Approaching your script

First

Work out your character’s given circumstances; create a list of what you know about your character using evidence from the text. Separate this list into what people say about you and what you say about yourself. Then separate this research into a new list stating which are facts and which are opinions.

What people say about you?

(Fact or Opinion)

‘You seem to know what you want’ – Rose – Scene 2 page 7 – O

‘She looks just like a kid’ – Pepper – Scene 4 page 20 – O

‘A nice innocent little child, isn’t she?’ – Pepper – Scene 4 page 20 – O

‘You’ve got a good, kind nature and there’s people will take advantage of that’ – Pepper – Scene 4 page 20 – O

‘Pretty girl in the dark’ – Bad girl 1 – Scene 8 page 36 – O

‘Fur coat and no knickers’ – Bad girl 2 – Scene 8 page 39 – F

‘You seemed cool as a cucumber when I picked you up. Very cool for a first timer’ – Bridie – Scene 10 page 45 – O

‘You don’t know how strong you could be’ – Bridie - Scene 10 page 46 – O

What you say about yourself?

(Fact or Opinion)

‘I make up my mind very quickly’ – Scene 2 page 5 – O

‘I don’t believe in stealing’ – Scene 2 page 8 - O

‘Even if I had run away, I’d make sure I was still well turned out, clean and tidy’ – Scene 2 page 11 – O

‘I wasn’t frightened. More curious’ – Scene 4 page 16 – O

‘I travelled light, left everything back home except the clothes I stood up in’ – Scene 4 page 18 – F

‘I was a shop assistant. Worked in the same shop since I was sixteen’ – Scene 4 page 18 – F

‘I got a room’ – Scene 4 page 19 – F

‘Now all I need is to get myself a regular job’ – Scene 4 page 19 – F

‘I’m a good girl’ – Scene 4 page 21 – O

‘I have nothing’ – Scene 6 page 28 – O

‘I was mugged. My landlady chucked me out of her house because I couldn’t afford the rent. I’m all alone in the city. I haven’t eaten for two weeks. I’m not very good at begging’ – Scene 6 page 29 – F

‘I’ve had enough, right, of you, me mum, the whole bloody lot of you. I been fucked over once and too many times’ – Scene 8 page 40 – F

‘I’d do my disappearing trick, will myself to disappear. My body, just a body’ – Scene 8 page 40 – F

‘I felt full of this power’ – Scene 10 page 45 – O

‘I felt like I could do anything I wanted’ – Scene 10 page 45 – O

‘I feel like I can take on the world’ – Scene 10 page 46 – O

‘I can feel myself getting strong’ – Scene 10 page 46 – O

‘…crept all over the house at night and all over me, fucking bastard’ – Scene 10 page 48 – F

‘We’ve both lost all our lives’ – Scene 12 page 54 – F

‘All my life I’ve been somebody that nobody noticed. I could always count on being the one they served last at a bar. People just wouldn’t see me and now, all of a sudden, I’m standing out like a sore thumb, being dragged out for body searches’ – Scene 12 page 53 – F

‘(Allie points into space. Lou looks quizzically but, of course, sees nothing)’ – Scene 15 page 61 - F

Then…

1. Ask Questions.

You’re an actor approximating reality. So use any acting skills or techniques that you have at your command to create this reality. And ask as many questions as you can to make an unreal situation real for yourself, including:

a. Who am I? Reconstruct the character’s life and make it your own. “I” instead of “he” or “she” when you talk about them.

Prepare a written autobiography (using the evidence in the text and your imagination) so that you can define for yourself your character’s education, occupation, income, religion, likes, dislikes, age, weight, height, health, physical handicaps, behavioural characteristics, family life, customs and habits of the era in which s/he lives or the society in which s/he moves.

Like an internal monologue

(SPACE)

b. What is the present situation? What did the character come here to do . . . what does the character want . . . what is the character’s intention?

Portraying a strong intention may be all you need to do to make the character and the situation real for you. It helps to express this intention as a “to . . .” verb.

 b. What is the present situation?

What did the character come here to do?

She ran away from home to start a new life for herself. She was not happy at her home in Jamaica with her mum and her boyfriend; she needed to escape and get away from it all to live a happier life.

 What does the character want?

A happier life that doesn’t resemble the life she had in Jamaica. She wants to start fresh and begin a new life in London where she can get paid better than she did in Jamaica.

What is the character’s intention?

She wants to create a new life for herself in London. She would rather be anywhere else other than in Jamaica with her mum and her boyfriend; she wants happiness and stability.

c. Where am I? Define the environment . . . the place . . . as a force in your script: era, year, season, time of day, temperature, humidity, weather.

 c. Where am I?

SCENE 2 – It’s almost autumn as it is raining outside and is also a bit dark. I think it’s the late afternoon as it is getting dark and my character’s finding somewhere to live for a bit until she’s settled. It’s 1997 as a character asked for 20p for tea which suggests things were quite cheap then.

SCENE 4 – It’s midnight in London where she is on Waterloo Bridge. Due to it being midnight in autumn, the weather is quite cold.

SCENE 6 – It is cold on the street Allie is on in London. It’s around 10/11am as the event that previously took place with Allie happened during the midnight.  

SCENE 8 – It is late in the night where Allie was sleeping in the cold on a street in London. I know this as a character in the scene says Allie is in the dark.

SCENE 9 – Allie is now in a different environment as she is in a hotel room in London. Due to the environment changing, I think the weather would be quite warm. However, the weather is not too warm as it is nearly autumn.

SCENE 12 AND 13 – It is night time in a cell that is cold with a breeze.

SCENE 15 – It is late morning around 11am and Allie is behaving in a weird manner. Due to this, I’d say the temperature of the room would be not too cold yet not too warm to match her puzzling mood.

For each scene that you are in. Imagine the gaps. Even if you don’t speak you have to do it for the scene.

d. Working in costume.

1. Bring the relevant clothes for your character to help you get into your role.
2. Draw some in costume get pictures from magazines.
3. Add personal reflections by noting the choices you are making. Why does one costume idea work and another not work?