'13' Blog - Character Profile 'John'

Character Profile: John

Who are they?

Character’s Name:

Current Name: John Smith – John’s last name is unknown and unscripted.  I believe that John takes on the last name identity of Smith during his time hiding abroad and has had little to no time to change it back for when he returns to the UK.

Birth Name: John Esmond – Last name ‘Esmond’ has a meaning of ‘gracious protector’, as I deduced that one of ‘John’s’ key characteristics are being generous to his friends and followers.  Plus ‘protector’ defines his links/references/relations towards ‘Jesus’ and his ‘Twelve Disciples’.

 

Character’s Age:

24 – Through rehearsal sessions I believe John to be in his early twenties.  But was missing for two years and has returned to the UK to begin an anti-war protest.

 

Family Background/Life:

·         Born – 27^th April 1986

(Born on the morning of the Easter Sunday, ‘John’s’ mother Mary thought of him as “a miracle”.  Born on Easter Sunday adds the sense of resurrection and ‘John’ rises against his rivalries and proves justice.)

·         Parents –

Father: Joseph Esmond - A Political Adviser for the Prime Minister; spent little time with his son growing up. 

Mother: Mary Esmond - A Religious house wife; she took care of John, and took him to their local church every other Sunday.

·         Childhood – Growing up having an extremely close relationship with his mother, ‘Mary’, ‘John’ was raised to see a society where everyone is treated fair and equally, under the protection of their strong beliefs.  In the case of ‘John’s’ mother it was her strong religious beliefs in Christianity, and raising ‘John’ in the hopes to do good/well in his life.  ‘John’ went to church every other Sunday with his mother and attended his local primary school, and received a decent education and never got into trouble.

·         Teenage Years – Stepping aside from his mother’s strong beliefs in Christianity, ‘John’ attended his local secondary school, from the age of eleven to seventeen.  At first struggled to fit in socially, but after gaining his closest friends he had a large boost in his confidence.  ‘John’ achieved high A level GCSE results, and began to pursue his later ambitions to take a career in politics, just like his father.  In many ways it was ‘John’s’ hope to bond closer with his father after spending almost an entire childhood without a father figure.

 

Character’s Jobs:

·         Work Experience – During his mid teenage years, John took part in his local sale businesses.  Introducing him to a working life and conditions.

·         Current Job Status – Throughout the play John does not have a current Job occupation, due to his distraction of his ambitions for making a better future.

 

Character’s Key Relationships:

·         Family – Extremely close to his mother.  Spending his childhood distanced from his father.

·         Friends –

1)      Simon:  While never physically seen throughout the entirety of the play, but talked about throughout Act Four, audience members learn that pre-‘13’ ‘John’ had a best friend, and his name was ‘Simon’.  Act Four, Scene Two: ‘Ruth – “I’d already heard about him from Simon.  This amazing best friend.” … “It was always the two of them.  Him and Simon.  They were so … bright.”’  I think this piece of dialogue alone depicts the former friendship ‘John’ and ‘Simon’ shared.  I personally imagined, through rehearsals and developing my character, that both characters shared an extremely close friendship.  This was the kind of friendship where the both of them understood one another and were always there for each other.  In a way ‘Simon’, through ‘John’s’ point of view, became the father figure ‘John’ never had growing up.  It was ‘Simon’ who shared and understood his passions for politics, and dislikes of war, and it was ‘Simon’ who stood up for ‘John’ when he struggled to fit in socially during their time at secondary school. 

     Plus this backs up my own performing strategies, towards presenting ‘John’s’ motivations.  As I pictured ‘John’ constantly feeling a desperate need to complete the anti-war protest march against the government, so he could gain his belief back, and know ‘Simon’ would be proud of what ‘John’ has achieved.  It is both ‘Simon’ and his mother, ‘John’ wants to make proud as both characters where there for him, and taught him to view society in a positive manner and object any dark negative energy that could destruct them. 

     Act Four, Scene Eight: ‘John – “But I imagine a universe right now where he’s still alive.  I imagine dying and finding that all this was a computer game, a fantasy, a projection and he’s still there.  I think, bearing in mind how little we know, that there are possibilities.”’  I think this piece of dialogue alone give a detailed expression of how ‘John’ wishes ‘Simon’ was there to support him.  Support him in his time of desperate need.  Support him the way a father would support their son.

 

2)      Ruth:  This friendship I see as having the most twists, turns and difficulties.  Act Four, Scene Two: ‘Ruth – “One year, we spent Christmas together.” … “We got on immediately, he spoke like someone much older.”’  I think this little line here backs up ‘John’ and ‘Ruth’s’ first encounter; demonstrating that there could have been a possible friendship between the characters, but not as strong as ‘John’ and ‘Simon’s’ friendship.  Yet giving off an impression that these characters speak and treated each other as equals and  with respect; not in the fashion of two friends who would speak and treat each other as if they have known each other for as long as can remember. 

     Therefore I thought it would be a good input to have both actors portraying these characters to show this friendship almost like a broken mother and son relationship.  Almost as if the son is trying to stand up for what he thinks is right. 

 

3)      Rachel:  Between ‘John’ and ‘Rachel’ I personally pictured a strong friendship that could have almost been a relationship.  Act One, Scene Ten: ‘John – “You and Amir.  Still together?”  Rachel – “Yeah we are.  Still together.  Yeah.”  Beat.  She looks at him – so?  John – “What are you up to?”’  Through this dialogue and stage direction extract alone, I depicted that both characters bring a tense atmosphere between them, and I saw the possibility of a former relationship between ‘John’ and ‘Rachel’.  Therefore I felt the need to show this slight awkward and tense atmosphere between the characters for our main performers.  But at the same time, give off a sense of relief, indicating that both character did one share a friendship and both of them do want to keep hold of their treasured memories with each other in these dark times. 

     Michael Billington- The guardian review of ‘13’: “But he has written a powerful, disturbing play about the values by which we live and one that passionately argues for some kind of spiritual revolution.”  I feel this extract from ‘Michael Billington’s’ review strongly reflects ‘Rachel’s’ need support in ‘John’ uprising against the government.  As she too believes that there will be a dark future if they don’t do something.

 

Michael Billington’s Review of ‘13’ - http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/26/13-review

 

4)      Amir:  For ‘John’ and ‘Amir’s’ friendship I see indications of tensions and difficulties, yet it does have its positive sides.  Similar to the friendship ‘John’ gains with the character ‘Zia’, ‘John’ sees ‘Amir’ as a character of struggle and ‘John’ does his best to support ‘Amir’ the best way he can.  Act Two, Scene Three: ‘John – “You should come along.”  Amir – “What are you doing?”  John looks at him.  John – “Come with me.”’  I personally got the sense that at the end of this scene we see ‘John’ getting excited to deliver his first public speech, and I felt it would be important to show his excitement verbally and show his excitement by inviting ‘Amir’ to come with him.  Showing the characters understanding one another, as ‘John’ knows ‘Amir’ hates the government and has protested himself.  Therefore ‘John’ knows that, the anti –war protest march he is about to begin, is right up ‘Amir’s’ street, and would support ‘John’ in his uprising.

     But there are scenes in the play were I see a hint of former rivalry between ‘John’ and ‘Amir’.  Especially in Act Two, Scene Eight.  ‘Amir – “I was going to get it.”  John – “No.  It’s fine.  You two stay there.  My turn.”’  I personally saw that ‘John’s’ objective in this scene was to, in a way, ‘shove’ the fact towards ‘Rachel’ that he would have been a much better boyfriend to her, than ‘Amir’ is currently.

·         Protest Followers – As John begins his ambitions of bringing about an anti-war protest march he meet some interesting characters he shares a bond with.  Such as:

1)      Holly, a prostitute.  Linking towards the reference that ‘John’ in a way is “a messiah-type figure” – ‘Dan Hutton’s Review of ‘13’ – and ‘Holly’ is the representation of ‘Mary Magdalene’.  Referring to how ‘Jesus’ respected her as a human being, not as a woman of pleasure.  Just the same as ‘John’ respecting ‘Holly’ for whom she is, not what she is.

     The story and information on ‘Mary Magdalene’ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene

 

2)      Sarah, a wife to the American politician Dennis.  Once again referencing her as ‘Judas’ in amongst ‘Jesus and his ‘twelve disciples’, or ‘John’ and his followers.  It is ‘Judas’ whom betrays ‘Jesus’ and goes against his will, resulting in the crucifixion/death of ‘Jesus’.  Whereas ‘Sarah’ misunderstands ‘John’ and turns his words of hope into murder, then ‘Dennis’ leaks the footage of her confessing online, resulting in ‘John’s’ fall from his current status.

     The story and information on ‘Judas’ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Iscariot

 

3)      and Zia, a young man socially struggling.  This character ‘John’ sees as a voice of struggle and does his best to help, and provide words of hope and encouragement to make him a better person.

·         Rivalries – Throughout John’s life he has met many people and made many enemies.  But two characters in particular bring forth strong conflicts within ‘13’s’ storyline.  These characters are:

1)      Ruth, an old friend of his families.  From my research and understanding of the characters from the script, I see John and Ruth having a conflicted mother and son relationship.  Making Ruth the character of authority and wanting every point of hers heard, and now it is John turn to stand tall no longer listen.  Although, both characters do share a history and the possibility of a former, if not an unlikely future, friendship.  Seen in Act Four, Scene Two: ‘Ruth – “One year we spent Christmas together.” … “We got on immediately, he spoke like someone much older.”’

2)      Stephen, “he used to be my lecturer at university,” as stated by John (in Act Two, Scene Eleven) it is a former teacher and student rivalry.  As it shows throughout the play that John wants to make his points and views convenient, but with Stephen in the way it offer John the chance to prove him wrong.

·         Links to Other Fictional Characters – Through my research into this character I have found other fictional characters that share similar ambitions or objective traits.  While there may be several differences between these characters and ‘John’, I do see some similarities which I could relate to for my main performance.  These characters are:

1)           ‘Hans Hubermann’ from the novel ‘The Book Thief’, written by Australian author ‘Markus Zusak’.  I have chosen this character because within the storytelling of ‘The Book Thief’ the depiction of ‘Hans Hubermann’ sees him as an everyday man, with no special qualities within him.  Yet he does possess a strong strength of standing up for he believes to be right.  This is shown through his characteristics of general kindness in protecting the Jewish character ‘Max’ from the ‘Nazis’’.  As well as certain scenes within the novel depicting ‘Hans’ telling his family that they should stand up for they think is right and resist any foe, such as the ‘Hitler’.

     This is similar to ‘John’s’ character traits as he too stands up for what he believes to be right.  By ‘John’ encouraging his closest friends and followers to do the same in order to achieve good within their world/society.

2)           ‘Romeo and Juliet’ from ‘William Shakespeare’s’ most famous play ‘Romeo and Juliet’.  I chose these two leading characters because of their hopes and eagerness to tie a bond of hope and love within their families’ rivalries.  Although their goal is for the pair of them to marry in secret and hope their families see eye to eye, it is their abilities to stand up for themselves that I admire.  As ‘Juliet’ turns down her parent marriage arrangements for her.  Showing a strong sense of power and conviction within their motivations and eagerness to achieve their overall objectives.

     I can relate this to ‘John’s’ character traits as, once again he strongly feels that the outcome of his actions can make a positive.  All the more giving a strong sense of eagerness toward ‘John’s’ objectives.  While ‘John’ may not be beginning an anti-war protest march for love, but the outcome of his actions is the hope to bring about a permanent peace for his friends and family and their society.

 

Research Areas for Links to Other Fictional Characters:

 

‘Hans Hubermann’ character analysis - http://www.shmoop.com/book-thief/hans-hubermann.html

 

‘Romeo and Juliet’ character list/analysis - http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/characters.html

 

Character’s Health:

Physically: John is a young healthy and physically capable man.  With his ambitions to make his points of views towards a potential nuclear war convenient, he does take part in many physical activities, such as standing in front of an audience and delivering a speech.  He does so with little to hold him back.

Mentally: However John does have a down side to his health state.  Mentally John fears his past and has a strong phobia of his history repeating itself before him.  I discovered this through the characters description in the script and how he shrugs away once another character mentions his past and why he ran away (particularly in Act One, Scenes Ten and Fifteen).  “I’m sorry if it was … difficult.”  Therefore I think it is important for John to physically and verbally show audience members how much he fears his past.  Plus it adds some sense into the fact that he wants to help his followers, as they suffer from nightmare visions of a nuclear war/their potential future.  This would ensure that his friends and followers do not suffer the same events that he has in his past.

 

Character’s Interests:

1)      Socialising with his friends – As the play goes on we see that John wants to take part in social activity.  “Do you want to come out?  Tonight.  I haven’t been out in a long time.” – John, Act One Scene Fifteen.  While we never physically see John socialising with his closest friends, I’d like to imagine that he feels the need to catch up with his old friends.  Plus it would give him something to temporarily distract him for the bigger matters at hand.

2)      Meeting new people – This is something I think John keeps as a personal talent.  Having people skills is always a good thing to have and John puts it to good use.  Especially when it comes to him gaining new followers in his protest march.  But for John it depends on the type of person he is meeting.  One scene in particular shows John encountering a new person, yet is held back due to him disliking the characters attitude (when John meets the character Mark in Act One, Scene Fifteen).

3)      Discussing about his passion – Like many people John has a passion.  His passion in particular is talking about his society’s current state and what he thinks he could do to rectify any situations.  Especially during Act Two, Scene Six when John begins to talk to his future followers and begin the anti-war protest march.  I think this would be to verbally show his passion for this subject matter.  In rehearsals I did use a low tone but keeping at a high volume to spread the word.  But I think increasing the volume and giving more energy, I think I can present to the audience how much he cares and admires towards this subject, and how much he wants to help the people involved.

 

Links to Key Themes in the Play:

1)      The Theme of War and Politics – These themes in particular have a vast impact on John’s motivations.  Audience members get a decent understanding of John’s hatred of warfare, and make it all the more believable as to why he beginning an anti-war protest march against the government.  Plus his rivalries with political characters show his desire to be the one that is heard and he doesn’t have to listen any longer.  I also believe these themes have had an impact on John’s origins story.  Especially with his time spend abroad in Iran, witnessing first-hand the devastating outcome of war; all the more enhancing his equal hatred towards political characters.   

2)      The Theme of Responsibility – This theme links towards the one of the characters distinctive characteristics, his consideration.  John is a calculated character and knows what he’s getting himself and others into, therefore takes full and true responsibility for whatever the outcome is.  Plus this theme is a motivation towards his speeches in Act Two, Scene Eleven as we see John encouraging his followers to stand up and think for themselves and take responsibility.  Responsibility affecting the character’s story arks/storytelling, transferring the moral messages within the text and impacting on John’s objectives to bring peace for others.

3)      The Usage of Social Media – Throughout the storyline of ‘13’ audience members are intrigued through the plays contemporary society references, particularly the usage of social media devises.  It affects the story as it involves the characters, and it brings relevance towards reality as it spreads the word and brings about a positive or negative outcome.  This theme has a link towards John, as it assists him in spreading his words of belief and an anti-war protest march, and brings about an inevitable tragic end to his objectives.

 

Character’s Personality Traits:

·         Likes –

1)      Group discussions.  (Shown especially in Act Two, Scene Six, ‘John’s’ first public speech.  I felt the need to express this in my main performance, through my speech pattern.  All the more increasing that audience’s understanding of ‘John’s’ passion for expressing his thoughts on politics.)

2)      Learning about new things.  (Whether political or general, I think of ‘John’ as a character that would admire the new things in life.)

3)      Socialising with his friends.  (Act One, Scene Fifteen: ‘John – “Do you want to come out tonight?  I haven’t been out in a long time.”’  I like to think of this interest of his to have a goal of keeping his friends close, especially after ‘John’s’ tragic history and these current dark times that the play is set in.  Plus it slightly give ‘John’ an advantage to distract him from any current big events, and catch up with is friends.)

4)      Hot drinks. (Act One, Scene Fifteen – ‘John – “Is that a latte?” … “I haven’t had a cappuccino in ages.  Do you mind?”’  I think this moment alone shows ‘John’s’ love for the simplest of things such as a nice hot drink to pass the time.)

5)      Meeting new people.  (The more followers he gains the better, is the way ‘John’ sees things, when it comes to meeting new people.  Shown throughout his public speeches in the play, ‘John’ likes to meet new people he can trust and rely on, as long as they are good people.)

6)      Helping people in the best way he can.  (Act Two, Scene Eleven: ‘John opens the umbrella and she hug him underneath, and cries.’  I think this singular moment alone reflects ‘John’s’ best attempts in helping people, as he comforts ‘Holly’ in her moments of struggle.)

7)      and Standing up for what he thinks is right.  (Shown particularly in Act Two, Scenes Six and Eleven, as ‘John’ begins to speak publically and gain followers.  Then in Act Four, Scene One, as gives his strongest/inspirational speech.  But finally in Act Four, Scene Eight, as audience members see ‘John’ literally standing up for what he believes is right against his two rivalries ‘Stephen’ and ‘Holly’.)

·         Dislikes –

1)      War.  (Act Four Scene Eight: ‘John - “War is not the answer”’.  Reflecting his hatred of the outcome of war and his hopes of ensuring that what happened in Iran does not occur in his home.)

2)      The Dark.  (As ‘Dan Hutton’ stated in his review of ‘13’; “In an increasingly divided world, which sees everything as black or white,” reflecting ‘John’s’ eagerness to ensure that the world doesn’t become a dark and dangerous place to grow up in.)

3)      Seeing people in pain and suffering.  (Act Two, Scene Eleven: ‘John – “Are you alright?” – She isn’t.  John opens the umbrella and she hugs him underneath, and cries.’  Depicting ‘John’s’ concern for other characters and comforting them to help them hold onto hope.)

4)      People that believe he is wrong.  (Depicted strongly in Act Four Scene Eight, between the characters ‘John’, ‘Stephen’ and ‘Ruth’.  As ‘John’ stands up for what he believes is right and ensures that his perspective on potential nuclear war is heard.)

5)      People who stand against him.  (Once again depicted in ‘John’s’ attitude towards ‘Stephen’ and ‘Ruth’ in Act Four Scene Eight.  Reflecting ‘John’s’ desperation to succeed in end the possibility of nuclear war.)

6)      and Ignorant people.  (Act One, Scene Fifteen: ‘John – “You wanted to help him.”  Mark – “Help him.  No.  Sorry.  Heart of stone.  I’m very happy he’s out of my life…”’  I feel this scene indicates a slight confrontation between ‘John’ and ‘Mark’.  As I felt the need to show through my speech pattern that ‘John’ is not impressed with ‘Mark’s’ lack of focus and work towards getting ‘Amir’ out of jail.)

·         Objectives in the Play

1)      To get his friends back (in the majority of Act One).

2)      Gain as many followers as possible (in the majority of Act Two).

3)      Ensure that his followers see thing, the world, politics, and war, the same way he does.

4)      Gain his friends trust and loyalty (especially in Act Two, Scene Eight with ‘Rachel’ and ‘Amir’).

5)      Spread his words as far as possible, by means of social media (at the end of Act Two).

6)      Standing strong against the characters who object him (especially in Act Four, Scene Eight with ‘Ruth’ and ‘Stephen’).

·         Obstacles in the Play

1)      His fear and visions of his mysterious, yet haunting, past.

2)      Any character that has strong objection points towards his perspective of an anti-war protest and a world without warfare.

3)      Any friend and follower that slows him down while in the process of his main objectives (while ‘John’ does the best he can to help, there is a sense of desperation for him to achieve his main objective).

·         Objectives in Life

‘John’s’ key objective throughout the entirety of ‘13’ is to simple stand up and no longer has to listen.  Spreading his words towards an anti-war protest would get people on his side and standing strong he can cease the opportunity and stand up to his rivalries and be the one that was heard and win.  ‘John’s’ main objective: to stand up to his enemies and win.

 

What has Happened to Them?

Before the Play:

(In the script it never explains or explores in detail how John came to be in this situation.  But through rehearsals and development of understanding the character I believe this is how ‘John’ came to be.)

·         Childhood – Born on Easter Sunday 27^th April 1986.  Raised by his mother, and only seeing his father on family holidays (occasionally).  John grew up learning good manners, receiving a decent education, attending church and having high hope for his future, and having a positive and respective view on society where everyone is treated fair and equally. 

     “We will demand things that we have been told are out of date, things like kindness, politeness, welfare, equality.  Things like society.” – John, Act Four Scene One, this scene strongly depicts how John has seen society fall and his strong hopes of bringing it back to peace, the way his mother raised him to view society. 

     I feel this is a decent childhood origins story for ‘John’ depicting his early struggles and reflecting his ambitions, throughout the play, to help others and ensure that they do not fall into the pit of darkness that a future of nuclear war might have in stall for them.

·         Teenage Years – At the age of eleven ‘John’ went to his local secondary school and began the next step into his education.  Although one area that ‘John’ struggled with particularly was fitting in socially.  It wasn’t until ‘John’ came to the age of thirteen when he really struggled with life in general, and without a father figure in his life to support him, his mother became increasingly worried.  But it was in the spring on 1999 when ‘John’ met ‘Simon’, a mature early teenager who came into ‘John’s’ life and they instantly became best friends.  ‘Simon’ was always there for him, stood up for him in arguments, helped him find his love and passion for politics (similarly to their parents), and ‘Simon’ became the father/brother figure ‘John’ never has growing up.

     I personally as an actor can relate to this, having experienced difficult time in my teenage years and having someone close to rely on for support.  Therefore I did feel the need recommend these emotions to my fellow cast member portraying ‘John’ in the later acts of the play, exploring ‘John’s’ past and friendship with ‘Simon’. 

     Plus it gives the character an introduction on what it is like to have friends, and the possibility of what it is like to have a real family.  This is an element that I think can also have a huge impact on my performance, as it justifies his wish to keep his friends and followers close in these dark times ensuring that they do not share the uprising he had in his childhood of being alone.

·         University Life – Achieving grand GCSE results, both ‘John’ and ‘Simon’ had the perfect qualifications to go to Oxford University.  At the age of eighteen they then moved in Oxfords living accommodations and pursued their ambitions to follow in their parents footsteps into the world of politics.  In fact both ‘John’s’ father (Joseph Esmond) and ‘Simon’s’ mother (Ruth) were work colleagues and shared similar job positions, as PM’s in the Houses of Parliament.

     Gaining positive attitudes and confidence both ‘John’ and ‘Simon’ pursued their ambitions in the hope of being treated equally and with respect.  Act Four, Scene Two: ‘Ruth – “We got on immediately, he spoke like someone much older.  We talked into the night,”’ reflecting ‘John’s’ positive and adult like attitude he had gained from ‘Simon’ boosting his confidence.

     University life also gave ‘John’ an introduction to his other close friends ‘Rachel’ and ‘Amir’.  Sharing similar ambitions to succeed in the goals in life, ‘John’ instantly got along with them, as he uses his people skills, gained from ‘Simon’, to good use and forms an almost unbreakable friendship trio.

·         Tragic Events – After four years of university life, it was now their time to graduate.  On the month of John and Simon’s graduation, in the year 2009, John receives some tragic news.  Hearing that both his mother and father died in a traffic collision, John also received a secret letter sent to him from his mother before she died.  The letter told of how John’s father and Ruth both committed adultery, and conceived a child, Simon.  Refusal to believe that his best friend could have been his half-brother all along; the pair of them then celebrated their graduation at a student’s party.  “There was drink, there was weed, we were out Ruth and that’s what students do.” – John, Act Four Scene Eight.  As the party escalated both Simon and John took a walk which resulted Simon hallucinating and falling off a bridge to his death.  Shocked, worried, panicking, and feeling extremely guilty John ran away as he feared he would be blamed for his death.  John ran to the nearest airport to begin a new life away from the country that had nothing left for him.

·         Travelling Abroad – Knowing people who are capable of creating new identities for people, John created a new name for himself.  Coming up with a common name like “John Smith” made him feel comfortable and confident in the sense that he would blend into the word and none of his old friends and family would ever find him.  He then cashed in all of his money, spending the majority of it on the next available flight to Iran, and changing the rest of the money into Iranian rials to spend when he lands.  Landing in Iran the following afternoon, John met some friendly locals and began his new life in Iran.



 

During the Play:

·         Returning Home – John has lived in Iran for two years now.  The year is now 2011, and the possibility of nuclear war between the countries (the UK, USA, and Iran) seemed almost inevitable.  Through rehearsals and development of the character I believe John’s mysterious past consisted of him witnessing first-hand what the devastating effects of war can do to the people who suffer.  Plus learning Ruth has become Prime Minister of Great Britain, and the chief adviser in the political debates, John feels the need to return to Britain to ensure his old home doesn’t become a wasteland.  Not only that but John strongly believes he will honour his once good friend Simon (who hated war) and ensure his mother doesn’t begin a global nuclear war.

·         Beginning the Anti-War Protests – Returning home, John doesn’t instantly feel comfortable and feels the need to adapt to begin his ambitions to begin an anti-war protest against the government.  Achieving his first objectives of getting his friends back and gaining followers he begins.

·         Standing Up for What he Thinks is Right – Throughout the play we see that John has mild success in getting his points across to the general public and gaining followers.  But it is in Act Four, Scene Eight where we see John really come out of his shell.  His main objectives become a strong passion (which I think would be a good opportunity to show through the actor’s vocalisation) and he does his best to stand up against his rivalries to prove them wrong. 

     In some extracts we see ‘John’ strongly expressing his passion to ‘Stephen’ and ‘Ruth’.  But what I deduced was that ‘John’s’ key objective was to win but at the same time do his mother proud, by holding on to what he believes is right.  As well as doing ‘Simon’ proud by making his dream passions a reality and ensuring the future stays bright.  Act Four, Scene Eight: ‘John – “This has to stop.  He would’ve told you that.  This isn’t about feelings this is about the very nature of who we are, the kind of actions that make life worth living.”’  This line alone strongly depicts how far ‘John’ has come and how unwilling he is to back down. 

     As the scene draws to an end, John comes so close to winning, until John is betrayed and falls from grace.  The footage of Dennis and Sarah (as Sarah brutally murder her daughter) is leaked on the internet and the general public see John in a different light and begin to see him as the enemy. 

After the Play:

·         John’s Downfall – In John’s last speech, in Act Four Scene Nine, we see John do his best to inform the general public that he has been betrayed and that they should hold on to hope and belief and a dark future is coming.  The leaked footage thereby turns John into the enemy of the general public, and is charged with plotting against the government and arrested for life.

·         The Social Crucifixion – Now one fascinating story link and inspiration behind Mike Bartlett’s writing of ‘13’ is the play’s link towards the ‘Bible’ tales.  John is depicted as the “modern messiah” and he stands against a vast empire, such as the British Government (reference to the Roman Empire) and giving people hope and belief in their dark times.  Now the downfall of ‘Jesus’ in the ‘Bible’s’ tale depicts his betrayal by ‘Judus’ (in this case it is John being betrayed by Dennis for releasing the footage online) and ‘Jesus’ was sentenced to death by crucifixion.  But for John, his downfall is a metaphor for crucifixion, as he is then seen as an enemy in the general public’s eyes and is socially crucified.  He is dead to them, but leaves a legacy for their dark future ahead.

 

Actor’s Choice and Character Portrayal

Vocal Choice:

     For my portrayal of John I see and believe John to be an extremely strong individual, and I think I can vocally present his strong might and power.  How do I plan on doing this?

·         Average speed pacing; to ensure that listeners get every little detail in singular descriptive words.  I would use this pacing mainly in character’s back and forth dialogue conversations.

·         Good articulation; to be precise and details in dialogue and speeches.  I would use this especially for John’s speeches, this way I can show the audience members his eagerness to deliver to the general public, his thoughts and beliefs on the subject matter. 

·         A speech pattern; this in particular would reflect the younger generation and their negative attitude towards politics.  This way I can give a sense of authority, with the previous points, yet give audience members the chance to relate to the character, as he is not all knowing and powerful as he likes to imagine himself as.

Physical Characteristics:

     Linking slightly to my points of vocalisation of the John, I want to give a sense of authority and power to him, yet have an equal sense of a character that audience members can relate to.  What would John physical posture be like?

·         Tall and positive; in rehearsals I pictured John’s walking and sitting structure to have an upright posture.  This way I think I can physically present to audience members that John does his best to see the glass as half full, and has high hopes of winning his objectives.

·         Shrugs away at the thought of his past; I think it is important to physically milk the scenes where characters question about John’s past.  This way the audience can see his fear of his mysterious past, and it could make them increasingly interested to see where the play can go with the character.

Emotional Investment:

     What can I invest towards the character mentally and emotionally?  I’ve tracked and explored my past to see if I can invest any of my own history to the character and add an extra layer of detail to my portrayal of John.

1)      The need to win; I have once in my past felt the desperate need to win a competition or a game of some sorts.  But I think I can include this element towards my performance as I could show John’s eagerness to win against his rivalries and bring about a permanent peace.

2)      The fear of past events; personally I have experienced events where I have made mistakes and embraced myself, and I think I could look back on those events and how I disliked them.  Plus through John’s origins I relate to the character, in the sense that I would hate to experience and witness such events.  Throughout I think I would be able to physically and verbally bring John’s fear of his past to life, and make his ambitions, of wanting to make a better future for him and everyone, all the more convincing and realistic.   

     Combining all these elements I feel I can bring the character to life the way Mike Bartlett intended and how he pictured John to be.  Plus enhancing on my emotional investments, I think I can add a sense of naturalism towards my performance, and make it seem like I am the character, not just an actor portraying the character.

Appearance:

     Through discussions and development in rehearsals we came to an agreement as to what John’s physical appearance should be for the main performance.  This is what the final agreement of John’s appearance should be:

Clothing – This wardrobe choice indicate John’s commitment to objectives and how he has little concern over how up to date his fashion is.  His clothing would consist of:

1)      Dark green jacket.

2)      Light blue t-shirt.

3)      Red scarf.

4)      Combat trousers.

5)      Casual trainers (Converse All-Stars to be precise).

     The reason being why I chose these specific clothing is to add a sense of colour into the dark and colourless depiction of the world.  As ‘Dan Hutton’ wrote in his review: “everything as black or white, the grey area in between is sometimes the most interesting”, reflecting the ‘twelve’s’ loss of hope.  All the more making ‘John’ stand out and providing light and hope for these characters, enhancing the fact that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

     Plus his clothing can also reflect the character’s current living status, and the fact that he is spending all his time working on making his society’s future better for himself and his friends and followers.

     Here is a photograph of ‘John’s’ final costume:

 

Hair Style – One again I think it is important to show John’s commitment to his objectives physically, therefore his hair style would be considered as untidy (scruffy).  This could also indicate his worry and concern over his objectives and his desperation to push forward.

Use of Props –

1)      A Shoulder Bag – To indicate his constant travelling and little time to settle down.

2)      A Mobile Phone – To show his attempts to get up to date with the social media and technology gadgets.

3)      A Digital Watch – To assist in his track of time.

4)      A Notebook – To enhance his deep thoughts and note taking in certain scenes (especially in Act Two Scene Three as ‘John’ is depicted as pacing and writing his first public speech).

5)      and A Laptop – John’s usage of this prop is limited, but it indicates the impact of social media in his life and how he’s adapting to the society.

Research Area: ‘Dan Hutton’s’ Review of ‘13’ - http://dan-hutton.co.uk/2012/01/11/13-by-mike-bartlett/

 

Conclusion:

     In conclusion I feel extremely confident in bringing this character to life for our main performance of ‘13’.  Knowing and understanding each and every detailed layer of the character’s story and motivations, I feel I can bring John to life in the correct formation that fits the story and provides and entertainment and interest for our target audience.