"They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemetery, ride 6 blocks and get off at Elysian Fields." These are the first words my character utters in disbelief that life could have brought her to such a destitute place...where her sister, as soon revealed, has clearly rejected their fine upbringing and flourishes in the little that is around her.
1. Desire (verb: to want in a sensual/passionate way)
2. Cemetery (noun: location for the dead)
3. Elysian (adjective: blissful/delightful)
Way to set up a character, eh? Well. It does say it all. These particular words, the chosen language...sets up Blanche from beginning to end. She lost her husband, took care of her elders until they died--as best a well raised upper class lady could-hopelessly and helpless. Then she lost the house and land (because she wasn't properly trained financially and wasn't able to afford uninsured and multiple deaths with a teacher's salary). She thus turned to men for affection and money...lost it all..herself, her dignity, the last of her wealth. Lost and hopeless, she then went to her younger sister Stella's (who had fled home as a teen) to live. Here she gained hope of an undignified but kindhearted possible mate and marriage to him on a gamble in the lowest of possible terms. Once this possible exit/happy ending/positive future is set in motion, her past is found out and blabbered by her brother in law, Stanley...She is slowly destructed by him--mentally and physically and basically goes nuts. How wonderful for a story to be set up in only a few words. Again, hats off to Mr. Williams.
My script exploded. It literally fell to pieces. I'm loving the irony. I am thankful to Mitch for making a copy of his script. I've been busy with the highlighter once again.
I have less than a week to try my best to be off book. I can say that I probably have nearly 30% of my lines memorized. I hope I can get more time to myself to get it all done. This part, getting off book, is the devil's work. It can be a loving process where we self-reward ourselves along for getting a few words down at a time. That's how I'm doing this. Or we can beat ourselves to death because we don't know our lines. I do this, too. Naturally.
I begin at the beginning. Add some lines, go back...begin from the beginning again until I have the entire scene down. With Blanche and this play...it is much easier for me to do this in order of scenes rather than the random way in which we are working through scenes during our actual rehearsals. For instance, last night we did the very last scene first; then jumped to scene 3 toward the beginning. It has to be hard for the director to manage getting all the cast well rehearsed when you have 3 main characters...but in a show which every single person is very important no matter how little the characters say where the group scenes are few and far between.
It takes time and investment to memorize. I have had to sit around on my can much more lately--just to take in the script and exercise my mind getting it committed to memory. However, once off book, I can run like the wind and say my lines as I go. It's kind of fun to do one's character that way. Once I know my script, I can start at the top of the show & say all my lines while showering, doing dishes, driving, etc. Always making new discoveries. Like Kastanza: "These PRETZELS are making me thirsty...no, wait: THESE pretzels are making me THIRSTY!" and so on. Once I get act one down (I believe in a matter of days) I can take it on the run. I look forward to having that confidence.
For now....I sit...I read...I look up...I go back...I sit...I read...I look up...say it...I see if it is correct...good/bad...I sit...I read...I say it...I see if it's correct/wrong...I go back...I add another line.
And such are these days.
Ever been there? Advice accepted below.
1. Desire (verb: to want in a sensual/passionate way)
2. Cemetery (noun: location for the dead)
3. Elysian (adjective: blissful/delightful)
Way to set up a character, eh? Well. It does say it all. These particular words, the chosen language...sets up Blanche from beginning to end. She lost her husband, took care of her elders until they died--as best a well raised upper class lady could-hopelessly and helpless. Then she lost the house and land (because she wasn't properly trained financially and wasn't able to afford uninsured and multiple deaths with a teacher's salary). She thus turned to men for affection and money...lost it all..herself, her dignity, the last of her wealth. Lost and hopeless, she then went to her younger sister Stella's (who had fled home as a teen) to live. Here she gained hope of an undignified but kindhearted possible mate and marriage to him on a gamble in the lowest of possible terms. Once this possible exit/happy ending/positive future is set in motion, her past is found out and blabbered by her brother in law, Stanley...She is slowly destructed by him--mentally and physically and basically goes nuts. How wonderful for a story to be set up in only a few words. Again, hats off to Mr. Williams.
My script exploded. It literally fell to pieces. I'm loving the irony. I am thankful to Mitch for making a copy of his script. I've been busy with the highlighter once again.
I have less than a week to try my best to be off book. I can say that I probably have nearly 30% of my lines memorized. I hope I can get more time to myself to get it all done. This part, getting off book, is the devil's work. It can be a loving process where we self-reward ourselves along for getting a few words down at a time. That's how I'm doing this. Or we can beat ourselves to death because we don't know our lines. I do this, too. Naturally.
I begin at the beginning. Add some lines, go back...begin from the beginning again until I have the entire scene down. With Blanche and this play...it is much easier for me to do this in order of scenes rather than the random way in which we are working through scenes during our actual rehearsals. For instance, last night we did the very last scene first; then jumped to scene 3 toward the beginning. It has to be hard for the director to manage getting all the cast well rehearsed when you have 3 main characters...but in a show which every single person is very important no matter how little the characters say where the group scenes are few and far between.
It takes time and investment to memorize. I have had to sit around on my can much more lately--just to take in the script and exercise my mind getting it committed to memory. However, once off book, I can run like the wind and say my lines as I go. It's kind of fun to do one's character that way. Once I know my script, I can start at the top of the show & say all my lines while showering, doing dishes, driving, etc. Always making new discoveries. Like Kastanza: "These PRETZELS are making me thirsty...no, wait: THESE pretzels are making me THIRSTY!" and so on. Once I get act one down (I believe in a matter of days) I can take it on the run. I look forward to having that confidence.
For now....I sit...I read...I look up...I go back...I sit...I read...I look up...say it...I see if it is correct...good/bad...I sit...I read...I say it...I see if it's correct/wrong...I go back...I add another line.
And such are these days.
Ever been there? Advice accepted below.
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