'ROAD' - Character Study Plan

Character Study (So Far)

What have I achieved so far?

     As we draw nearer to the main rehearsal and performance process, I have now taken the first steps into devising my character study for ‘Jerry’ from Jim Cartwright’s ‘ROAD’.  Through my blocking sessions, line earning, and character analysis session, I achieved a decent understanding of the character:

Name:                                    Jerry

Age:                            58

Status:                        Single

Occupation:              Retired

Origins:                      WWII Veteran

Hobbies:                    (from my current understanding of the character) Spending time alone in his local (nearest) pub.

Dislikes:                     His past (he drinks away his memories of the war and losing his friends).

     Where we are currently in this assignment’s process I am pleased with what I know and understand about ‘Jerry’.  While this is basic information and definitely a story worth telling, I hope to expand in greater detail, for my character profile.  I personally see many dark and misery within this character.  Obviously in the monologue he describes how he is haunted by his past and how he feels he has no purpose in life.  But I also see possibilities and hints to there being more meaning to his misery.  With his constant references to “girls” and “girlfriends”, there may be the possibility of him losing someone he loved.  Plus with the production’s theme of change, I see hints that he does not like how society has changed (a female Prime Minister, the youth generation becoming more sexually active, and economy falling) all not to his liking and bringing him further downwards.

Have I achieved anything new?

     I a previous session a concern within the character study was the character’s wardrobe.  Again through current analysis and understanding of the character, I believed his wardrobe to be something like this:

 

     I found with a wardrobe like this, it shows the following: Effort, Laziness, and Old Age.  Effort, because there could be a glimmer of hope within his reasons going to the pub so he could perhaps make more friends.  Laziness, because I want to add a sense that he only has these clothes and can’t be bothered to change.  Plus it reflects Old Age, because of it mature presence and possible reflect a war veteran.

     Although this is a first draft and having a plan to research into actual war veterans wardrobe.   I may come up with an alternative to peruse perfection with ‘Jerry’s’ wardrobe.

Do I have any plans/goals for future concerning the character study?

     Yes!  For future reference I will continue to analyse my monologue and reflect the details, whether hidden or completely visual, and truly bring this character to life.  Plus, as I mentioned in the previous blog, that my line learning technique interrelating with learning the Northern Accent, this may also support my development into the character’s basis, objectives, origins, development, and meaning to both the play and the real world.