Explain how you applied your skill as an actor in the early stages of preparing this piece of practical work to help create an engaging piece of drama. Give at least one example of your preparatory work.
We performed a section from Arthur Miller’s play ‘Death of a salesman’. In this performance I played the role of Willy Loman, a struggling businessman who exaggerates his ‘success’ to his family. My aim for my character was for him be very believable and to evoke emotion (i.e. sympathy) from the audience.
To develop my role and help create an engaging piece of drama, I undertook in lots of different types of preparatory work. First of all, I thoroughly researched into the period of the play so that my performance was historically accurate based on the events/lifestyles of people living in that era (i.e. How family’s interacted with one another and the gender roles within the family). My research helped me to understand what my character would have been feeling during this time.
Next, I used a role on the wall to develop my character by writing down all the facts about my character on the outside then writing subjective ideas such as their thoughts, feelings, secrets and desires in that moment on the inside. This helped me to develop my roles as it gave me a greater insight into the character and helped to figure out how I should present him in the scene. It also helped me by allowing me to explore all the possible
I also used two different forms of improve: hot seating (answering questions from other members in the group whilst in role) and thought tracking (a character speaking out loud about their inner thoughts during a freeze frame). Both forms of improv helped me to develop my role as it made my character feel more realistic and to get into Willy’s mind-set. They also helped me to develop my role as it allowed me to explore all the different possible ways of presenting my character and then helping me to know more about how they would be feeling in that moment.
Explain how you applied your chosen skill to at least one aspect of the piece.
My chosen skill was acting. A scene where I applied my acting skill was Act 1 Scene 5. In this scene Willy is looking back on his life. and is remembering a moment between him and his wife. In the flashback, Willy brags to Linda that he made $1200 in sales that week. Linda quickly figures his commission at over $200. However under questioning, he admits that he grossed only $200. The $70 commission is not enough to cover the family’s expenses. In a rare moment of self-criticism, Willy moans that
