CHAPTER 27

Session Seventeen

In this session: • Character • The actor’s job • Being specific • Defining character intentions • More enhancing verbs • Active intentions • Using the skills subconsciously • More listening to ourselves • Becoming natural • Next assignment

Coach: Today the actors we didn’t get to last time will state their character’s intentions in the respective speeches, and we’ll work on applying those intentions. Later, we’ll work on character to the extent that we have time remaining in the workshop. For more extensive work on character and scene study, you’ll need to enroll in another workshop, one that has that focus. Here, in summary, we learned the skills required to speak the language convincingly, to speak it confidently, and to know what we’re saying. With that ammunition, our characters can move and speak and relate to other characters without the burden of language block, or language fear. What do you think is the greater obstacle to good Shakespeare performance, fear of the language or unwillingness to learn how to handle it?

Kristin: A weeks few ago I would have said fear, because that’s what I had.

Alicia: Me, too. But after a few sessions I lost my fear and realized how much work it was going to be to learn how to speak it. So I think you start with fear as an obstacle, but later that changes.

Coach: I think that’s an accurate observation, and is probably applicable to most actors who study this material. Do you trust yourselves to use the skills and handle the language to the point that you don’t need to think about it? Because if you do, you’re ready to develop your character.

Amber: I trust myself right now. I don’t know about next year. And what if you have a director who doesn’t require the actors to—well, for example—support the end-of-the-verse lines? Everything will be very sluggish, and what can the actors to do about it?

Coach: Not an enviable situation, is it? But remember, learning your language and developing your character is an actor’s responsibility. Doing the homework is your job. In the situation you mention, you might have to get some actors together outside of rehearsal and work on the language, listening to and helping each other.

Bride: I feel that way too, but what do I do if I’m working with an actor who just paraphrases and generalizes, yet thinks he’s doing it right?

Coach: I can’t really answer that, because it would depend on the situation. But would the problem be any different if, instead of a heightened-text play, you were doing a realistic play? If the other actor is paraphrasing and generalizing, you still have the same problem: how to get him to be “specific.” In heightened-text plays, there are certainly a few more steps involved to reach “specific,” but the goal is the same.

Always remember that when you speak the words you’ve memorized, you communicate your character’s intention to the other actors. Don’t let your intentions be general, reflective, or not measurable. For example, “To make her understand how I feel” is not a good intention, because “understand” is not measurable. And there’s something else it’s not—it’s not an action. State your intention as an action that will affect another character—or maybe just the audience, if you have a soliloquy. If your fellow actors are paraphrasing and generalizing, remember that intentions are measured in the other characters, not in the speaker.

Another example: Let’s say my intention is “to make you realize that I don’t like the way you’re talking to me.” As an actor, you work with “make you realize”—but it’s vague; it gives you so little to work with. And if the person does “realize” what you mean, how will we, the audience, know that? However, using the same intention, if you make it, “to belittle him for talking to me that way,” now you have something to play. “To belittle” is active and playable. If you communicate that action, and the other character backs away or crawls under a table or something, we can then see that you’ve achieved your intention; you have a reaction! So, your success is measured in the other character. Notice how we enhanced the verb to make the action more effective.

I hope that helps you some. I’d have to be working with the actor to give more precise suggestions. Maybe give him a copy of the book! Let’s do some more work on intentions.

We work for a long time on finding ways to make the intentions active and measurable. There is much agony and searching. Eventually, the actors restate the intentions. They have become much more active. Here is one choice for each:

Jerrod’s Othello: Demean Desdemona for doing what you think she’s done.

Kristin’s Isabella: Appeal to Claudio’s love, then reject him.

Alicia’s Lady Margaret: Intimidate, scorn, and divorce him.

Bridgett’s Julia: Strive to bring Proteus back—by reassembling those pieces of the letter on which both names are written.

Alex’s Prince Hal: Command your rightful place.

Maggie’s Helena: Embarrass Hermia, and entreat her to illustrate her skills in wooing Demetrius.

Bride’s Lady Macbeth: Conjure the strength and method to do the deed.

Amber’s Kate: Provoke the women to do what you need them to do.

Emily’s Viola: Stroke Olivia’s ego.

Coach: You might elect to use other intentions, of course—whatever works for you. But these examples are active choices. Be sure yours is active. When playing your intentions, once they’re active, forget this is verse. Just go after your goal. The verse won’t get in the way, because you know how to use it. Forget all of that—just go out and achieve your goal. Don’t allow me as the audience to ignore you. So don’t suggest, be specific. Demand that I pay attention to you. If you can state the urgency that causes you to speak, that will help you considerably. The stakes for your character must be clear in your mind.

We agree on at least one intention for each speech and practice the urgency of speaking to achieve our intention. We run some of the monologues, working to play the intention in a direct and honest way. This is tedious and takes a lot of time, but in the end the monologues are more specific and honest. Everyone agrees that improvement has been made.

Amber: I don’t know how to play my intention and antithesis at the same time.

Coach: Forget antithesis! You already know how to play it. If you’ve done your analysis, and you have, it will happen automatically. Remember, forget the skills. Throw them away now! All of that work and money was for nothing! (Laughs.)

Kristin: Verse was always foreign to me, but we really have to be confident with it—have the language down solid, isn’t that it, before we can play our intention?

Coach: I understand what you mean, but, no, you actually could start right out playing some intention. What do you think the result would be? Would it be successful? For example, if I had asked each of you to come to this workshop with a monologue already memorized, which you all would have done to some degree, and the very first session I asked you to perform the monologue with a specific intention, what would happen?

Emily: I see. You could create and play an intention, but who would listen or understand? The language would be a muddle and would get in your character’s way.

Coach: Sure would. Yet we often see that. It’s a lot easier to go straight to intention and character and skip learning the skills.

Maggie: So the only difference between heightened text, like Shakespeare, and realism is in the difficulty of the language?

Coach: That’s pretty much it. I’m reminded of that line from the film A League of Their Own when Geena Davis’ character quits the baseball team and says, “It just got too hard.” And the Tom Hanks character says, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great!” In other words, when you master that which is “hard,” the result is on a much higher level than when you master “easy.” In our case, the result is acting a role by speaking incredibly powerful language, all blended together into a work of art—something of beauty. The actor’s art blending with the playwright’s—but neither cheating the other. (We finish running the monologues, working the same issues. Most improve, and we take a break.)

Coach: (After the break.) Let’s tape the speeches now, then listen to them so that you can hear what intention you’re using, and see if the audience can hear it. (We record all the monologues, listening to each played back. This takes a great deal of time, but the actors clearly hear what they’ve accomplished.)

This language is so rich, there is so much for the actor to work with, if you only know where to look for it! Well, now you all have a pretty good idea of what it is and where to look. Of course, doing it is something else.

Remember that for most monologues, you need to find ways to do more with important words, words that allow you to be specific about what you mean. Find those, use them; don’t be timid with them. You each have a number of those words in your chosen monologues; here’s one from each: In Henry IV, “scour” comes to mind—what a great word; in Othello, “steeped”; in Henry VI, Part 3, “shame”; in Macbeth, “chastise”; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “sway”; The Taming of the Shrew, “ashamed”; Measure for Measure, “reprieve”; The Two Gentlemen of Verona, “wounded”; Twelfth Night, “hallo.”

Those are just examples. You each have many wonderful active words. And also remember to look for transition moments and use your voice to best advantage.

Bride: What do you mean?

Coach: In some speeches, the passion, intensity, even the tempo increase as you progress. You “climb the ladder” when, for example, you go from gentle to intense. Use that shift to your advantage. You voice can indicate these transitions, which, in turn, helps the audience hear and understand the sequence of ideas.

Just remember to work on simply being real, not “performing.” When actors begin on Shakespeare, they sometimes believe they have to “perform” their character, which is almost always a bad choice. It’s natural that all of the monologues are a little wooden at the moment, which is caused by our specific work on skills—so try to forget the skills and work to make your speaking completely natural. Trust yourself that the skills you’ve learned will make the language understandable and you won’t trip over it. And making the character real and honest is now your job. So those are your assignments. Plus, next time I’ll be asking you questions about your character and his or her place in the play. We’ve got two more sessions to see how many of these things we can accomplish. Then we’ll bring in some friends to see you do the monologues. See you next time.