Character Analysis
For our first Performing Arts assignment we are to be performing the play 'Scaramouche Jones'. The play consists of one man, dressed as a clown, giving the story of his one hundred years of living. The character named Scaramouche Jones tells us, the audience, his life from the moment he was born and how the first half of his life was one huge tragedy. Only the first half of his life, because as his childhood was dark and dull, and he describes through dialogue and mime how his mother had died and how he went through the Holocaust in World War II. But then he describes how his life took a turn and he "experiences laughter for the first time" in his life, and then decided to become a clown for the next fifty years of his life. The play begins and ends with Scaramouche backstage of a circus as he has just performed his last show and the audience visualises his life through his mimes and multiple voice changes.
The assignment consists of the twelve of us, in the tutor group, performing at least two pages of the script each. This is a clever technique in which each member of the group will be able to perform a piece of the script, and the audience will be able to see multiple personality and see how they portray the character. As well as being able to see the different ages of the characters life, as he, and the audience, is transported to his childhood and early adulthood.
We began with a read through of the script on Monday 30th September. A tradition introduction to a new script is for each cast member to have a read through of the whole play to receive a better understanding of the plot and any character details hidden within the script. Each member of the group was to read their part within the play, and my part was to open and close the play; to introduce the character and close the play. Once we had all finished reading our parts and concluded the read through we then turned to a discussion as to what our thought and feelings were on the play. From what we read we had a pretty good understand about what the character had been through and how he came to be in these situations. This would all be important information as it give an actor better knowledge as to how he/she is to perform their character, by knowing their origins story. We also presented our initial idea as to why the character would reaction the situation he is describing, or even how he's feeling at the beginning and the end of the play. Which also linked in with the initial idea as to how the character should be staged and how he should move, to make the performance more realistic and believable.
At the end of the day we had a look at video showing a professional performance of 'Scaramouche Jones'. There were two videos showing two extracts of the play, the first clip was to opening lines, and the second clip was an extract from half way through the play. The video showed a talented performance of the character by actor Pete Postlethwaite. Now I thought this was very interesting because it can be very handy to see another actors interpretation of the character. Pete Postlethwaite's performance was very interesting as he was able to perform as sense of a board comedian, the sense of an old man who know what is about to happen to him, as well as the sense of a man who has been through a lot, a really troubled life and, in a way, he is almost happy to see his life come to an end. Because the clown had a dark origins story and it had a deep impact on him and the audience see's how dark it really was through his description, it was interesting to know, and see another actor perform, the sense that when he is performing as the clown he is all cheery and happy, for the imaginary audience. But when he is back stage he becomes himself as if to show his dark disagreement of life. Just like it is delivering the moral message that he has seen the harsh reality of life and will ensure that no child will experience it just like he did, hence forth giving an entertaining clown performance to brighten up and entertain children.
Finally on Wednesday 2nd October we had another Physical Theatre lesson, focusing on the characters chorus. Because with there being twelve people on stage and there being moments when another member of the group would come and perform their part of the play, what would the others do on stage whilst the one actor would be delivering their lines? Well in previous Physical Theatre lessons we were introduced to an actor chorus. An actor chorus is where a few members of the group, but in this case all, would be on stage and physically present the characters thoughts and feeling as they presented their lines. In this lesson we had a practise. So I was to be delivering their first lines in the play, whilst everyone else was to be presenting the reaction to what I was saying and how I was saying it. Each member of the chorus presented different ideas as to how they should present this, knowing how I was to say the lines, and offered multiple ideas and constantly changed it. Another interesting method was to offer multiple personality's within the chorus, as in a way to show the different ages of his life. How they did this was that one member of the group was to be performing a extract in which they were miming the age the character was in his childhood. So in the chorus they were giving child like actions, whilst the rest just looked in disagreement. The plan is to use similar reactions and mimes throughout the whole play, as actors would switch places with a member of the chorus and it would be their turn to deliver their lines and the others turn to be a member of the chorus. The lesson was all interesting and helpful for when we come to do the actual performance in November.
The assignment consists of the twelve of us, in the tutor group, performing at least two pages of the script each. This is a clever technique in which each member of the group will be able to perform a piece of the script, and the audience will be able to see multiple personality and see how they portray the character. As well as being able to see the different ages of the characters life, as he, and the audience, is transported to his childhood and early adulthood.
We began with a read through of the script on Monday 30th September. A tradition introduction to a new script is for each cast member to have a read through of the whole play to receive a better understanding of the plot and any character details hidden within the script. Each member of the group was to read their part within the play, and my part was to open and close the play; to introduce the character and close the play. Once we had all finished reading our parts and concluded the read through we then turned to a discussion as to what our thought and feelings were on the play. From what we read we had a pretty good understand about what the character had been through and how he came to be in these situations. This would all be important information as it give an actor better knowledge as to how he/she is to perform their character, by knowing their origins story. We also presented our initial idea as to why the character would reaction the situation he is describing, or even how he's feeling at the beginning and the end of the play. Which also linked in with the initial idea as to how the character should be staged and how he should move, to make the performance more realistic and believable.
At the end of the day we had a look at video showing a professional performance of 'Scaramouche Jones'. There were two videos showing two extracts of the play, the first clip was to opening lines, and the second clip was an extract from half way through the play. The video showed a talented performance of the character by actor Pete Postlethwaite. Now I thought this was very interesting because it can be very handy to see another actors interpretation of the character. Pete Postlethwaite's performance was very interesting as he was able to perform as sense of a board comedian, the sense of an old man who know what is about to happen to him, as well as the sense of a man who has been through a lot, a really troubled life and, in a way, he is almost happy to see his life come to an end. Because the clown had a dark origins story and it had a deep impact on him and the audience see's how dark it really was through his description, it was interesting to know, and see another actor perform, the sense that when he is performing as the clown he is all cheery and happy, for the imaginary audience. But when he is back stage he becomes himself as if to show his dark disagreement of life. Just like it is delivering the moral message that he has seen the harsh reality of life and will ensure that no child will experience it just like he did, hence forth giving an entertaining clown performance to brighten up and entertain children.
Finally on Wednesday 2nd October we had another Physical Theatre lesson, focusing on the characters chorus. Because with there being twelve people on stage and there being moments when another member of the group would come and perform their part of the play, what would the others do on stage whilst the one actor would be delivering their lines? Well in previous Physical Theatre lessons we were introduced to an actor chorus. An actor chorus is where a few members of the group, but in this case all, would be on stage and physically present the characters thoughts and feeling as they presented their lines. In this lesson we had a practise. So I was to be delivering their first lines in the play, whilst everyone else was to be presenting the reaction to what I was saying and how I was saying it. Each member of the chorus presented different ideas as to how they should present this, knowing how I was to say the lines, and offered multiple ideas and constantly changed it. Another interesting method was to offer multiple personality's within the chorus, as in a way to show the different ages of his life. How they did this was that one member of the group was to be performing a extract in which they were miming the age the character was in his childhood. So in the chorus they were giving child like actions, whilst the rest just looked in disagreement. The plan is to use similar reactions and mimes throughout the whole play, as actors would switch places with a member of the chorus and it would be their turn to deliver their lines and the others turn to be a member of the chorus. The lesson was all interesting and helpful for when we come to do the actual performance in November.
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