Like the female version of this scene, Casting Aspersions gives two male actors a chance to engage their competitive spirits in a battle of wits and tactics. The characters in this scene, brought together in the audition waiting room go on the front foot from the beginning. Perhaps they've done this before as it's clear there is no love lost between them. The setting of the piece should give actors a great deal of sense memory stimulus. The waiting room of the audition provides a setting where actors are often tense but work hard to appear relaxed and comfortable with the situation. Auditions are high stakes environments. Jackson and Sean expose their personalities when placed in this situation. (See: Situation Reveals Character). This scene provides actors with the material to explore the subtle art of one-upmanship. It is not a typical confrontation scene for men who are perhaps more likely to come right out and say what they're thinking. But these two characters work hard to put each other off their game. Both actors will need to discover the chip that each of their characters carries on their respective shoulders. Why do they engage in this way? What is so important about beating the other guy? For both Jackson and Sean it must feel on some level like an act of survival. (See: Characters are Acting to Survive) Does their well-being and happiness revolve completely around the number of auditions and performances they are getting at any one time? This scene gives actors an opportunity to examine this kind of insecurity and how feelings of insecurity affect their character's behaviour. |