I am playing Don Pedro, the prince in Much Ado about Nothing. Hopefully, alot of us know what happens so I don't have to explain it too much.

I saw him initially as a very personable prince, really wanting to get closer to the people, and find the true love of his life.

My director stopped me the other day and said that she wants me to play him the opposite, as a snobbish prince, who wouldn't dare touch the peasents.

Now, it's one thing if it was written that way, but I am not going to have any fun with this at all, and if I were to quit, people would be shitting their pants mad.

Any suggestions? Should I try to reason with the director? Should I just suck it up and do it her way? Should we compromise? What do you think?

And, yes, I know this is her vision, but...yeah. It's her vision I guess.

Most of the time when a director gives you a note, he doesn't want you to throw everything you've worked on away, but he'd like you to add it to what you're doing.

I don't see why you couldn't play both at the same time. A prince who was snobbish and didn't want to touch the peasants, yet was very lonely, and longed to find a way to get closer to people.

My advice is try it. As an actor, your job is to experiment and try things the director tells you.

It sucks. But call it an exercise in humility. You never know, you might have to work with James Cameron one day so this is good practice!!

quote:

Originally posted by Prospective:
I am playing Don Pedro, the prince in Much Ado about Nothing. Hopefully, alot of us know what happens so I don't have to explain it too much.

I saw him initially as a very personable prince, really wanting to get closer to the people, and find the true love of his life.

My director stopped me the other day and said that she wants me to play him the opposite, as a snobbish prince, who wouldn't dare touch the peasents.

Now, it's one thing if it was written that way, but I am not going to have any fun with this at all, and if I were to quit, people would be shitting their pants mad.

Any suggestions? Should I try to reason with the director? Should I just suck it up and do it her way? Should we compromise? What do you think?

And, yes, I know this is her vision, but...yeah. It's her vision I guess.

Sounds like an opportunity for a layered performance. In life, there is always something that is keeping us from getting to something else.

Conflict=Drama

I feel for you, man.

I did a film last year, and I hated the way the director wanted me to play it. I did what I could while giving him what he wanted... but as I expected, he couldn't use a lot of the stuff he filmed (because it sucked). I'd like to think that when he saw the footage, he realised I was right.

Pros - I agree with Jon_K and Lurker combine the two. Since you have already worked and develop the character your way keep it. Now look at what the director is asking of you as the adjustment and blend the two. Then like Lurker said show the different levels, colors, and all what the character now has to offer. That'll sure make for a dynamic performance. So just adjust man ! You'll be fine. Keep us posted as to how it turns out. Now I'm curious to see how you've made out. Break a leg !!!

quote:

Now, it's one thing if it was written that way, but I am not going to have any fun with this at all, and if I were to quit, people would be shitting their pants mad.

What makes you think he's "not written that way"? These are not simple characters. As was said, people have very complex personalities. We are not this way, or that. We are both... and then some.

Case in point... Most people want love and companionship. And most aristocrats did not receive that on a basic, human level. Friendship and courting was driven by money and status - not love and trust. The icing on the cake here, is that he is a Spanish prince in a Sicilian town.

These opposites play off of each other and create conflicting driving forces. And they do so in a very normal and realistic way. By playing both sides, you have the opportunity to create a "real" person with "real" issues.

Also, you need to explore why you would not have fun with the role. This probably will not be the last time you don't like playing a certain character. So... what are the specific character traits that bother you, and why? Many times, there is a personal reason for it. Maybe you're being asked to reveal something you don't like about yourself... or maybe it reminds you of how someone treated you as a child. By exploring this and capitalizing on your negative emotions, you will turn it into a very positive performance by being connected to the character on a personal level.

IMO, one of the most common, and most limiting philosophies of actors is the "my character wouldn't do that" syndrome. What makes people the most interesting is that we very often do things we wouldn't normally do... and vice versa. How many times did you say about a friend, "I can't believe he did that!!"? Our basic personality is what drives us every day. But occassionally, a situation comes along that digs deep into our psyche and presents a conflicting motivational force. Shakespeare knew this, but it's our job to figure out what that is for the character.

The day we start saying "yes" to the possibilities, is the day we truly begin to develop more dynamic and interesting characters.

Finally, community theatre can sometimes be the most frustrating since we're not getting paid for it; but this is not limited to community theatre. I think it's important to come to terms with the many different ways directors think of actors. Some think of us as capable artists... others think of us as moveable props. Also, different directors approach Shakespeare VERY differently. Some are very strict, some are very loose. So that's just something that I feel actors need to get used to. No one ever made it in this business with thin skin.

PaulyWally,

That was a great post! Thank you! However, I don't think you really see my point.

I want to play the character with more humanity, with more flaws, with conflict, with desires and dreams. The director however does not want me to. She wants me to play the Prince as a prince. That's all. No conflict. She doesn't want dynamics or anything. It's one dimensional what she's asking me to do.

Now, I may be making it sound terrible, and it's really not as bad as I'm making it sound.

Now, I have a different question for you Pauly, how can you play those opposite driving forces without jumping to your head? I know everyone has their own way, but I just would like a little kick in the butt in the direction so I can figure out my way.

Thanks for everyone else's posts also! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Prospective:
She doesn't want dynamics or anything. It's one dimensional what she's asking me to do.

Gotcha. I kinda thought that's what she wanted but wasn't sure. That's why I expounded on blending your's and her's character analysis together.

quote:

Now, I may be making it sound terrible, and it's really not as bad as I'm making it sound.

I've complained just as bad... if not worse about community theatre. And I get REALLY frustrated when I feel like I'm not growing from the experience. Which is probably part of what you're feeling.

quote:

Now, I have a different question for you Pauly, how can you play those opposite driving forces without jumping to your head? I know everyone has their own way, but I just would like a little kick in the butt in the direction so I can figure out my way.

I feel this is a difficult concept to realize without actual scene exploration and exercises. The best thing I can say is, try to focus in the "here and now" when you're in a scene. People react to what is happening NOW. Sometimes the dialog may talk about something in the past, but the dialog was sparked by something in the present.

Yeah, we know how the scene ends up... which is why it takes so much focus to not think about it. Don't just become the character... really enjoy being the character. If you can enjoy being that person, you're practically living that person.

I try to study people. Do some people watching. Watch your friends closely. Really try to study and understand why they do certain things. For an exercise, try to pick little fights with friends/family. Push their buttons to try and get them to react in a way they normally wouldn't.

Ask yourself: How long did it take to get them steamed up? Was it a gradual build, or did they just explode? Ask yourself "why?" to every answer (like a kid does). Why? Why? Why? Then go to your script. When you see something that is "out of character" (or sometimes "in character"), look at the previous lines of text to see where exactly the behavior started to manifest. And again, start asking "why". Why would he do this? Why did this bother him? Why isn't he reaching out to this person for companionship? Etc...

Like you said, everyone has their own way. For me, I love script analysis because I find people so interesting. In its basic form, it's psychology. So I find that understanding people helps me to understand characters (and ALL their motivations).

Hope that helps!

Once again Pauly, great paragraph. I think we would get along well if we actually knew eachother, because I also love script analysis.

I actually was thinking of your advice last night at rehearsels and I got about 5 or 6 new ideas for just one scene, so thank you!

I actually do the button pushing with my parents/friends/family. I don't try to piss them off, I just try to say something that'll make them confused or whatever. It's kinda fun actually. :-)

What I really appreciate you saying was that you focused on pushing other people's buttons, instead of your own. I read something from Ivana Chubbuck that says that you must know how to push your own buttons, and though that's a good idea, I think it's even better to try to get the focus off of yourself and push your partner's or the other person's buttons.

quote:

Originally posted by PaulyWally:
IMO, one of the most common, and most limiting philosophies of actors is the "my character wouldn't do that" syndrome.

quoted for truth