Unit 12- task 6.1- my personal journey + task 2.3

 My personal journey through little women 

Candidate Declaration - I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work* and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself

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Working on little women has really changed me as an actor. This production has really made all of us completely step out for ourselves and become a whole new person in a whole new world. I have never worked on a piece from over 100 years ago, but because of its time it really meant you had to focus on all of the details which made this project harder but also more rewarding. When I started this project I was torn between Amy and Meg I loved them both but was looking for the biggest challenge. I though Amy was a bit like characters I’ve played in the past but I’d never played a character like Meg and there were scenes I knew I would find particularly challenging so I went for her. When we first started my biggest worry was the accent. We hadn’t decided which accent we were going for and not only that, it had to be with dialogue from over 100 years ago. I was worried that it would be way harder to learn since there’s words in it we don’t normally use but because we put effort in to learn the meaning of these unknown words they weren’t as scary to use anymore. After a while of rehearsals we all started using the same American accent. Doing a whole show where I spoke and acted like a teen/ adult from the 1800’s really opened my eyes to different productions I’d want to be a part of. I’d never wanted to do period pieces before because they seemed difficult and not that fun however, as long as you do research and find the core or the story and character it makes it a world easier, I’m so excited for this new part of acting to have opened up in my mind. I think doing little women has also really helped with my body language, I’ve learned how to focus on naturally moving my body to match the character which used to be tricky for me, however, because there’s so many things my character couldn’t do, for an example, slouch, cross arms or put my arms behind my back, it helped me to be constantly thinking of my body language in one part of my brain whilst also being a character in the other. I was worried about body language, I did not want the audience to look at the stage and see me as a teenage girl in 2023 so I made sure to always think bout it in rehearsals. I think this character really challenged me, I had to be so vulnerable to the audience as she was fast falling in love with John and slowly losing her precious little sister at the same time. I had to show my joy and excitement for John then look across the stage to see my dying little sister at the same time. This was a challenge but I found what I thought made the most sense was that John was a distraction to all of that. She would be terrified and heartbroken for Beth and when John entered that stage he would take the pain away for a little while and all she could think about was him, then as soon as he left I needed the pain to return. This was a challenge as I have to quickly change such strong emotions back and fourth like I never have before. I had a point in rehearsals where I felt like I’d completely lost the character because I just felt like where I’d added all of my characterisation and really looked deep to show she’s not just the boring older sister she’s the loving sister who feels as though she has help marmee to raise the sisters to become ladies. As well as being mature she also likes to have fun, she likes laughing with her sisters and helping Jo put on her shows as well as liking going to balls and falling in love. She is a complex character and I worried that I’d looked to deep into her that I’d lost her all together. However, my teacher and peers reassured me that I was still playing the role exactly how it needed to be played. I was really nervous every time we looked at a new scene because I was worried that I would find a challenge too big to overcome, however, I took each scene 1 at a time and remembered I knew Meg and I know how she’d act in any situation so I’m safe from that. A scene I found quite difficult was where Meg first argues with aunt March. This was hard because it was so unlike Meg, however I used that in my scene by showing not regret but a question of who she was after she argued with her. I needed to show how she was so in love with John that anyone speaking about him disrespectfully make her very defensive of him because that’s what happens when you’re in love. It was a challenge to show how Meg was effected by the death or dying on her little sister. I wanted the audience to see that Meg was so afraid to loose her, but knew that I’d she cried she would only make it worse for Bethy so she had to be strong. Overall, I think this character has gave me many more skill sets to take with me as I carry on my acting journey at university. I’m glad to have finished with this character as she really forced me to dig deep and search for reason and cause within  her. That will help me with all my roles in the future. I also think the fact that we were still unsure of certain scenes on the day but managed to perform like professionals on the night has really made me more confident within myself and what I can do.