Actors have many ways of approaching roles. I, myself, really delve into the emotion and purpose behind the character's actions and beliefs. I research, I analyze, I live... I question everything...
I approach each character (and show) like a parent with a newborn baby... wondering what they will do and be like when they 'grow up.' Character work is my favorite aspect of rehearsal - I have a catalogue of techniques I use with my rehearsals and this particular process is no different. I have many things planned for future rehearsals... some will be successful, some will not, but hopefully all will fill the actor with more insight and allow a newer ideal of character to surface.
This is also how I approach mid-century literary works when I direct. Every author and playwright has a style, a life issue, a story that they are trying to tell on the page. It is the job of the director to interpret this and bring to life on the stage. Every director will see a different focus as they craft the production. Williams' work is so rich with life and symbolism, that we could spend an entire 6 week rehearsal period on discussion, analysis and inquisition. Learning the author's intention becomes a vocation that overrides all other thought or inquiry. I have chosen to approach this show with a fresh view.
We are trying to remove many of the preconceived ideas and character traits and look within to find something raw and honest. My actors are approaching characters in many different ways. I am thrilled to hear their questions and ideas and participate in the discussions and debates that ensue during each rehearsal.
I was so excited when my Blanche /Stella understudy, began e-mailing me with so many ideas, views and thoughts. Many of them allowed me to review my own thoughts and look anew...
This post is going to look at some of the 'musings' of Jennifer...
"I'm typing up my script sans stage notes from the verbose Williams, and came across a couple references I wanted to look up. This is probably a duplicate for you, but I thought it was interesting and it's the kind of thing I do. (I like to research eras, localities, etc for flavor)...
Blanche compares Stella's neighborhood to the "ghoul haunted woodland of Weir", which is apparently from a Poe poem I'd never read before. It's possibly darker than The Raven, and weirder than his stories... Interesting that's where she goes... Side note- I'm reading this for the first time, and I've only seen parts of the movie once, so I'm trying to ignore Williams direction as much as possible while reading it so I can come at it completely fresh. Also, I've noticed Stella spends a lot of Act I just getting away from both Stanley and Stella (stands on the porch forever, and she's been in the bathroom awhile...). Is that new now that Blanche is there muddying the waters, or did she do that before, to get away from Stanley when he was getting too intense?"
Another e-mail pondered...
"I just came across a bit of stage direction (I'm avoiding reading it as much as possible) that cracked me up... "business used by Stella in tidying up the room may vary slightly: the example herein often holds true."
Ha! Oh, Master Williams, how incredibly kind and generous of you! The business may vary SLIGHTLY? *sigh* ... Shakespeare has really spoiled me in this way... Sometimes a character's exit isn't even marked in the script, and there's never a direction to the actor like "speaking with difficulty", "shrilly", or "airily"... and those are all on the page I happen to have open as I type this... This is obviously going to be my biggest issue with performing Williams. I've never done it before, so this is all new to me. I've actually used Williams as an example when talking to new actors about how to deal with stage direction. "At one end of the spectrum is Shakespeare, who gives you no help whatsoever in how to act or what to do, which is challenging at first but enormously freeing when you've gotten accustomed to it. At the other is Tennessee Williams, whose stage direction is so specific that there seems to be no room for acting." ... The language is rich, and the characters are powerful- but it is not his job to direct, it's yours. If you want us to do what's written, I'll write it down in MY scripts, but I want YOU to tell me if you really want me to "Turn to Stella from corner of trunk" at that point in the script. Rawr. Onward. Glad I got that off my chest. To be continued..."
And, finally...
"Hot, sticky evening... With Daniel out of town I'm being cheap and using the AC very little, and whew. I can certainly use this stickiness for the show... I've been in the city once, as I said at audition, but it was a daytrip with 4 or 5 other Airmen while we were stationed at Biloxi, and I don't feel I experienced much of the city at all. The strongest memory I have is the smell of Bourbon street hitting us long before we got to it. By the time we were there, I guess I was used to it, but.. I saw the city as a tourist, I didn't *experience* it at all. ...
I don't know a lot about that period, especially in the South... Info on New Orleans isn't terribly hard to find, but info on Mississippi during the period is scarce. What was life like for the last generation to live in plantations before they got kicked out? What was life like specifically for Stella and Blanche growing up? An appearance of gentility to maintain in the reality of increasing poverty.. How did their parents support Belle Reve? They'd lost the land attached to it, so they couldn't support the house and family with income from farming... But they obviously raised the girls on a pedestal- Blanche fell off, Stanley knocked Stella off. Was any of that ever real, or were they always just keeping up appearances?"
It is a pleasure to be challenged by this fabulous cast of actors. I know that many more challenges await in the rehearsals to come...
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