Becoming Gower
September 25, 2012
'Gower' came together to go through all the Gower speeches finding the meaning behind Shakespeare's language, the thought of the scene and the characters. The purpose of this is to help us as actors understand exactly what it is we are saying so we can communicate that to our audience and make our performances truthful.
Something I found amazing about doing this is just how much of a genius Shakespeare was! One way in which we discussed the meaning of the text was by translating it into modern English. It sounded rubbish! Shakespeare's way with words enabled him to say so so much in one sentence, where we have to use a whole paragraph to explain it.
Being part of Gower is brilliant – we are using physicality and voice to bring the story of Pericles alive, it's storytelling with a kick!
From the beginning James and Jamie compared Gower to a wave that crashes onto the stage and sets the scene, so Anna Morrissey, our movement director, has been working with us to explore and develop that wave-like quality in our bodies. We've been 'magic on the floor' experimenting with different ways we can create Gower 'the Wave'.
Words keep popping out during rehearsals to describe a way to move or 'be' as a group, we hear 'be a bunch of grapes' regularly and 'move like runny honey' – sounds crazy but it works.
The movement rehearsals have been important in helping us tune into one another, know what each other is about to do, where our next move is and when we are going to do it. Instead of it being planned, we get a vibe from the group and move on an impulse – which is so much more effective and raw.
Gower is one of several roles I play in Pericles, but what is great about Gower is that, although tiring, I am in rehearsals every day! I am learning every day and absorbing everything from rehearsals.
by Hannah Kelly
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