UNIT 8

 Task 1.1 - Production Diary

The Lovely Bones + The Railway Children

See separate blog post labelled ‘My production Diary’. 

Task 1.2 - Audition Process

The Lovely Bones

I prepared for this audition by completing lot’s of character research, looking into the important themes of the play and the characters personality. I found my monologue as soon as possible, and learnt it inside and out to allow me to focus fully on the emotions. I do think I was well prepared, but could have worked on the actual performance sooner instead of focusing on the lines. I chose this monologue for my audition to be Lindsey, as it is a section or writing about someone whose brother has gone missing. In it, she talks about how she’s tired of feeling alone, and tired of not being able to do anything, which I think reflects Lindsey’s character well.

(Surprised, she gasps.) Oh. It’s you. Why are you back here? I thought I’d be alone, sneaking 

out this late. You can’t tell anyone you saw me here. Just listen to what I’m about to say, okay? 

I’m going to find our brother. I’ve got everything I need, a camera, a flashlight…(Summoning 

courage) I’m going to find him, okay? And you can’t convince me otherwise, because I can’t just 

keep sitting here, day after day, doing nothing, and feeling so…so WORTHLESS! (Tearing up. 

Exhales to calm herself.) It’s just that everyone has given up on him; even you and…and our 

parents have decided to move on, but I- I can’t…okay? I can’t just…leave him! He wouldn’t have 

left me. And I know he’s still out there. He’s… He has to be. And I can’t even live in this house 

anymore, because it’s so full of his memories, full of the things that we did together. For crying 

out loud, I sob when I see our favorite books at the library, or those frogs at the zoo we used to 

like. I feel like I’m going insane, and I…(Gasping for breath and trailing off)…I… (Wiping her 

eyes) You gotta let me go. I have to go. Alone. (Laughs humorlessly) It’s funny…because I 

really am so tired of being alone.

After the audition, I felt proud of what I’d done, but not confident that it was enough. My delivery of this monologue wasn’t the best, as I felt I didn’t capture every emotion, and moved too quickly instead of letting the different feelings creep up inside me. However, my diction was clear and my volume was good. I was redirected after doing it once, and was told to make it less breathy, have higher adrenaline as if I was hiding from someone. This helped so much, as my tone and emotion was spot on, and a lot more believable. 

Before performing, I answered some questions I’d been given, which went well as I went in with my answers printed out, and had a spare copy for me to look at to make sure I was saying all the ideas that were in my head. I answered well, apart from the question of ‘How do you make sure you aren’t playing yourself?’, which I struggled to answer at first, before saying that I don’t think I would have the bravery Lindsey has, and would crumble under the pressure instead of rise above it. I also think that the American accent helps to separate the character from me. 

I wore suitable clothing to move in, and be comfortable in, and wore a headband to keep my hair out my face so they could see me clearly. I also made sure to go in with confidence, despite how nervous I was. 

Overall I was happy with my audition, I felt the first attempt wasn’t the best I could do, but the second time was much improved. To prepare for any call back, I kept reading the script to remind myself of any scenes I could be asked to cold read.

Here are the links to the videos of my audition, with the first and second attempt. 

https://stocktoncollege-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/abigail_bryan_stockton_ac_uk/EU7HhpehdTZOpBldN9A60vwBK-2IeXvaEB9tklQ8hQ3-Dg

https://stocktoncollege-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/abigail_bryan_stockton_ac_uk/Ed4YW2Vf8jhFuwFoA3Tgv4cBYVJe62X_edZ4hT1H8Wf3Pg

Task 2.1 - Research

Context research:

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is set in 1973, which was the year the USA effectively lost and ended their involvement in the Vietnam war, as an agreement was signed leading to the withdrawal of American troops. The Vietnam war caused a rift in American society, raising doubts about America’s role in the world, its morality and its priorities. The way the war was conducted also caused people to increase their doubts about their increasingly cyanistic government. This war also caused severe inflation in the US, distorting the economy. 

Also, this was the year of the Watergate Scandal, which involved a series of illegal activities, and attempts to obstruct justice, as members associated with Nixon’s re-election campaign broke into the Democratic, National Committee headquarters. This scandal had a profound impact on American politics, leading to increased scrutiny of presidential power and a focus on campaign finance reform. 

This meant there were huge changes going on at the time of Susie’s death, meaning not only was the family disrupted by their loss, but also by the shifts in their country. 

In the 1970’s, America was not particularly safe, as it saw a significant rise in the amounts of crime, particularly in violent crime. This decade is often associated with a perception of urban decay and rise in criminal activity. The rise in crime led to a general sense of fear and insecurity in many communities. 

Children experienced a world with limited technology, and more unsupervised outdoor play. They spent their days exploring neighbourhoods, and playing games, with their parents trusting them to come home when the street lights turned on, and also being less involved in their child’s activities. Television was becoming more prevalent, but was still a limited source compared to today. The first mobile phone call was made in 1973, meaning most people relied on house phones to communicate, and children had no way of contacting their family when not at home. This meant children were at risk of more danger, such as kidnapping or violence, as they had no contact with anyone else. 

The Railway Children

In 1905, life was very different for those who were rich, and those who were poor. The rich enjoyed a life of privilege and luxury, with lavish lifestyles and social events. They also hired help such as maids and servants, and lived in grand houses, sometimes having other houses elsewhere in the country. The Rich often pursued higher education, and had access to libraries and other academic opportunities, such as schools of tutors. Many of the wealthy people were involved in business, industry and government jobs, with their primary focus on managing investments and money. 

The middle class were more family oriented, and the standard of living was rising in 1905 but not as rapidly as it was for the upper class. It usually involved people working in white collar industries, with a regular income and financial security. Family morals were highly valued, and it was important to raise children with strong morals and manners. Men held positions of power and worked to bring in money, whereas women stayed home to care for the family and manage the house, their role being primarily domestic. 

The Waterbury family lived as a middle ground between these two classes at the start of the play, but decreased to the working class when they had a huge loss of income as their Father was imprisoned. This meant their opportunities were limited, they had no money for servants, tutors, medical care, or luxuries. Although no one in the family went to work, they were a part of the lower class, moving away to live a more affordable life, being mindful of how little money they had to live on. 

Character Research:

The Railway Children

To create my character of Phyllis, I first read through the script and decided what sort of character I thought Phyllis was, then I looked into the role and found what others thought too. I went to watch a production of The Railway Children at Middlesbrough theatre, to look at how the character was portrayed. I watched this twice, as it had two different casts, and I also watched the film on youtube. I noticed how some actors presented certain lines, and how they kept the youthfulness and cheekiness alive. Then, I made a mind map with all my ideas about her on:

PHOTO OF MAP

The Lovely Bones

The character of Ruth in the lovely bones is a pivotal one, as she is the only person who repeatedly sees and communicates with Susie. Ruth is very misunderstood, as she is seen as weird, and judgemental, but in reality is just struggling with understanding herself and what her place is in this world. I had to do a lot of character research for Ruth, to comprehend what she;s truly like and therefore allow me to portray her accurately. I made 2 mind maps containing lots of information and ideas about her, including research from the internet. I also looked into characters who are similar to her to give me some inspiration. I analysed the way they moved, from their big gestures to the subtle movements in their face. Please find my research on the photos below:

Themes of the play:

The Railway Children

One of the main themes of this play is the importance of family. The family lived a life of privilege at the start of the play, having two parents who would make time for their children, and three kids who’s only concerns were school and growing up. However, this shifted when the Father was sent away and they moved to the countryside. This meant the Mother had to spend a lot of time writing stories to support the family, and spend more time on house duties - as they could no longer afford much hired help.  Therefore, the children saw both parents less, and were taken out of education, as their mother didn’t have much time to do lessons. Because of this, the three children spent all their time together and grew closer than ever, creating bonds together, playing, adventuring and living a simplistic life. They valued their time with their mother when they could, and stayed as a tight knit family. Overall, they had a strong sense of family love and unity, communicating and caring for one another throughout the play. They all stayed faithful to their father, believing in his innocence at all times and longing for him to return home. At the end of the play the family is reunited, as Father returns, and they get closer to being back to normal again. 

Bravery is another important theme, as it is shown by multiple characters. Peter has bravery when he sneaks out to steal coal, an act which he didn’t believe to be wrong, in the attempts of helping his family. All three children plan to stop an oncoming train from a rail disaster, risking their lives to save others - especially Bobbie who becomes incredibly close to a moving train in the hopes of stopping it in time. The children also go into a dark tunnel on the railway line to find a boy who ran in but never came out, saving his life and continuing to care for him afterwards. They also stand up to others in the town, looking out for a political refugee, who’s sick and lost, with no way of finding where he is or where his family are. 

All three children show courage and resilience in caring for others, showing the importance of Kindness. The family’s kindness and compassion is rewarded to them, allowing them to be treated with generosity from those they meet, creating bonds and friendships in their lives. 

The Lovely Bones

Justice is a key theme in this play, as Mr Harvey’s brutal act of violence in the opening scene sets the story up, leaving the family heartbroken and struggling. Many characters yearn for Justice, working towards discovering the killer, and even seeking revenge in Jack’s case. However, Justice is served at the end of the play, as Mr Harvey is killed from a fallen icicle. This is seemingly fate, as Susie’s sister Lindsey does a challenge to solve a murder case earlier in the play, in which the weapon is an icicle. Although cosmic justice has been served, the family are left with no closure, as they are unaware of his death and no legal justice has been served. The writer ‘Alice Sebhold’, suggests that procedural justice provides a false comfort, and the only true balm against the humiliating injustice of violent crimes is the healing that comes from within. 

The salmon family is the soul of the play, meaning family dynamics is another important theme. The family begins to fall apart when Susie dies, with Abigail falling apart and leaving, Jack becoming obsessed with Mr Harvey, Lindsey feeling alone in her grief, and Buckley being too young to understand anything that’s going on. Grandma Lynn acts as the lightness in the play, lifting the family up when they're at their lowest. She steps into the maternal role when Abigail leaves, and ultimately does her best to keep them together, and encourage them to move on from their grief. 

Lindsey has a touching relationship with Jack and supports her dad as an attempt to keep the family together, and uncover the only lead they have. She continues to repair the fractured bonds with her family and within herself. She sticks by her dad after he is beaten in the cornfield and after he has a heart attack, which is when Abigail returns. At the end of the play we see the family really unite, as Abigail is back, and they can finally move on together, keeping Susie’s memory in their hearts, instead of continuing to grieve. 

Practitioners:

The Railway Children

For the Railway Children, I used the teachings of Meisner, who focused on realism. He taught about the importance of repetition, which emphasises real moment to moment connections between actors. This helps actors get out of their head and into their impulses. As there are so many lines for the three children in this play, we spent lots of time going through sections of dialogue, repeating it back and forth to get into the fluency of it, and improve our easiness. When learning my lines, I would repeat each one multiple times, so much that I didn’t have to think about what I was saying, and could instead let myself move naturally. 

I also used Stanislavski’s techniques to understand my character. I started with the given circumstances to work out everything I already knew about Phyllis. Phyllis is 11 years old, the youngest sibling of 3, she lives in London with her Mother, Father and Siblings, and has a close bond with them all. Phyllis talks a lot about not knowing what’s going on, which I think shows how she feels confused a lot of the time, and therefore feels she has to push herself into the older family members' conversations etc. I used Stanislavski's 7 levels of tension for this, and chose to use the level of curiosity to show Phyllis’s youth, and her interest in things she doesn't understand around her. I also used Stanislavksi’s technique of emotional memory, to borrow my own feelings and put them into my work. When I was younger, my father lost his job near home and had to move away 5 days a week. This was a big shift for me as I was used to seeing him everyday. So, I used this to remember how I felt then, and how much I missed him, just as Phyllis does. 

The lovely Bones

Meisner for realism

Uta Hagen’s techniques helped me build Ruth’s character, as she poses the idea of the 9 questions which add context to a scene, and give the character reason to what they're saying.  Quite often, Ruth appears in a random scene, therefore it was insightful for me to ask what she was doing before. This would affect how she was feeling, her energy levels, etc. For example, I worked out what had happened in the scene when she meets Lindsey on Christmas day. I imagine her to have an unenjoyable Christmas based on what she says about Christmas being ‘an outdated religious ceremony’. I think she woke up on Christmas with one or two presents from her mum and dad, neither of which she really liked so had to pretend she did. This made her feel unseen by her parents, as she didn’t feel as though they understood her at all, or cared enough to know what her interests were. I also think she didn’t have any Christmas dinner, and instead had some toast as her parents told her to sort her own lunch. Therefore, when Lindsey tells her ‘Merry Christmas’, she responds somewhat rudely because she doesn’t deem this holiday to be very merry. 

Task 2.2 - Production Role

The Railway Children

To start planning for Costume, I first researched into the Era of The Railway Children which was set in 1905. This was the Edwardian Era which involved modest clothing, covering legs and arms, with accessories such as gloves, hats and bags. The clothes involved embellishments and trillings such as high laced or rushed collars on shirts/blouses. Women wore long skirts or dresses, down to the floor covering their ankles to fit with the modesty of this time. These were fitted at the waist and flared at the hemline. 

Children’s clothing was a simplified adult style. The girls wore dresses below the knees and above the ankles, with stockings and boots. Often pinafores were worn to protect the dresses. Young boys wore long-sleeve shirts with knee-length shorts and tall, dark socks, sometimes with jackets. As children grew older, the hemlines of trousers or dresses crept closer to the ground.

I created a mood board full of different productions of the Railway Children to see different costume ideas, and then added slides including the featured characters and what they should wear. Then, I created another mood board, full of period fashion for the ensemble characters. 

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is a very moving, deep piece of theatre, meaning music and sound should play a big part in bringing this to life. This play is set in 1973, and therefore the songs included should be from that time or before. I have looked through the film's soundtrack, and saved some pieces I found particularly moving. Then I went through the script and starred all the pages that involved some music, directed by the playwrights. In some places I felt the music they had chosen was the best, but I also had some songs I wanted to swap out. I’ve been working with my classmate JJ to do this, to discuss what would be the best fit. I have also spoken to Kelly about her thoughts and ideas, with places where she wanted some background, instrumental music. 

Task 2.3 - Interpret Research

The Railway Children

Character Research:

To put my character research into my performance, I made sure to keep the youthfulness of Phyllis alive. I wanted to make her a ball of energy, just as children are, so I was therefore light on my feet, keeping my posture straight but not uptight, and moving with ease. I also made sure to play her emotions age appropriately, for example the way I would react would be different from her because I am older and more mature. Sometimes, I let Phyllis have a sulk, or a stream of excitement. Here is the analysis of my script:

Production Research:

Then, for my production research and work, I made sure that everyone had the correct costumes, and that they were all suitable for the time period. I spent lot’s of time making lists and taking photos. 

When we started collecting all the costumes, Tom brought in all his spare bits, and everyone else brought in theirs so we could see that we had everything. We shared out all the costumes, making sure everyone had things that fitted and were suitable for their character. I also made a list on my phone of every item of clothing people needed, and checked each thing off when I saw them. If anyone was struggling to find an item they needed, or weren’t sure what they needed, I showed them the guidance photos, and described to them something that would be suitable. I also communicated to Tom to see if he had anything he could give to help out. Then when extra items were brought in I checked them off the list. Here’s photos from the all costume try ons:

The Lovely Bones

Character Research:

To put my research into my performance, I focused on intensifying Ruth, making her a large character that’s very different from myself. To do this I went through my script and annotated it, focusing on areas that I could play as: intense, emotional, spooky, dramatic, mysterious. I also watched films that included the characters named on my mind map, such as; ‘twilight’ (Bella Swan), and ‘The breakfast club’ (Allison Reynolds), ‘Wednesday’ (Wednesday Adams). I even added in subtle directions, such as an eyebrow raise, or smirk on the face. These small directions helped to make a big change to her character, and allowed me to fully focus on my performance without having to think of what to do in each moment. Here is the analysis of my script. 

Task 4.1 - Evaluation, Personal journey & Task 4.2 - Evaluation, Final performance

The Lovely Bones


The goal of the performance was to create an imaginative but believable portrayal of my character, creating her to be weird, quirky and complex. Ruth’s motivations were to push between the boundaries of the living and the dead in an urge to see Susie again. Ruth didn’t enjoy her regular life, so filled it with things like poetry, art, other worldly senses and her obsession with the dead. Through this, Ruth develops a connection with Susie’s old love, Ray. They bond over Susie’s unsolved murder, and through this Ruth is able to bring Susie back to earth for one last time. The overall theme of the play is grief, and how it is dealt with. For Ruth, she deals with it by not letting go, holding onto the dead and urging to connect to Susie on the other side. Ruth is a pivotal character which shares moments of connection with Susie, something which the other characters on earth struggle to do. The impact of Ruth on the audience is to add a dynamic to the characters in the play. Ruth is unlike any others, as she is weird and overly poetic, separating her from the rest but pushing her towards Susie, and keeping her connected to the living. Sometimes, Ruth even becomes comical, as she is so abnormal. In the scene with Ray, Ruth offers him lip balm after he tells her he kisses Susie. I managed to deliver this line with good comedic timing, getting a laugh from the audience. We also got a laugh after we Kissed for the first time and both said we didn’t feel anything. Ruth also has an incredible scene with Susie in which they switch bodies, which is a moment that should produce an emotional response from the audience. I think I met these objectives very well, as the feedback from the audience was that my character was very well done, and that the moving scene with Susie provoked lot’s of emotions.


I engaged emotionally with my character in a way I hadn't done before. I didn’t have any similarities to Ruth, meaning I couldn't use emotional memory. Therefore, I had to connect with her by understanding her and who she was. To do this, I carried out a lot of research, studying different sources such as the film, the script and the book. The book had lots of detail in it, about Ruth and what she was like, including moments with her family, showing the dynamic she had there. This play has never been recorded, and the movie doesn’t have much of Ruth in it, meaning the book was the best source of information for me. I engaged with the character well, being empathetic towards her dislike for the world she was in, and understanding why she was so desperate to see Susie, as it gave her something to focus on instead.


My vocal performance was strong, as I had been working in the sound box I knew how loud I had to be to ensure I could be heard by everyone in the audience. The play was American, meaning I spent time working on my accent, to ensure it was fluent. I had some feedback from Sienna who was able to watch the first act of the dress run, and said that my accent was good but I was losing it at the end of sentences. So, when it came to the show I made sure to keep my accent consistent. I worked a lot on the pacing of my line delivery, for example, when I read a poem out at Susie’s memorial, I paused between the lines, slowing it down and emphasising the poetic nature of it. The rest of the time, I paused to add a dramatic effect in my lines, as Ruth was overly imaginative when describing things. I also changed the pace of my line delivery, so if Ruth was getting excited I would speed up, but slow down when I wanted it to be intense.


For the physicality of my character, I made her move with casualty, as if she doesn’t care how she appears. So, I slouched slightly, and walked slowly, slightly dragging my feet and keeping my body relaxed. I also moved my head a lot, keeping it high to allow the audience to see my face under my hat, and because Ruth speaks to the sky a lot as she thinks that’s where Susie is. I executed the blocking by turning my body out to the audience, and speaking to the audience.


I was involved in all the ensemble scenes, from the cornfield to the memorial etc. I interacted with the others as little as possible, as Ruth is not someone who really wants to make small talk. I interacted with others when it was relevant to finding Susie, or when I was speaking to Ray. In the first ensemble scene where everyone is looking for Susie, I kept as part of the group, not sticking out. However, in the next one with the memorial, I separated myself from the rest of the people, standing at the front in preparation for my poetry reading.


My scene partner was mostly Will who played Ray. We worked well together, and spent lots of time finding the balance between awkwardness and fondness in the relationship. We talked a lot about our opinions on the characters, and how we think their relationship develops. We decided that Ruth was never really interested in Ray, and only spent time with him because she was someone she could talk about Susie to. But, later when lot’s of time had passed they rekindled their old relationship, and grew to like each other properly, more than just a mutual bonding over Susie. We also decided that Ray, was interested in Ruth because of her obsession with Susie, making him feel like he still has part of Susie with her.


When I wasn’t playing Ruth, and was part of the ensemble, I created a background for my character. I decided to be a young girl who was in Lindsey’s maths class, and Ruth’s Literature class. I therefore felt pitiful for Lindsey as she had lost her sister, and as I knew who she was. I disliked Ruth as I didn’t understand her, and just thought she was a bit weird. In the ensemble scenes, I interacted with others and spoke to them about the missing girl.


I wore a hat for my costume, which I took on and off when I wanted the audience to see my face clearly, and in moments where I thought I would take it off out of respect. My costume was accurate to Ruth, with an emo edgy vibe, fitting the 70’s feel, and being artsy and quirky enough. I changed my costume in the second act when the time had passed, changing my jacket and top, adding a flowy skirt, but keeping the signature hat. I used a bag a lot, which contained my notebook and pen, my reading book, my crystals, lip balm, and some candles - all of which were needed for different scenes. I used the reading book for when I was on stage and not doing anything, to show the intellectual side of Ruth. My whole look and costume came together really well, and helped me feel more like Ruth and different from myself.


With this role, I decided to push myself and not make safe choices. When I act, I am quite methodical, and think about how I want to portray each emotion and deliver each line. This was somewhat helpful for this role, as I analysed my script and created different ways to say the lines, and what to do with my face and body during it. This gave me a plan to work off, which I could then build on. However, when I performed, I used these ideas but added to them, intensifying my character and expressions. I tried to feel my character deeply, and do what felt right in the spur of the moment, instead of processing and thinking before I did. The improvisation workshops we did, where we acted as our character really helped with this, as it allowed me to think on the spot and act more naturally. I used my face a lot, especially my eyes, when I was acting. I widened and squinted my eyes depending on whether I was looking for Susie, thinking deeply, shocked at what I’d seen, or intensely focused on something. I darted my eyes around when listening to someone to show my thoughts processing, but kept them still when my thoughts were still. I also used my eyebrows, raising and frowning them to show my judgment to others, and when I was snapping out of a moment. My choices aligned with my artistic vision, although I struggled to get my character on its feet, I was happy with what I created in the end, and felt it was accurate to how I imagined the character of Ruth.


The strengths in my performance was my storytelling. Ruth had lot’s of moments where she would quote things, or tell a story of something she’d seen. In these moments I intensified her, and dramaticised the story, becoming overly poetic. I felt this allowed the audience to create an opinion of Ruth, and understand that she was quirky and different from the others. I was particularly proud of the scene where Ruth describes the vision she saw of Susie to the detective, as it was early on in the play, so a chance for me to lay the baselines down of how Ruth is. I intensified this well, and paced through the monologue, slowing down and speeding up at different moments. I think I managed to find the balance with Ruth, of being a large character, without becoming a caricature.

A well executed moment was the body swap with Susie. Jasmine and I worked a lot on this scene, making sure to slow it right down and take our time, allowing the audience to soak up every moment of it. As Jasmine and I are close friends, I was able to attach my emotional feelings to the scene, and show the happiness and surrealism that Ruth felt in that moment.


I think an area of improvement for me would be to keep the character fully consistent throughout the whole play. There were certain scenes, such as the storytelling, which were good opportunities for me to embrace my character, and other scenes which I struggled to present it with. Although I could have improved on this, I do think that in my final performance I did this a lot better than I had in the rehearsal, because I was in the flow, and stayed very focused backstage, keeping up with the story.


To improve, I would like to keep pushing myself to go for big characters. Moving forward into the next year, I would like to play a villain in the ghost light tours, and go for a big character such as Veruca Salt at christmas. I would also like to commit to improvisation workshops. Sometimes I find them daunting as it’s hard to snap into a character with no instruction with lines or stage directions etc. Therefore I think these improv lessons could really help me develop my character and be more free with it instead of sticking to a plan. I would also like to keep trying different ways of doing things in rehearsals, aiming to switch something in my performance or character each time we practise. Also, I would like to keep working pon enhancing my emotional range, as I think I am skilled in portraying emotions, with my face and eyes, but struggle to do things such as cry, and I often overuse my eyebrows when I act.


Some feedback I have been given from Kelly, is to push myself and enhance my portrayal of Ruth, as I was playing it too safe and not being adventurous enough with it. After one rehearsal, I had a real struggle as to what to do with my character, which I explained to Kelly. I then went home and planned; I made mind maps, watched endless video clips, wrote many notes, planned what I could do in each scene, and read through all the notes and guidance given to me by Kelly. I also had help from my classmates, who encouraged me to use my eyes and imagine I could hear things everywhere which definitely helped me to add another element to Ruth. They were very pleased with my final performance, telling me I had nailed the character. Kelly also told me I understood the character, and had done well with it.

As a whole cast, we had brilliant feedback from the audience. The audience were silent during the full play, meaning they were fully focused and invested - and no one left to use the toilet at all until intermission. When the intermission started, it had a moment of silence before everyone burst into chatter about what they’d seen, which was a good sign as it meant everyone was impressed and excited to know about what would happen next. Many of the audience gave us feedback, some saying it was the best piece of theatre they’d seen.


Although I didn’t audition for this role, I am so grateful to have been able to play it. It has pushed me in all the ways I needed, as it required so much character research, and was so different to me as a person. I think I have evolved and learned new skills from this, and I hope to keep having learning opportunities like this in the future.