Characterisation

Verbatim Speeches: Doreen Lawrence and Edmund Lawson

Jessica Dyer

Verbatim theatre is real people’s words and is often difficult to perform as an actor must put them selves in the person’s situation, as finding their exact emotion is merely impossible. “The term verbatim refers to the origins of the text spoken in the play. The words of real people are recorded or transcribed by the dramatist during an interview or research process, or are appropriated from existing records such as the transcripts of an official enquiry. They are edited, arranged or recontextualised to form a dramatic presentation, in which actors take on the characters of real individuals whose words are being used” (Soans, Hare, Stafford-Clark, Blythe, Norton-Taylor, Kent, 2008, p. unknown). In 130,000 I had three verbatim speeches all from the Stephen Lawrence inquiry in 1997. Two of my verbatim speeches were Doreen Lawrence’s words about her son, and my final verbatim is the evidence Edmund Lawson provides in the inquiry. “Verbatim plays do not, typically, provide us with the continual information of the interviewing process itself; speech is lifted out of context and used within a different context” (Haedicke, Heddon, Oz, Westlake, 2009, p. 118). Our unique play combines fictional and verbatim theatre which fitted together accurately and therefore gave the verbatim context for the audience.

Doreen Lawrence was born in Jamaica on the 24th October 1952, and immigrated to England when she was nine years old. Doreen and Stephen’s father Neville married in 1972 and they went on to have three children. Doreen and Neville however, then divorced in 1999. After Stephen’s tragic death, Doreen and her family constantly fought for justice, a process that is still going on 20 years after he died. Doreen is the Campaigner, writer and director of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, which helps assist young people into further education. “The other benefit of verbatim is that you get two sides of the arguments very quickly portrayed, both of which are totally believable because they’re what those people said, whereas, if you did it fictionally, you might blunt the argument, or obfuscate or exaggerate the argument. On a politically issue or an issue of justice it does help to hear what people actually said” (Kent, 2008, p. unknown). It is simply impossible to feel the exact emotion Doreen felt when describing her son within the inquiry, I just made sure that my pronunciation and delivery was accurate, so that the audience were able to simply listen to her words.

 

“He loved to run. We have lots of certificates at home and he had won all sorts of things. He was a healthy boy; he never had anything wrong with him. He had a slight touch of asthma when he was running, but nothing really major.

He worked at fun function, which is a play centre where you take you kids for an hour or so. He did that on a part time basis, just at the weekends. In secondary school he didn’t go around in a group. He has a close circle of friends.

He always wanted to be an architect. He has set this for his goal and, hence, the A-level subjects that he chose reflected what he felt necessary to do architecture. He was going to go to college and then to University, but we hadn’t got to the stage of looking at what University he was going to” (WAKEUP Theatre 2013, p. 34)

Performing this verbatim speech I could feel Doreen’s admiration and how proud she was of her son on his way to University with a future. As Stephen was Doreen’s first born child she must have been thrilled that he was going to study at University and have a successful career. She was proud of all of his achievements, and although I was mostly smiling whilst delivering this speech, I felt very sad on the inside at the fact that Stephen unfortunately didn’t get to achieve his dreams.

 

“We were shown into the room where he was, the examination room. The  nurse took us both in and I’m sure she had her arms around me.

I don’t remember anyone else being in the room.

When we got in he was just lying there. He looked as though he was just sleeping. His face wasn’t-

I don’t know, there was no pain in his face.

He was covered from his neck downwards and I didn’t move the covers. I just kissed them and cuddled them.

I remember there was a cut on his chin but I didn’t take the covers off. We just stood there for a while and then went back into the family room” (WAKEUP Theatre, 2013, p. 34).

This verbatim speech is terribly upsetting to read, and it is impossible to even imagine what Doreen must have been feeling looking at her son in the examination room, completely hopeless with so many questions to ask. This speech must have been extremely difficult for Doreen to explain within the trial, and it was equally difficult to deliver and even comprehend her emotions. Slowly and accurately I performed this speech, expressing the raw emotion I feel for Doreen and Stephen Lawrence’s family.

 

“Let me ask you about knives, first of all. When you were arrested by the police on 7th May 1993 at your home, as you know, a number of murder weapons were found were they not?

They included a tiger lock-knife and a Ghurkha type knife, they were found in the upstairs bedroom, are you aware of that?

Whose was the sword and scabbard found underneath the cushions on the sofa downstairs?

And the revolver? That was yours?

Were any knives kept underneath your floorboards?

Do you have any idea why anyone should think they might have been?

Do you carry a knife outside your house?

Whilst picking up a knife up from a window ledge in the room and sticking it into the arm of a chair, you say “you rubber lipped cunt, reckon they should all be chopped up mate, they should all be left with nothing but fucking stumps”.

Have you forgotten that?

Shocked are you?” (WAKEUP Theatre, 2013, p. 42).

My initial intention to deliver my final piece of verbatim speech was with anger, although remembering that this was evidence read out to the courtroom this tone of voice would not have been suited. This questioning was aimed at Jamie Acourt, one of the five murder suspects, and Edmund Lawson would have delivered these questions in a professional and fast paced manner, hoping that Acourt would trip up. I took a similar approach of a dictatorial tone when delivering this verbatim and my final scene where I was an inspector in order to receive the truth.

 

Whilst researching for my verbatim speeches I found some useful You Tube clips that helped with my characterisation of Doreen Lawrence, Edmund Lawson and also my final scene where I am an inspector questioning Ronnie about the crime she claims witnessing. Searching for You Tube clips inspired me even further to execute my characters in 130,000 accurately, making sure that I perform the sensitive issues truthfully and effectively giving the themes justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQpNCdugoX4&feature=player_detailpage

Work Cited

Haedicke, Susan, Heddon, Deirdre, Oz, Avraham, Westlake, E.J (2009) Political Performances, Theory and Practice. Official Publication of the International Federation for Theatre Research/Publication. Netherlands.

Stafford-Clark, Max, Soans, Robin, Norton-Taylor, Richard, Hare, David, Blythe, Alecky, Kent, Nicolas (2008) Verbatim, Contemporary Documentary Theatre. Oberon Books Ltd. London.

WAKEUP Theatre (2013) 130,000 an adaptation of Fallout by Roy Williams,Lincoln: Lincoln School of Performing Arts.

Shanice Edwards- ‘A mix of bravado and sensitivity’ (Fisher, 2003, Online)

Jessica Clubbe

Playing Shanice Edwards, a girl of several personalities was a challenge. On the surface she comes across as a girl a confident who knows what she wants but after exploring the character deeper it was very apparent that this was untrue. When Shanice first steps on the stage the audience is presented with a fun loving girl accompanied by her best friend Ronnie, its not until later on in the play where the audience is able to understand the complexities of this character. After the show had finished I was pleasantly shocked at how well the audience received my character. After spending a vast amount of time with my director and dramaturge working on my monologue scene talking to Kwame the audience reacted in a way that neither of us had imagined. This is the only scene where people see Shanice for who she is, a flirtatious young girl who knows she’s attractive. I thoroughly enjoyed developing this scene, attempting to flirt with someone who isn’t there is a task but once performing it to an auditorium full of people using the nerves as positive energy I was able to take the flirtatious energy up another level causing a humorous reaction from the audience.

During the scene between Shanice and Joe during rehearsals I had struggled with how to place myself. Shanice is nervous, angry but also willing to talk to Joe about what she knows, trying to portray all three of those emotions at the same time took some time in rehearsal. Similar to my pervious monologue I used the nervous energy as a positive and allowed the audience to see my nerves as this is how my character was feeling. With the questions Joe was asking me thrown from all different directions I felt as if I was being interrogated.

Scene 22 is when Emile finally admits to the audience that he killed Kwame, the emotions within the scene reached a level that they had never been before. Within rehearsal creating the right amount of tension and emotion in this scene took several rehearsals approaching different angles. We attempted the scene with Shanice keeping her distance from Emile showing how the love was deteriorating to throwing myself at Emile with constant grabbing and touching showing affection, neither of these worked. In the end we found what was right and once in the moment on show night I believe we portrayed the right amount of emotion.

One line within the script that as a company we were worried about was ‘shut the fuck up Ronnie, I’ll rip your tits off’ (WAKEUP Theatre, 2013, p. 57). The reason we were slightly apprehensive about this line is due to consistent cast corpsing throughout the rehearsal process. Myself an other cast memebers within the scene needed to create enough tension and emotion within the scene so that the audience believed the anger I was feeling. In the performance I got the reaction that I wanted, not only was there no laughing from the audience it was deadly silent, the atmosphere was deafening, you could hear a pin drop. We had correctly exposed the intensity within the scene as the whole audience was eagerly keen to listen to every single word spoken.

During the last scene the audience sees another side to Shanice. During this scene I cant help but feel sorry for her as she sits in the café where she works everyday, explaining to Dwayne how Emile has left to stay with his sister and Ronnie has gone away with her mum, the two people who she cared about most and thought felt the same have left her and now she has nothing better to do than go to the ‘usual places’ and see the ‘usual people’ (WAKEUP Theatre, 2013, p. 66).

I think that has Shanice found herself stuck in a situation where she lost track of what is right and wrong, whilst trying to stay loyal to her boyfriend and friends she gets herself caught in a web of lies. Finding it hard to admit the fact that she had feelings for Kwame and how she no longer feels the same for Emile, after taking part in Kwame’s death, she constantly hides her true feelings. She is girl who doesn’t know what she wants or how to act with certain people and because of this she hides who she really is. I feel that my interpretation of Shanice Edwards in WAKEUP Theatre’s 130,000, highlighted all of these problems. As an actor I feel sorry for Shanice as I believe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

Works Cited

Fisher, Phillip (2003) British Theatre Guide. Online: http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/fallout-rev (accessed 12nd May 2013)

WAKEUP Theatre (2013) 130,000 an adaptation of Fallout by Roy Williams, Lincoln: Lincoln School of Performing Arts.

 

Characterisation of Kwame

Jessica Dyer

Although I am WAKEUP Theatre’s Producer I also have numerous acting roles within 130,000. One of my acting roles is Kwame Abena, a male teenager from South London who is stabbed to death on his way home from school. Roy Williams’ Fallout is a powerful play about race and law, and is inspired by the tragic deaths of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor. A way in which I was helped to better my characterisation of Kwame was by watching the drama that Channel 4 created of Fallout. The scenes helped me sympathise and create an emotional attachment to my character, whilst also being sensitive to the fact Kwame represents Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor, two teenagers whom were both stabbed to death. Roy Williams stated on Channel 4’s website, “I remember following the Damilola Taylor Case, and the feelings that I had. Anger with the killers, anger with whoever had let those kids down. I felt it was important as well as necessary to write a piece that allowed all my feelings, and the feelings of those kids and police to be expressed” (Williams, 2013, online). Williams’ play had a huge impact on WAKEUP Theatre, and we felt it was important that our characterisation for all characters were accurate. I began to research Stephen Lawrence and the information was upsetting to say the least. Stephen Lawrence was born in Eltham, South-east London and was only 19 years old when he was randomly and thoughtlessly stabbed and attacked. He was currently studying is A levels and was hoping to further his education at University. His attack was unprovoked and Stephen sadly died on 22nd April 1993.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fallout/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

WAKEUP Theatre’s script writer and Editor Joshua Rivett wrote Kwame a speech at the beginning of the performance to introduce the show.

“Hello everyone. I’m Kwame, thought I’d just introduce myself to you, since you’ll be hearing a lot about me for the next hour or so. (Mobile rings) Oh, sorry, got to take this. My girl, well, you know what they’re like. (Answers) Hey baby girl. Yeah, good. Just finished. Not tomorrow baby, got to finish that last assignment. I can’t baby. I know girl, I want to too. Yeah, like last time. A little tickle? You’re a bad girl now. (Turns to face audience, like he forgot they were there listening) Oh. I got to go now baby, I’m in the middle of something. Bye. Love you. No I love you more. No you hang up. No you. No you- She hung up. Where was I? Oh yeah, you’ll be hearing a lot about me. I’m kind of important in this story. See, I had it all going well for me. Smart, good prospects for my future. Applying for uni. Sexy girlfriend. Good looking, obviously. I was doing something with my life. I had something. Had. I was a good boy. It can just change like that. And then it was over. Worst thing is, all I did wrong was to try and not end up the same as them what did it. Ironic when you think about it” (WAKEUP Theatre, 2013, p. 1).

From the information I have gained from reading verbatim speeches that Doreen Lawrence had said about her son, he was described as friendly and well loved. As Kwame represents Stephen Lawrence within 130,000 I wanted to perform this character correctly, and as he opens the show I felt that a welcoming manner was well suited. I played Kwame happy and friendly, who was very much in love with his girlfriend with a future and a good education ahead of him. Towards the end of the opening speech I felt anger when describing how I was a good boy who didn’t deserve to die, this helped my characterisation even more as I was able to try and imagine the fury and sadness that his family and friends must have felt a the time when it happened. Philip Fisher wrote a review in the British Theatre Guide describing his response to Roy Williams’ Fallout. “Kwame was a nice boy and that was his downfall. Just before he was due to escape his terrifying estate for university, four “bwois” who knew him well murdered him for no real reason, just a minor case of sexual jealousy. Williams explores the motives of not only his murderers but their friends and the police, to build a picture of a community that is largely out of control. At times funny and at others terrifying, Ian Rickson’s production – in one of those Royal Court redesigns that leaves a transformed theatre in the round with no stalls – is well-acted and often perceptive” (Fisher, 2003, online). As Kwame introduced the show, I felt it was important to make a big impact on the audience; I made sure I was full of energy, comical and also emotional at times. As 130,000 represents teenagers from South London I had to make sure my speech was slow and distinct so that the audience had time to adjust and be able to understand.

The characters in Channel 4’s rendition of Roy Williams’ Fallout was described in a review as “None of them was likable, but they were saddening, maddening and – perhaps for the first time to some viewers – comprehensible. This was clever, compassionate, clear-sighted drama” (Mangan, 2008, online). As the Producer of WAKEUP Theatre Company, this information also helped me give advice and guide other actors throughout the rehearsal process as they developed their individual characters. 

 

Work Cited

Channel 4OD (2013) Channel 4OD, Fallout. Online: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fallout/4od#2918302. (accessed 22nd May 2013).

Fisher, Philip (2003) British Theatre Guide. Online: http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/fallout-rev. (accessed 22nd Mat 2013).

Mangan, Lucy (2008) The Guardian. Online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/jul/04/lastnightstvfallout. (accessed 22nd May 2013).

WAKEUP Theatre (2013) 130,000 an adaptation of Fallout by Roy Williams,Lincoln: Lincoln School of Performing Arts.

Williams, Roy (2013) Channel 4OD, Fallout. Online: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fallout/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1. (accessed 22nd May 2013).

Emile – The street killer.

Julia Curry

This is a reflection of my experience playing Emile in ‘130,000’. My idea of this teenager has changed drastically since March (see previous post). Emile is a street gangster whose search for respect resulted in the death of young Kwame. The course of the play for Emile is about his journey to gain this respect from his fellow gang members, especially Dwayne. There is a depth to Emile that I could have never touched on at the start of the process. Now, 130, 000 is more about the deterioration of Emile’s guilty conscious and his realization that he will never gain this sought respect; as opposed to him being a vicious young male with no purpose but to cause upset.

Now, in the final scenes of the show, I see him as a broken young man. A teenager who committed a horrific crime who now can’t bear the guilt. In Emile’s final scene, the play takes one final breath when he confirms to the audience that he is in fact guilty,  re-confirming that characters such as Dwayne lead Emile to this heartless attack on Kwame.

‘I ain’t takin any more of this shit from no-one.. you want me Dwayne? I’m ready come get me!.. It was me that killed Kwame not them, their jealous… You don’t wake up every night seeing his face!’ (WAKEUP 2013, p. 56).

 By the end of the play, Emile has lost respect for himself and for others. He deteriorates to the point of helplessness. For me I had little pity for Emile at the start of this process, but now over the course of three months, I began to grow a sense of sympathy towards him. This pity changed the vocal, emotional and physical delivery of those few last lines for me. I was no longer a sadistic gangster who held no conscience. I was a teenage boy crying for help, wanting to receive the respect he sought.

 

Work Cited:

WAKEUP Theatre (2013) 130,000 an adaptation of Fallout by Roy Williams,Lincoln: Lincoln School of Performing Arts.

 

 

 

‘How thrilling…’ A George and Sarah story

Joshua Stephen Rivett

In the performance I appeared in a scene as a man sat on a sofa, discussing the news of a stabbing with his partner. The scene was short and appeared simple, however it proved to be far from. I was surprised that it took genuine character development to create such a short scene. However it was the significance of the scene which mad the characters portrayal important.

I was cast as the character around mid way through the process after the director decided that it would be more beneficial if an actor with a smaller role played the character. I began acting the character as a simple, ordinary working class man who just flicked the channel over and the news happened to be on. However, during rehearsals I was advised to think of the character as a middle-class man, distancing the connection between the characters portrayed in the performance. It seemed to make the character more comical, yet more believable as it better represented the people which would have the opinions which the man and woman in the scene discussed. These two characters were representations of the audience of the piece  who may have found themselves sharing the opinions of either the man or woman, yet still forgetting about the issues moments later.

A strange thing which I feel aided my performance was simply giving the characters a name and back-story  The man became George and the woman Sarah. This simply began as a joke between the cast but eventually I found myself creating a story for these small characters, which explained why they think the way they do. I felt they have never been exposed to the volatile and unpredictable people who committed the crime they so casually discuss, as well as never knowing any victims of knife crime and therefore have no real connection to it.

There were less significant details which I had to work on, such as how to act watching the television, as this is such a regular thing for people that we rarely give a second thought to how we look when we do it. I simply observed people when they watched television, mimicking their behavior in my performance.