The Observer
October 14, 2011
So today I have spent most of my day watching. Not the television or even a film, (I've heard Tinker Tailor is great though), but watching the movement of the characters that I am understudying.
This involves sitting in on their rehearsals and charting on my script the blocking - that is their movements around the stage, their entrances and exits and definitely not doodling. Nope, I was writing a detailed journey of each character and not doodling. Ok so maybe there was a slight doodle tangent but I got all the blocking written down so I think I can allow myself a star or a flower here or there.
The tricky thing about understudying is that though you have to copy the moves and overriding intentions of the protagonist, as an actor the need and want is to make the character your own: to not just be a mimic. Although one or two impressions of each other have been done in jest (Simon Thorp does a great Oliver Ford-Davis and Jamie Ballard a great Simon Thorp), they would not last out the length of the play or even a scene come to think of it!
I'm not sure I've worked out how to make this happen yet; because the more you listen and watch a scene, the more the intonation of the words gets stuck in your head, a bit like song on the radio. But it's a great challenge, breaking free of it.
I suppose no matter how many times you watch and listen to something, when the words come out of your mouth, of course they will be different because every actor is unique in tone, energy and emotion. So in actual fact, there is never any chance of being a mimic.
Laura x
by Laura Darrall
| 1 comment
Share this