Auditions for Actors –
Kiss Me Like You Mean It
Intro
‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ is a
contemporary production written by Chris Chibnall. This play tells the story of two young people,
on a warm summers evening, as they explore their lives, meet new people, and
build a relationship together.
The character I will be performing as is:
Name: Tony
Age: Early 20s
Relationships: Ruth (the woman he loves)
Likes: Parties
Drinking
Dislikes: Cancer
Death
What has happened before the monologue?
When we are introduced to our leads, Tony
and Ruth, we see various similarities between them. The both of them are in tricky situations and
are desperate to escape, and both have a desire to be loved and
appreciated. When they meet, both are hesitant
in talking to each other, but after long conversations they begin to reveal to
each other why they are upset. Ruth has received
a marriage proposal from a man she has had a relationship with for some time,
and does not want to marry him. Tony on
the other hand has received the news that he has testicular cancer. Shortly after getting closer, they meet Don
and Edie, an elderly couple living in a flat near them. Both couples join together and have a party. After the party, Don reveals to Tony that
this is his and his wife’s last night, as he is terminally ill, and he
convinces Tony that life is too short and he should ask Ruth out.
What transpires during the monologue?
Plucking up the courage, and receiving a
few words of advice from Don, Tony has an intimate talk with Ruth. Telling her that she is the most beautiful
woman he has ever laid eyes on, and how he wants to fall in love with her.
Why did I choose this monologue?
When choosing a contemporary monologue, my
initial choice was Douglas’ monologue from Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Man of the Moment’. Having previous experience with this
monologue and decent understanding of the character, I felt it would suit the
criteria, plus I would embody the character without the need to devise
something new for the character. However
I needed to experiment the performance abilities and expand my contemporary play
knowledge. Therefore Tony’s monologue
was recommended to me.
After my first read through I was
instantly fond of this piece. I found a
connection to the character, with his age, his social status, and above all
else his passion. This was a character I
could relate to.
The monologue explores:
-
Tony’s
passionate
– especially his feelings for Ruth.
-
Tony’s
social status – as Ruth is “out of his league” and he tries to break
that by expressing true love.
-
and Tony’s
tragedy
– with the background knowledge that he has testicular cancer, seeing Don and
Edie together, and Don telling him “life’s too short” he feels the need to
spend the rest of his life with Ruth to ensure she is happy with her life and
he enjoys his last days.
Themes
of the Play
Love
– deduced
from the passionate connections between Tony and Ruth, as well as Don and
Edie. As the moral of the story states
that people should follow their hearts and express their true feelings. Only then can they find true love.
This theme has a huge impact on the monologue
as Tony is fuelled by love and the desperate need to see if Ruth loves him.
Life
– the
tragedy behind this romantic comedy is the inevitable death of our leads. Both Tony and Don are diagnosed with life
destroying symptoms, and the pair of them take challenges in this play. Challenges that could backfire in everyday
life, but they pursue ignoring the backlashing only knowing “life is too short”
and they need to enjoy it while it lasts.
This theme has a minor impact on the
monologue, but I take it in mind because it foreshadows the life Tony and Ruth
will have in the future.
Dedication
& Trust – I deduced this theme based on the early relationship of
Tony and Ruth. In the beginning of the play
both characters have just met and by the end they fall in love, vowing to never
leave one another. Therefore the themes
of dedication and trust take a huge impact on the characters and their
motivations. Indicating to their untold
future and bringing the audience on their side.
Performance
Style and Inspirations
Physically – since
becoming very fond of the character and seeing a few similarities with the
character of Tony, I decided to keep my physicality as naturalistic as
possible. I felt that minimal movement could
emphasis the deeper meaning behind Tony’s words. Plus I feel the audience could be a good
representation of the character of Ruth and have the audience decide whether
she should love him or leave him. The
majority of my movements would be to show his desire to be with her by taking
slow steps forward, and gests towards her to exaggerate his true meaning.
Vocally –
similarly to my physical performance I aim to keep it as naturalistic as
possible. However to convey the true
passion behind his words, I imagined that the character of Ruth was attempting
to leave out of sheer awkwardness. This
would lead the character to push his words out further, showing true desire and
love within, not just my vocal, but my overall performance.
‘Man of the Moment’ Synopsis: http://manofthemoment.alanayckbourn.net/styled-10/index.html
‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It’ Summary: http://www.headgatetheatre.co.uk/pdf/kmlymi_synopsis_character_profiles.pdf
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