I. Staging “The Letters of Ethel Waxham and John Love.”
The following is only an outline of the work. Each student must be engaged fully in this process; everything is subject to change during the rehearsal period. This is above all a time of exploration. Character and line analysis are employed all through this process.
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1. The actor portraying Ethel is downstage left. The actor portraying John is downstage right. Both are in period costume, with facsimile props. Students will research costumes through the use of books on costumes and books of photography of the West.
Acting Terms
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1. downstage—that part of the stage closest to the audience.
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2. upstage—that part of the stage furthest from the audience.
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3. stage right—right from the actor’s point of view (actor facing the audience).
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4. stage left—left from the actor’s point of view.
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5. facsimile—an exact copy of any object
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6. props or properties—The furniture and hand-held objects (hand props) used in play productions.
II. Behavioral possibilities for staging. Explore the text of each letter, making special note of the dates. What season of the year is indicated? In staging the play slight costume changes can be used to designate the passing of time. Actors will explore behavior through sensory work on heat and cold.
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1. Ethel—Desk with books, pen, stationery; potbelly stove.
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2. Ethel—teapot, cup of hot tea in winter.
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3. Ethel—glass of water or tea for warmer months.
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4. Ethel—palm fan for summer, shawl for winter, fingerless gloves for winter.
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5. John—interior of sheep wagon; picture of Ethel.
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6. John—blanket to wrap around his shoulders, stool.
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7. John—food, imaginary dog.
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8. John—writing materials.
III. Sound Effects
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1. Ethel—clock striking, children at play under her window, train sounds, singing from nearby church.
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2. John—howling wind, rain, sheep bleating, dog barking, coyote howling.
IV. Exercise on composing the letters
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1. In this exercise each actor as the character will take time in composing the letters. Each will come up with words not in the letters; after looking for different words to express the character’s thoughts the actor will discard these words for the words in the factual text of the letters. This exercise helps young actors learn to think on the spot and to trust that they can think on stage.