Given Circumstances
Where am I? When is the play set?
The whole play takes place in the Wingfield's apartment in St. Louis, USA. The apartment is located in between a whole block of houses, and is in the poorer more underdeveloped part of town. The streets are dirty, pavements cracked and potholes in the middle of the roads. Most of the buildings and houses down this part of town are abandoned or under construction. Street lights dimly light the streets at night, but it's still difficult to see through the constant smog that lingers within the streets. The streets are hardly ever crowed with people and cars , as this is the end of town people try to avoid.
When am I?
The year this play is set in is 1937. This during the Great Depression in the United States, so earning money and living is becoming increasingly difficult.
What is the social class of this character?
Lower/middle class. Amanda Winfield and her family of two children, eldest son Tom Wingfield and younger daughter Laura Wingfield are not that bad off, however their are starting to enter major finical problems as a result of the Great Depression. There is little income coming into the family as the only person working is Tom, who works shifts at a shoe factory. Money is tight however compared to their neighbours and other people living in this part of town, the Winfields have a bit more 'Old money' to live off of.
What is the relationship of between the character(s)?
Amanda Wingfield is the mother of both Tom and Laura. She attempts to almost control and dictate her children's lives, so as to give them a better future; one that includes a lot of income.
What is the emotional state of each character?
Amanda Wingfield is a very loving character. At times it can be seen that she almost loves herself more than she loves her children, as the seems to try to get them to do things out of her best interest. She is a relatively frantic character who gets over emotional and 'stressed out' when things dont go according to plan.
Practical Exploration
1. In your own words, write a definition of the following techniques from Stanislavski's System:
Units are used to help aid actors by determining main 'objective' or the role. Specifically, a unit is a section of action in a play-text that is marked/highlighted by a relatively obvious change in the scene or character's emotion or current action. This change could occur when a character on stage is changing their objective and the emotion they are portraying, or even when a character exits or enters the stage. Units are helpful in terms of establishing an actors change in emotion and objective.
Objectives in a performance are what an actor creates or takes from the play-text for their given character to want to achieve. You could say that objectives are the 'goals' of characters. Most objectives start with, "I want..." and are used to help remind and clearly motivate actors as to what their character wants to achieve at that given moment.
Going hand in hand with units and objectives, actions are the movements and well, the actions that an actor does when a certain emotion or objective is felt and wanted. These actions are associated with the given emotion/objective and done instinctively when an actor is conveying such a thing. Actions pre-created by the actor will help a performance come across as more fluid, as the actions and gestures made on stage will not seem as 'forced' and devised making the performance feel more real.
2. Please explain how units, objectives and actions can be used together as part of an actor's characterisation process.
As slightly mentioned before, units, objectives and actions can be used in conjunction as part of an actor's characterisation process as when an actor begins to annotate a play-text, they can create units. These units will highlight the evident changes in emotions, character objectives and actions. From this, the actor can then add objectives for their character within each unit. This will help keep the actor focused on what the characters current desire is, and will make it easier to convey. Following this, once the objectives have been established, the actor can go onto inserting actions that are associated with the emotions felt and the objectives the character has. Actions will become more fluid and natural and come more indicatively leaving the actor more time to focus on the characters objective and emotional state. Ultimately, these three steps will help make it easier for an actor to incorporate their given circumstances and go through the process of characterisation.
3. If available, watch both the videos of your duologue (one prior to creating objectives and actions and applying them to your performance and one after).
Where am I? When is the play set?
The whole play takes place in the Wingfield's apartment in St. Louis, USA. The apartment is located in between a whole block of houses, and is in the poorer more underdeveloped part of town. The streets are dirty, pavements cracked and potholes in the middle of the roads. Most of the buildings and houses down this part of town are abandoned or under construction. Street lights dimly light the streets at night, but it's still difficult to see through the constant smog that lingers within the streets. The streets are hardly ever crowed with people and cars , as this is the end of town people try to avoid.
When am I?
The year this play is set in is 1937. This during the Great Depression in the United States, so earning money and living is becoming increasingly difficult.
What is the social class of this character?
Lower/middle class. Amanda Winfield and her family of two children, eldest son Tom Wingfield and younger daughter Laura Wingfield are not that bad off, however their are starting to enter major finical problems as a result of the Great Depression. There is little income coming into the family as the only person working is Tom, who works shifts at a shoe factory. Money is tight however compared to their neighbours and other people living in this part of town, the Winfields have a bit more 'Old money' to live off of.
What is the relationship of between the character(s)?
Amanda Wingfield is the mother of both Tom and Laura. She attempts to almost control and dictate her children's lives, so as to give them a better future; one that includes a lot of income.
What is the emotional state of each character?
Amanda Wingfield is a very loving character. At times it can be seen that she almost loves herself more than she loves her children, as the seems to try to get them to do things out of her best interest. She is a relatively frantic character who gets over emotional and 'stressed out' when things dont go according to plan.
Practical Exploration
1. In your own words, write a definition of the following techniques from Stanislavski's System:
- Units
Units are used to help aid actors by determining main 'objective' or the role. Specifically, a unit is a section of action in a play-text that is marked/highlighted by a relatively obvious change in the scene or character's emotion or current action. This change could occur when a character on stage is changing their objective and the emotion they are portraying, or even when a character exits or enters the stage. Units are helpful in terms of establishing an actors change in emotion and objective.
- Objectives
Objectives in a performance are what an actor creates or takes from the play-text for their given character to want to achieve. You could say that objectives are the 'goals' of characters. Most objectives start with, "I want..." and are used to help remind and clearly motivate actors as to what their character wants to achieve at that given moment.
- Actions
Going hand in hand with units and objectives, actions are the movements and well, the actions that an actor does when a certain emotion or objective is felt and wanted. These actions are associated with the given emotion/objective and done instinctively when an actor is conveying such a thing. Actions pre-created by the actor will help a performance come across as more fluid, as the actions and gestures made on stage will not seem as 'forced' and devised making the performance feel more real.
2. Please explain how units, objectives and actions can be used together as part of an actor's characterisation process.
As slightly mentioned before, units, objectives and actions can be used in conjunction as part of an actor's characterisation process as when an actor begins to annotate a play-text, they can create units. These units will highlight the evident changes in emotions, character objectives and actions. From this, the actor can then add objectives for their character within each unit. This will help keep the actor focused on what the characters current desire is, and will make it easier to convey. Following this, once the objectives have been established, the actor can go onto inserting actions that are associated with the emotions felt and the objectives the character has. Actions will become more fluid and natural and come more indicatively leaving the actor more time to focus on the characters objective and emotional state. Ultimately, these three steps will help make it easier for an actor to incorporate their given circumstances and go through the process of characterisation.
3. If available, watch both the videos of your duologue (one prior to creating objectives and actions and applying them to your performance and one after).
- What differences, if any, do you notice between the two performances? Try and notice the details here. E.g. Did your pace of movement change? Did your tone change?
- Do you think that these differences are due to your engagement with units, objectives and actions? Explain your answer.
4. As an artist, do you think that creating units, objectives and actions enabled you to create a more realistic character? Explain your answer.
As an artist I do believe that creating units, objectives and actions has enabled me to create a more realistic and 3D character. This is because I am able to use this Stanislavski's system to pay more focus to what my character hopes to achieve in the scene, and the 'emotional roller coaster' they go through during a scene as opposed to just the characters given circumstances and proxemics. It also helps me make my actions more powerful and more significant to the current situation as the units have helped single out parts of the play-text where there is a change in emotion(s), issue, action...etc. All in all, this system helps make characterisation easier and can lead to making a scene more realistic because the actions are not forced (because they have been pre-devised).
Inner Monologue
Live Performances
( they're quite long! )
( they're quite long! )
Before Time
I am Amanda Wingfield. I am 47 years old and living in the United States in St.Louis with my two children; Tom and Laura. I was once married over 16 years ago, but my husband has since left me and my children to quench his thirst for travel. I am unable to say where he specifically has gone, just that he has not been heard from or seen in years. I invest a lot of time and love into my two children, and have always and will always wish the best for them. I am a stay at home mother who relies on the financial income from my son Tom. I am a persistent person, who likes things to go their way and is always looking out for people in their best interest. I am selfish at times, and think only of myself however I like to convince myself that I am doing things out of the benefit of other people. I came from a rich family with old money, however it was lost and my family went broke as I got older.
My first memory is growing up with my two older sisters and brothers in our manor house down in Tennessee. My siblings and I use to play in the garden and go bird watching with our father when the skies were clear and the weather was lush. We then use to have afternoon tea on our veranda facing the grassy-land and fields surrounding the house.
I have 4 brothers and sisters. 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers; Miranda, Stephanie, William and George. I am the youngest member of my family and use to get teased a lot by my siblings. My sister that is the closest in age to me is Miranda who is 3 years older than me. We use to stick together a lot until she got older and started taking an interest into the boy that was one of Mum's friend's sons. Thats when she grew closer to my sister Stephanie - who is 7 years older than me. My brothers, William and George use to pick on me the most, and use to pinch my cheeks until the went red, and pull at my hair and throw mud at me. They were always really rough, until they both got married and moved out. They're twins you see, and are both 10 years older so they weren't around for much of my childhood. Even so, I looked up to my older siblings, and aspired to be just like them; good looking, hard working, funny, and always achieved what my mind was set to, no matter what it took.
At five went to I began homeschooling with my siblings. We all use to sit and learn in the drawing room facing the lake in the left wing of the manor house. I loved sitting next to the window, the light shining in would often cast a shadow on my desk and I use to like to make shadow puppets on my desk, and some times on the floor and wall when my siblings and teachers weren't looking. I loved going to school and learning. It was really difficult though, my siblings were all so much older and smarter than me so it was hard to catch up to them as I got older. That didn't stop me though, I worked hard in class. I didn't go to university, by the time I had come of age our family had hit a rough patch and I was needed at home to help with my mother who had fallen ill. All my siblings had moved out and were living with the husbands, wives and children so it was just me at home with my dying mother. My father had passed away when I was 15 leaving my brothers as the men of the house.
I am Amanda Wingfield. I am 47 years old and living in the United States in St.Louis with my two children; Tom and Laura. I was once married over 16 years ago, but my husband has since left me and my children to quench his thirst for travel. I am unable to say where he specifically has gone, just that he has not been heard from or seen in years. I invest a lot of time and love into my two children, and have always and will always wish the best for them. I am a stay at home mother who relies on the financial income from my son Tom. I am a persistent person, who likes things to go their way and is always looking out for people in their best interest. I am selfish at times, and think only of myself however I like to convince myself that I am doing things out of the benefit of other people. I came from a rich family with old money, however it was lost and my family went broke as I got older.
My first memory is growing up with my two older sisters and brothers in our manor house down in Tennessee. My siblings and I use to play in the garden and go bird watching with our father when the skies were clear and the weather was lush. We then use to have afternoon tea on our veranda facing the grassy-land and fields surrounding the house.
I have 4 brothers and sisters. 2 older sisters and 2 older brothers; Miranda, Stephanie, William and George. I am the youngest member of my family and use to get teased a lot by my siblings. My sister that is the closest in age to me is Miranda who is 3 years older than me. We use to stick together a lot until she got older and started taking an interest into the boy that was one of Mum's friend's sons. Thats when she grew closer to my sister Stephanie - who is 7 years older than me. My brothers, William and George use to pick on me the most, and use to pinch my cheeks until the went red, and pull at my hair and throw mud at me. They were always really rough, until they both got married and moved out. They're twins you see, and are both 10 years older so they weren't around for much of my childhood. Even so, I looked up to my older siblings, and aspired to be just like them; good looking, hard working, funny, and always achieved what my mind was set to, no matter what it took.
At five went to I began homeschooling with my siblings. We all use to sit and learn in the drawing room facing the lake in the left wing of the manor house. I loved sitting next to the window, the light shining in would often cast a shadow on my desk and I use to like to make shadow puppets on my desk, and some times on the floor and wall when my siblings and teachers weren't looking. I loved going to school and learning. It was really difficult though, my siblings were all so much older and smarter than me so it was hard to catch up to them as I got older. That didn't stop me though, I worked hard in class. I didn't go to university, by the time I had come of age our family had hit a rough patch and I was needed at home to help with my mother who had fallen ill. All my siblings had moved out and were living with the husbands, wives and children so it was just me at home with my dying mother. My father had passed away when I was 15 leaving my brothers as the men of the house.
Monologue Script
Scene 2
AMANDA: As you know, I was supposed to be inducted into my office at the D.A.R. this afternoon. [IMAGE: A SWARM OF TYPEWRITERS.] But I stopped off at Rubicam's business college to speak to your teachers about your having a cold and ask them what progress they thought you were making down there. I went to the typing instructor and introduced myself as your mother. She didn't know who you were. Wingfield, she said. We don't have any such student enrolled at the school!
I assured her she did, that you had been going to classes since early in January.
'I wonder,' she said, 'if you could be talking about that terribly shy little girl who dropped out of school after only a few days' attendance?'
'No,' I said, 'Laura, my daughter, has been going to school every day for the past six weeks !'
'Excuse me,' she said. She took the attendance book out and there was your name, unmistakably printed, and all the dates you were absent until they decided that you had dropped out of school.
I still said, 'No, there must have been some mistake I There must have been some mix-up in the records !'
And she said, 'No - I remember her perfectly now. Her hands shook so that she couldn't hit the right keys ! The first time we gave a speed-test, she broke down completely - was sick at the stomach and almost had to be carried into the wash-room! After that morning she never showed up any more. We phoned the house but never got any answer' -while I was working at Famous and Barr, I suppose, demonstrating those - Oh!
I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet !
I had to sit down while they got me a glass of water !
Fifty dollars' tuition, all of our plans - my hopes and ambition for you - just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.
What are you doing?
AMANDA: As you know, I was supposed to be inducted into my office at the D.A.R. this afternoon. [IMAGE: A SWARM OF TYPEWRITERS.] But I stopped off at Rubicam's business college to speak to your teachers about your having a cold and ask them what progress they thought you were making down there. I went to the typing instructor and introduced myself as your mother. She didn't know who you were. Wingfield, she said. We don't have any such student enrolled at the school!
I assured her she did, that you had been going to classes since early in January.
'I wonder,' she said, 'if you could be talking about that terribly shy little girl who dropped out of school after only a few days' attendance?'
'No,' I said, 'Laura, my daughter, has been going to school every day for the past six weeks !'
'Excuse me,' she said. She took the attendance book out and there was your name, unmistakably printed, and all the dates you were absent until they decided that you had dropped out of school.
I still said, 'No, there must have been some mistake I There must have been some mix-up in the records !'
And she said, 'No - I remember her perfectly now. Her hands shook so that she couldn't hit the right keys ! The first time we gave a speed-test, she broke down completely - was sick at the stomach and almost had to be carried into the wash-room! After that morning she never showed up any more. We phoned the house but never got any answer' -while I was working at Famous and Barr, I suppose, demonstrating those - Oh!
I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet !
I had to sit down while they got me a glass of water !
Fifty dollars' tuition, all of our plans - my hopes and ambition for you - just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.
What are you doing?