Final Notes

I wrote this piece for my blog for Caroline, but thought that it was relevant to this and that you might be interested in seeing it:

Jack was very fond of using Mike Alfreds in his directing technique and so we regularly did improvisation exercises from him, that helped to build the characters and establish their relationships.

At one point me and Hayden did 2 hours of just Meisner to try and build that tension that immediately exists between the two characters as soon as the arrive on stage, that was very difficult to do but gave way to the style in which I did "I'll damn well make you!" followed by the pacing and eventually the fight. This really helped to cement our relationship in our minds and to create that kind of anger and disappointment I needed to feel against him, which results in the fight. Me and Ffion also did about a half-hours Meisner in order to build the peculiar relationship they have, it worked because on stage it felt like we cared deeply for each other, but that there was something wrong just under the surface, it gave a third-dimension to their relationship.

I also worked a lot using Declan Donnellan, as I mentioned in my other blog, one of things i was commended for was moving with intention. I felt in that play, that I would either be still or going somewhere, i think this was effective and made a bold impression of the audience. If one were to watch carefully to my performance, they would see that in which ever direction I walked, I had always, with my eyes, first identified a target and after doing this a few times, it became natural allowing to do it without thinking, I think it became one of the fathers habits that made him have such a bold presence.