Casting Aspersions gives two female 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 deal with there own insecurities very differently. Jackie's style is to go on the front foot and attempt to take control of the environment from the moment she enters. Courtney responds to her energy but would really rather be left alone and quietly prepare. The setting of the piece should give actors lots of sense memory stimulus. The waiting room of the audition is always filled with interesting energies and tensions. While actors like to think of themselves as generous and sensitive human beings it is not unreasonable to consider the odd occasions when the competitive and in this case, bitchy energy, surfaces. The time and place of the scene is a source of great stimulus for the actors playing Courtney and Jackie. There is no getting around it - auditions are high stakes environments and as we've noted before, situation reveals character. In this situation, the stakes are high for the characters and their behaviour is informed by the situation. The actor playing Jackie might discover that Jackie feels the, 'life and deathness' of the audition process. Characters are acting to survive and in this case, succeeding at the audition might feel like an act of survival for Jackie. Courtney is a surprise package, at first it appears as if she isn't coping with the rivalry. Her comebacks are pretty good but she doesn't look too confident. But there is a turning point or snapping point for Courtney when enough is enough. Her ultimate victory over Jackie is probably way more than just 'dutch courage' - based on the alcohol content of her homeopathic remedy - she was just pushed too far. It is probably stating the obvious but Casting Aspersions will work if the actors find an authentic vulnerability to underpin their different character obligations. How does Jackie control or cover her insecurities? What is it about her that makes her so 'front foot'? What is it about Courtney that engages on one level but has to be pushed to go for the kill? |