Fences - Rose Maxson

 Fences by August Wilson – Act 2, Scene 1

ROSE:

I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave several years of my life to stand in the same spot with you. Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life? What about me. Don’t you think it ever crossed my mind to want to know other men? That I wanted to lay up somewhere and forget about my responsibilities? That I wanted someone to make me laugh so I could feel good? You not the only one who’s got wants and needs. But I held on to you, Troy. I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams…and I buried them inside you. I planted a seed and waited and prayed over it. I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom. And it didn’t take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it wasn’t never gonna bloom. But I held on to you, Troy, I held you tighter. You was my husband. I owed you everything I had. Every part of me I could find to give you. And upstairs in that room…with the darkness falling in on me…I gave everything I had to try and erase the doubt that you wasn’t the finest man in the world, and wherever you was going…I wanted to be there with you. Cause you was my husband. Cause that’s the only way I was gonna survive as your wife. You always talking about what you give…and what you don’t have to give. But you take too. You take…and don’t even know nobody’s giving!

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.

Character Profile

Character Name: Rose Maxson

The title of the play I chose my monologue from is called Fences which was written by August Wilson. The original cast had the well-known grounded actor James Earl Jones play Troy Maxson  but now the modern version was played by Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. The play was written by August Wilson.

 

Brief Synopsis -

Fences is about

 

 

 During my monologue selection, 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 actress 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 perform 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.

There are some similarities and differences Rose Maxson and I have but the ideal similarity is our soul and our response to rejection.

 

Impact of the piece

To be quite frank the impact the piece should have on an audience is it should make the audience have empathy and sympathy for Rose Maxson. Also, make the audience understand her pain and see her soul through the performance

 

 

 

Ideas about how I am going to play Rose Maxson

* 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.