Reflection...

As an actor I found Stanislavski’s system very useful when exploring and developing my role as Carol in Oleanna. Before Joel and I started blocking our scene we sat down for a fair few hours and went through all of the system, annotating it on our scripts. I found the tempo rhythm aspect very helpful when first beginning to block as it helped me to establish the pace at which my character was mentally and physically travelling. I also found emotion memory useful, especially in the final scene where I had to be hurt by Joel. I used inner monologue throughout the piece in order to remain engaged both facially and mentally in the scene when John was speaking to Carol. I also found that the clashes with Super and Unit objectives were easier to comprehend and show, once I had annotated them in my script. 

I think that the Stanislavskian system made the fight scene far more truthful for Joel and I because once he had pushed me down (which caused me a lot of bruising!) I was able to use the technique of emotion memory to remember a time when I had been hurt and was in complete shock. I also found that the use of inner monologue made my character’s cattiness and her abilities to aggravate John, even greater. I know this because so many people have told me that they hated my character because she drove them crazy with her taunting and will to have the last word. I have also been told that our fight scene was extremely believable which is good because it means that the system was working for us. 

I think I communicated my role to the audience reasonably well and I am happy that I managed to rectify a situation which could have ruined the scene; the paper that Joel through off the stage was only meant to land in front of his desk and when he told me to leave I would bend down to pick it up. That is when he would grab me and attack me. When the paper flew off the stage I knew that I had better find a reason to get onto my knees on the floor and so I walked forward and accidentally dropped my piece of paper, bent down to get it and was then ready to be attacked. It was extremely hard to be planning this entire solution out in my head whilst trying to keep acting to the system, but I was told by the audience members that they thought that I was supposed to drop the paper so thankfully it didn’t look stupid.  

I believe that the scene by Sara, Rebecca and Anna was excellent because it really showed the system and it was like we were watching two teenagers fight. All of Rebecca’s mannerisms were very realistic and you could clearly see Sara’s inner monologue bubbling away inside her head. Their scene was extremely natural and it was clear that all of the character’s tempo rhythms were rising towards the end of the scene. There was a very real connection between Rebecca and Sara / Sara and Anna which I enjoyed watching and I believe that this is especially important for such a scene. 

New challenges I faced as an actor included having to switch plays and roles and ultimately finding myself playing a character I would not think that I could ever portray. I have never played an antagonistic character; always the moaning or ditsy damsel in distress. I found the fight scene especially challenging as I had to mentally prepare myself to get hurt – a natural reaction to any sort of threat being to protect ones self – but I couldn’t show this preparation on my face or in my body. I found the role quite emotionally challenging and to be honest it did scare me that I was about to be shoved to the floor (I still, 5 days later have blue bruises on my knees and scratches on my hand to prove it!) It gave me a real insight into the world of stage combat but also realistic acting which involves the victim having to feel the pain of the fight, in order to portray it realistically. Overall, playing Carol was a very interesting experience and I learned a lot about myself as an actor and a person whilst performing this role.