never met, and they are sent on a ‘date’ by representatives of Perfect Partners.
For this final session, which takes half a day, each lonelyhearts character has two ‘dates’ with two other lonelyhearts characters. If they have been working in separate groups, then the meeting will be between lonelyhearts characters who are entirely unknown to each other. It is ideal to have two tutors role-playing representatives of Perfect Partners: one tutor in charge of each group.
Tutors’ Preparation
Before the lonelyhearts link-up session, the tutors make a list of meetings across the two groups, pairing up characters who seem to be appropriate for each other. This can be quite tricky, so in order to make it fair, each lonelyhearts character is given two meetings during the session, one of which might not be quite as suitable as the other. Perfect Partners can be blamed for any poor pairings; after all, the actors will all have experienced a previous lonelyhearts link-up when they were sent on a date and no one turned up!
The tutors also plan out where each couple will meet and prepare a map of the area with the meeting places clearly marked. This is to ensure that there are no mistakes.
Two rehearsal rooms should be prepared as if they were rooms hired by Perfect Partners.
(It’s important to tell everyone in the building, particularly the doorman, that the actors will be in character and that they might appear to be behaving strangely!)
Actors’ Preparation
This exercise starts the evening before the session, when the actors read through their lonelyhearts diary before they go to bed. They should tell the people they live with that they are going to be in character next morning as soon as they wake up, and that no one should talk to them, or try to communicate with them unless there is a real emergency.
When they wake up on the morning of the lonelyhearts link-up, the actors should immediately get into character. They should get up, get dressed, have breakfast, and travel to the Perfect Partners office (i.e. the rehearsal rooms) as their lonelyhearts characters, so they arrive for the session fully in character. Each group will have been told to go to a specific rehearsal room.
The Date
As the lonelyhearts characters start to arrive, the tutors role-play Perfect Partners representatives and meet them at the door. Each group is sent to a different rehearsal room to keep them apart. At ArtsEd the tutors usually film this session, telling the lonelyhearts characters that we are making a record for the Perfect Partners archives.
As the lonelyhearts characters arrive at their particular rehearsal rooms, they are encouraged to chat with each other while they wait for everyone else to arrive. They will be with the same group of actors that they have been working with previously, so their lonelyhearts characters will have met each other before. They will have a shared history like the evening class, the quiz night and going out in pairs, so they will already have something to talk about.
When everyone has arrived, each lonelyhearts character is given two dates, one within the next quarter of an hour, and the other about halfway through the session. They are also given a map of the area with the location of their date clearly marked. They are asked to make sure that they are not late for the second meeting and the lonelyhearts characters from both groups are told to meet back in the same rehearsal rooms at a time which is about three-quarters of an hour before the end of the session.
And off they go.
During the session, the tutors should wander around the streets seeing how everyone is getting on. It’s quite all right for the tutors to talk to any of the lonelyhearts characters they meet as long as they stay in character as the Perfect Partners representatives.
At the allotted time the lonelyhearts characters start to return. Some will be on their own and others will be in couples. Maybe some characters will be holding hands. Others may be carrying flowers. Still in character, they are encouraged to talk about the experience with each other and to meet characters from the other group whom they have never met.
When all the lonelyhearts characters have returned, they continue to chat with each other for ten minutes or so. Then the Perfect Partners representatives ask them to sit in a circle and they encourage each character to tell the rest of the group how they got on. Some will have formed very positive relationships and are already planning to meet up later; some will have become reasonably friendly with each other, but don’t want to have a serious relationship; while others will have had a very disappointing time because they didn’t gel with either of the people they met. None of this matters, of course, because whatever has happened, they have all experienced an extended group improvisation where they had to stay in role as a thoroughly prepared character.
Before the end of the session, one of the tutors stands up and says: ‘I will count down from three and then you can all come out of character… Three… two… One! Out of character!’ At this point the room will explode with excited energy and noise. It’s like a cork being released from a bottle of champagne. The actors have had to concentrate on being in character since the moment they got up – and it’s very demanding. There will be so much energy in the room at this point that it’s impossible to get the actors to settle down to a group discussion. The tutors can go around talking to small groups or individuals. Everyone will want to talk about the experience, and it’s all massively positive.
Debrief
At a later date, the actors have a group discussion about the whole experience. Spending half a day improvising in character is an exhausting business and the actors need some time to wind down and relax, so the group discussion needs to take place on another day.
The actors talk about the ups and downs of the lonelyhearts link-up, what they have learned, and how they can carry this sort of work forward when they are preparing a role in a scripted play or film. The whole process is a great boost to the actors’ confidence and self-belief, because the creative work was all theirs, and the truth behind their characters stood the test of public scrutiny and a dangerous plunge into unknown territory.
This empowers the actors.
There are many variations to the creative processes employed by film and theatre directors, so actors should be encouraged to have a positive and open attitude to anything that a director may ask them to do. Of course, many theatre directors have their own rehearsal techniques and often don’t use improvisation at all. And film and television rehearsals can be non-existent, with the actors being expected to arrive on the set thoroughly prepared before the filming starts.
But there are various elements of the lonelyhearts process that can be used outside the rehearsal room, either as solo work or with other actors who are keen to carry out these extended improvisations. Actors who have experienced this sort of work often get together in character when they are working on a play or preparing to film. Sometimes two of them will arrange to have dinner together in character. Sometimes a group of actors will go out to a club and stay in character for a whole evening. Usually it’s not difficult for the actors to think of an extended improvisation that will be appropriate for the play or film that they are preparing.
These self-organised rehearsal improvisations can be extremely useful. After all, the more that an actor can experience the life of their character, the more they are able to present a true version of that character in performance.
And the truth is a very valuable tool when you are trying to convey a complex story with depth and detail.