Rehearsals: Pygmalion & Salome

As we have begun the development stage of our production I See Monsters, we have begun rehearsals for the production. I play Colonel Pickering in Pygmalion, Jokanaan in Salome, and Victor’s father in Frankenstein. In Act 2 of I See Monsters, I particularly have a lot of quick changes, so it’s something I’ll need to especially prepare for.

Pickering is the sidekick for the main antagonist, Henry Higgins. This role depicts an upper-class ‘snob’ kind of character, and requires me to have very proper mannerisms, and speak in a posh British accent. My main focus for Pickering however, is that though he has few lines, he is still featured in many scenes, engaging with the current situation to support Henry. Because he has a lot of stage time with little dialogue, I need to focus deeper on his mannerisms and reactions to what’s happening in scenes to still give his character life and personality, and still keep him as a vital part of the scene.

Playing Jokanaan in Salome is my biggest challenge, a lot of the dialogue is dated, and especially difficult to understand. To improve, I need to research more into the script to truly understand everything being said, so I can express it right on the play. This is something we (the Salone cast as a whole) can improve on together as a group. Jokanaan’s staging is also quite different to a regular play, as I won’t be moving much but sitting down as I play a ‘floating head’. This will be even more challenging as I won’t be able to emphasise Jokanaan’s emotions through body movement, and will have to rely heavily on facial expression and tone in the dialogue.

Victor’s father in Frankenstein is a smaller role, however he is a vital character towards the end of the play. He was once very loving towards his son, yet it quickly changes to sadness and especially disappointment. As Victor’s father also has the last lines in the Frankenstein, I want to truly embody the emotions Victor’s father would’ve felt, keeping them big, yet emotive and realistic.