Contemporary Monologue 1, Character Log, Evaluation, Research

Auditions for Actors Unit 18

Contemporary Monologue 1

Seriously? I think you should go now. There’s my phone number so you can call and pop around when I’ve had a chance to tidy up, or maybe when my boyfriend's home. I’d like you to meet him. I think you’d get on. Anyhow, give me a call in a week or so when I’m less busy and we’ll catch up properly. I’d love to talk but I really must get to work, all right? (LIVID) Listen to me, I do not have to put up with your cockeyed view of the world according to Michael Cerwin, so I suggest that you nip any plans that you might have to control my life again in the bud, do you understand me? If you haven’t worked it out by now the reason I left in the first place was because you were a liar and a control freak Michael. If you want me back in even the remotest possible way, you’ll have to work on giving me some indication that’s changed, because if it hasn’t this is going to be a very short reunion. Am I making myself clear?

1) Read & Analysis the monologue like three times max.

2) Don't try to stick with one emotion.

3) Be your character.

4) React to Michael's facial expressions. 

5) Believe you're actually talking to Michael

6) Start off calmly so then you can get angry towards the end.

7) Don't make it seem staged or improvised.

8) Don't fake an emotion.

9) make it colourful.

Title and Author:

The title of the play I chose my monologue from is called B is for black. Courttia Newland is a Black novelist and playwright; he is also an author of the best selling novels, The Scholar (1997) and Society Within (1999).

B is for Black was written by courttia newland. However it was directed by Riggs O’Hara it was first performed on the first of October 2003 at oval house theatre in a production by the post office theatre company.  The play is the final play in the Chamberlain trilogy, continuing from the critically acclaimed and sell-out productions of The Far Side at the Tricycle Theatre and Mothers Day at the Lyric Studio in Hammersmith.

Brief Synopsis -

B is for black, follows the rise and then fall from the grace of Ben Nelson. A Black man whom attended Oxford, Ben eagerly begins his first day at West Chamberlain Arts (WCA), a government funded arts organisation. Ben is determined to show his new colleague, Imani; promoter of a local Pan-African movement, that he isn't just another Uncle Tom. However, when Ben's White middle class wife and father-in-law appear at the WCA office, Imani begins to doubt the validity of his claims. Does Imani want Ben to break his White middle class ties, and will she stop at nothing to achieve this.

Genre and style of B is for black:

When I was picking my monologues, my main focus was their themes: cause I feel that in order for me to accelerate in my monologue performance, I would have to be able to feel a sense of connection with the theme; before trying to get the attention of the audience. The reason why my main priority and focus is on that aspect is because I feel as an actor you should connect with your performance so then the audience could then grasp “truth” and “believability” in your piece. When I was also picking my monologues my main focus was to do as the criteria said; to meet the demands. To meet the demands I was suppose to get a play that had been written since 1964 that are also suitable for my casting; as in I could genuinely play the role because we share a lot of similarities the characters and me.

Character profile: The character I have chosen is called Kate Nelson. Kate Nelson is played by Emma Rand in a theatre production from the Post Office Theatre Company (2003). Kate’s character has a lot of conflict in the play. Her character is often livid(angry),  she is also ‘on the level’ as in she indicates honesty- in the line “if you want me back in your life in even the remotest possible way, you’ll have to work on giving me some indication that’s changed…”. The character I chose has been through a lot of deceit. For instance: there is a line in my monologue that she said “… I left in the first place because you were a liar and a control freak Michael.” To me as a young uprising actress that line proved to me how deceitful her partner was and why she has so much anger in her and some times I believe that some people that watch the play have a tendency of confusing her anger in the play with hatred. Rand’s character as Kate Nelson also showed me how she reacted to certain circumstances in the play this enables me to be able to deeply study my character emotionally.

An appeal about B is for black and my character:

 Just imagine it is a chilly day, now picture tiny rain drops falling on your head as you look up. The rain drops fall on your head like leaves that touch the ground in autumn right? Then all of a sudden you realise its raining but remember you have no umbrella; then the rain falls heavily and you’re absolutely soaking wet. As you walk you can sort of feel the weight of your legs trembling across the side walk. You see that’s how I felt when I was visiting Samuel French and Foyles. I actually chose my contemporary monologue from the way I felt that day; strange is it not? Anyway as I was reading the second monologue I chose I was intrigued by the way the author Courttia Newland pulled the attention of me (the reader) constantly. He used words that the youth of today would often say and as a youth that grabbed my attention even more. It was like I was there watching the performance live. I do not really read plays but I felt with this play I could relate to it, it was just so fascinating and interesting and to develop my character’s characteristics even more I am willing to watch one of their performances of this piece live and see how much more I’m drawn into the actual performance instead of the play. I’m doing this to see how my character Kate Nelson is meant to be portrayed as. This playwright is on the dot ever since I read this play and the two others I chose; I actually love his plays they are unique. They stand out! The reason this play also made me feel like that is the one for me as in that is the monologue I want to do was because of the way he wrote it. He is such a clever author and when we were deciding on which monologues to do in class I was determined to do B is for black because as a black British playwright and novelist he is on the ball. He knows what he is about and as a young uprising actress that is what appeals to me because he knows who he is and what he is about that is why I love this play. Courttia Newland is very talented and I respect his work.

Similarities:  I would have to say Kate Nelson as a character and I have a few similarities we both react to the way we are treated in the same way and I personally think this is an advantage. Although sometimes I can react differently depends on the scenario it’s the same thing with Kate Nelson. We both have also been with people that mean so much to us that act deceitfully towards us.

 

Differences: Kate Nelson has always been bitter because the playwright only slightly reveals her past but does not dwell on it too much in the play.  However I am not as bitter as her. I’m actually really different from her character. Although sometimes I could be bitter depending on the situation I am in.

 

Biggest challenge in playing the role:  Truthfully my biggest challenge in playing the role is actually the fact that I’m rarely angry it just happened to be a coincidence that the way I felt the day I visited the bookshop had a huge impact on my chosen monologues.

What I need to work on vocally, physically and emotionally:  To be honest I feel that physically I should work on quite a lot on my gestures (movements) because I researched more about the play online where I found out more about the author.  I had done further research because the play did not tell me how ex actly my character is like and since my character is mostly livid (FIRM ANGRY) I need to show how she often feels and how the author felt when he was writing the play. If I did not research much further; then my role would look fake and made up sort of like a cartoon even though my main aim is for the audience to see truth in my two min performance. If I was just saying the lines and doing no actions it would not make my performance affective at all it. Instead it makes me look as if I am rehearsing my lines in front of an audience and when I’m actually meant to be performing them. Vocally: I believe I should do vocal warm ups that I have been taught by Jackie and Sean Pol because that will enable me to project my voice on stage and be very clear when my character (Kate Nelson) is saying her monologue.  Emotionally: I personally think I should work on why my character has so much anger in her and when I look at the character Kate Nelson’s background it answered my question. I believe I can play the role because I know where the anger is coming from and how to react to the Michael character that offended my character (Kate Nelson).

Background info I will need to research about:

The background information that I thought I needed to know more about, was the character’s personal life. For instance: where she was from? Where she lived? As in was she poor, middle class or very wealthy. How old she was? If she had family who were they? Why did she act the way she did in the play? Her love life as in who she fell in love with. I would do a little biography based on how her life is like in the play sort of like a character log. I also thought I needed to find out more about the play and why it was written.

What impact should the piece B is for black have upon an audience?

To be quite frank the impact the piece should have on an audience is it should make the audience have empathy and sympathy for the Kate’s character because of what she has been through and how she has moved on. It should also make the audience understand why Kate Nelson is an angry person by Kate’s gestures (movements) and body language. For example: her facial expression changes from this ashamed character to a firm angry person. Also the eye contact she makes should let the audience feel the intensity in her eyes and make them see the truth within her eyes. 

 

Research

 

How I am going to play Kate Nelson

 I play the role of Kate Nelson, Kate is the loving wife of Ben Nelson. Throughout most of the play, she realises she still wants her ex Michael Cerwin back in her life. But she does not want to break off the realtionship with Ben because she still loves him. 

Brief Bio

Kate Nelson was born on April 10, 1992 ; and she was raised near Walthamstow in London. She is sixteen and not in education. She is black British. She has two other siblings called Keyshia(16) and Antwan (21) her mother is called Diana Lewis. Her mother is often referred to as Dee.

Winns Primary School- Kate went to and completed Winns. She was a bright student, very enthusiastic. Her father left her and her family when she was three, leaving her mother dee  as a single mum. That is also part of the reason why she feels she still has to keep Michael Cerwin in her life because she does not want him to feel as hurt as her, when her father left her and her mother for another woman. This did not have much of an impact on Kate Nelson because she didn't really have a bond with her father.

Hillyfield secondary school

She was very smart and a loud. She had a competitive side that was drilled in her in her early stages by her mother this would often make her compete in spellings bee and she felt that if she came first place all the time that she would make her mother proud of her. Unfortunately in year 10 her Mother passed away and she lived with her Grand parents. But her Nan couldn't bare the thought of losing her child and had a stroke. Her grandfather was the one who walked her down the isle and as he was walking her down the isle he said. Your mother would have been so proud of how far you have come. So smile and enjoy it will it lasts because things don't last forever. 

Waltham Forest College 

College life: She attended Waltham Forest; in college she still had the same mentality she had and was very often on top of things; always the top student. Until she met Michael Cerwin, the college's worst student and top player. He was actually smart kid. However, he took days off; during college  and half terms that he was meant to come in for rehearsals for a college play. But when he met Kate, he began to change his ways to impress her, but as a girl she done her homework and realised what sort of person she attracted and tried to put a stop to it, unfortunately she couldn't because she ended up falling for him.  This led to their relationship. But then he cheated on her with her best friend and she wasn't having it; so they decided to end the relationship.

Oxford University

Her life in university was going great until she met Michael Cerwin again, surprised she then said to him to keep his distance but he would often wait for her classes to end and stalk her to her dorm just to apologise. Then one day she said to him "you need to move on, you and me are no longer together. Ben Nelson, the best friend of Michael Cerwin, was then passing their little conversation and started to pay more attention to her; in university, as a result, he then started to develop feelings for her and he ended up telling her, how he felt. Kate then had to make a hudge decision between the two of them and chose Ben Nelson but still kept Michael Cerwin as a friend. Michael does not like the fact that Ben still won her over.

Background Research

The only family she has are just her mother and her sister and brother. Kate acted the way she did in the play because she is very close to both Michael and Ben. Her current boyfriend is Ben Nelson.  I also thought I needed to find out more about the play and why it was written. So I looked into the playwrights previous work and his remarks about B is for Black.  I thought of the idea of making a docmentary a short clip of what the other characters mean to me.

What makes an engaging or compelling characer is their charm and charsima. I created a character by using your imagination to create a new life; history for a character then turn them into a real life uman being so you can play that character. To make the people that I have pictured in my mind come to life; I need to write stuff about them down, like the way I picture them speaking; re-acting and communicating with others. The two main purposes for these development exercises were 1) to help solidify my characterization by imaging my character in a variety of situations; and 2) to work with the information I have. Knowing my character as I do, I have to write about her in a way which makes use of the knowledge I have. The image often used here is an iceberg: most of what I know about my character will never be seen (or, stated) directly. Much of it will never be used at all. However, it is good for me - the writer - to know everything so that I can be confident about playing my character and how she will react in any given circumstance. 1st development exercise: writing in the third person, I had to my character in an environment familiar to him/her, carrying out some habitual action (work, eating, sleeping, domestic chores, driving, shaving,), whilst in the grip of some intense emotion. She sleeps in a fairly decent old fashioned styled home. She wears ripped jeans so her pockets have a lot of patches in them from needles; she use to like to sow but she grew out of it. She has a really nice old pauls boutique purse her mother gave to her as a present.  My characters physical appearance matters a lot to her but she does not show it. Deep inside she is really frightened of how others perceive her. My character is 158.5 (5'2) athletic build and dark chocolate. Kate got given the nick name kai by her boyfriend; Her voice is Low and Husky. Her hand gestures are really sharp and always directed in two ways either side ways or to the front. She loves her Kitchen because she loves to cook and she is a cook. Her Kitchen is quite old fashioned

Her least favourite is parent's room because it makes her remincise about how happy the family was; how her father and mother made her feel, she always felt special and wanted but now is like she feels rejeted. Although she lives with Ben at his house she still has a room for herself for when she has to study. Picture this her door is painted red with recipe's of food all over it and a sign that says please don't enter unless you can cook; but enter anyway she is rarely in her room and it has no lock. Then turn the latch clock wise and walk into the room and as soon as you enter Kate's bedroom has Burgandy wall paper and her favourite inspiration Jaime Oliver. She has a king size bed that is on the left of her room because her father brought it for her before he passed and it has remained there ever since. Her bed sheets are pure white showing her purity and has  a cream rose pattern on it. In the middle of the her room she has a tinted white window and has three lemon scented candles next to the window on a tray and a desk.She puts the bag in the same part of her room for when she has to study which is right next to her wardrobe on the right side of her computer. She has a black bagpackwith white stones and thorns on the outside of it that says Kerrie Rocks that's her nick name that her boyfriend gave to her. The desk is black; it is sort of like a wooden sqaure without the bottom line. That is where she keeps her dell computer; her over due library books and then as for her bag she lives it underneath her stuy desk. On the right she has a wardrobe that she made in one of her construction classes that is fairly big it starts from one side of the room and ends at the other side. Her wardrobe is painted red with cook recipes on her wardrobe like her door. She wears a lot of biker jackets; she even has it in every colour except from Green and Pink just like ripped jeans and vest tops. She loved to give to charity she sort of lost some of her Mc'Donalds toys she used to get and her barbies. She sometimes wears her red and black silk Pj's. She is middle class and black british. In secndary school she liked a boy called Michael Cerwin. She believes in sex after marriage and she doesn't want to have sex with just anyone she wants it to be with someone she loves and someone who feels the same way. This shouldn't be a surprise but she is a virgin. She is self employed and owns her own company. Her favourite smell is the scent of roses. Kerrie Anne has a lot of hobbies, she likes to read, sing and listen to her rock music as I mentioned before. She likes to wear shoe's like timbalands, vans and furry slippers. rebook trainers. All her shoes are either black or red or caribbean blue. They are always fitted not too tight but not too loose either so it's just right. Her favourite clothes are any vest tops except from navy blue. The worst thing that could happen to her is loosing Ben. My character owns a  car. She often makes journeys like going for a walk in the forest to get wood to make a fire place. Her most treasured possession is the braclet her parents gave to her in primary and she has never taken it off. Her philosophies she lives by are firstly "life's too short to live the same day twice"; her other philosophy is "Never say never". She also lives by the philosophy "love is all matter's it matter's after all". Which sums up everything that's happens in life. She is an atheist but she used to be a christian but when her father passed away she began to question the works of God. Especially when she cried for help but no one answered and her father was left to die. She feels guilty that her mistake she had ever made was letting her mother know its okay to continue by making her heroin a daily chore. Kerrie Anne wants her old life back, she wants her dad back and for everyone in her family to get along like the way they used to. I don't blame her I would have wanted the same thing. Her deepest desire I would have to say is becoming a FBI; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU). She loves Opera (Franz Schubert, Maria Callas) and Classical Music.

Character's Observations

I decided to take a trip to a public place where sitting and watching people could occur. So I thought some good places for this are: local landmarks. For example, the london eye; a museum. or any place where people move around as a natural part of their dailu schedule. I started off picking a specific movement trait to observe how fast or slow people walk or how different people gesture with their hands when they talk. It was helpful to write down quick notes; to draw sketches of the traits I observed. Later, I got with one of my partners that I perform my monologue to in any empty room available, to try and duplicate the observed movements. As I started to duplicate the movement,   I realised it was hard to remember them so I then tried to imagine the type of person I watched at westfield in white city and I also came to a conclusion to why they moved the way they did using my imagiantion. I studied individuals as they feel different emotions. I had done this in a public place where I watched people without being noticed. Then I heard people arguing; laughing, I watched how their body language had changed and their gestures become faster or slower. When a person looked sad to me, I thought of why exactly the person had done to make me think they were unhappy. I was observing the effects of emotion on the outward appearance of a person. This is important in character study considering that very few characters go through a play without feeling any emotion. I took many notes on the various elements of the visual display of emotion.

I made a lot of observations to help me play with my character's physicality and I found three people that stood out to me in Sports Direct. I wonder why, I mean notice that they all had different traits. For instance; this woman had a bounce while walking and I instantly thought she was in a happy mood but when I looked at her mood again alongside her facial expressions I thought to myself why do I think she’s happy, is it because she’s moving in a certain way; so I checked again then I realised she was actually upset/ tired, I remember what she wore as well. But the only reaosn why she had a bounce was because she was listening to a catchy caribbean song that she really liked. The song was so loud that even I could hear it and I recall it being Mavado House Top- Roof top. She wore the Hollister attire for employees and then I figured that it had to be stress from work that also played a part in how her body language was. Humans are quick to judge people by; just looking at them one, physicality they may have. For example: You may look at a teenage girl and say she’s got attitude because of how her body language and facial expression is. But that may not be the case; they may be thinking of something that makes them feel and react in that way. The other person that stood out was this quirky short fat guy. He actually looked a bit strange. He got on my train. The first thing I noticed was whenever he sat down he looked at the seat before sitting. I do that as well just to make sure if there is nothing dirty on the seat especially if I'm wearing white, red or caribbean blue.  He moved seats like five times as well. That's what I found strange. When speaking a lot of people do/say different things. Some people tend to move their hands gracefully others, well, others move their heads in an awkward way. Imagine a quirky person moving their neck from side to side that’s how this woman looked when she started speaking to me asking for directions.

Ideas about how I am going to play Kate Nelson.

* Find someone I have a strong connection with.
* Use the Meisner Technique and fuse it with the Method Acting.
* Work on my posture, she studies at Oxford  and she's the sort of person that loves to fit in so she would always be upright.
*
Evaluation & Feedback

You have achieved a Merit for this process. You are hard working generally and produce excellent practical work however you need to spend much more time on this part of the process in the future. An actor needs to really research every play and role in fine detail if they are to truly accomplish a complete and rounded performance. I know that many of you find the written aspects of the course a challenge but you will not be able to achieve higher grades overall unless you give this part of the process equal attention. We will discuss this in detail before you start exploring your next monologue.

Pass: You did very well for your first audition and I could see you were understandably nervous which did affect your performance and interview. Remember the panel want to meet you and the more you can be yourself and open up to them the better you will do. You particularly need to open up to redirection and be more creative in your response to that. If you focus on these elements then you will do much better next time and will improve your grade.