'Becoming' Your Character

A little bit of context for this post: I've got my Theatre Studies exam on Tuesday.

What? I only said there would be a little bit of context.

So, for this exam there are two sections, each with equal weightings. 30% of your final grade is based off of a group performance, where you're marked on your ability to abide by the director's (i.e. your teacher's) interpretation of a script, and for our piece we're doing Charlotte Jones' The Dark. The other 30% of your exam mark is based on a 2 minute monologue of your choosing, and you're marked on your written interpretation, movement, characterisation, and voice.

Long story short, being a completely cocky arsehole I decided to play Titania from Midsummer Night's Dream, and believe you me when I say that 'These are the forgeries of jealousy...' may look on the surface to be a relatively easy monologue...But as with anything of Shakespeare, it's one thing saying the words with expression, it's an entirely different thing expressing the language in a way that makes it penetrable to the audience.

Now, as some of you may know, Titania is the Queen of the Fairies. As some of you may not know, I naturally lack grace, and poise, and anything remotely queen- like, asides from my accent (as I discovered, my natural accent wasn't posh enough anyway, I pronounced my 'u's wrong). As the weeks progressed, and as I worked longer on the monologue, I finally managed to grasp the fairy like, but regal manner, that I wanted to portray as Titania.

And then Titania started seeping into my real life. Now, instead of being hunched over when sitting and standing, I generally push my shoulder's back slightly and sit tall. I can't help but pronounce my 'u's as if I'm speaking the Queen's English, and finally, I'm a lot lighter on my feet, seriously. I'm naturally quite a heavy footed person (hence the clumsiness) but now I'm able to prance about without making a sound.

Now this may be something that I've noticed when getting into role as Titania, but it occurs elsewhere in my...'creative pursuits'

For example, whenever I roleplay (as in internet roleplay, not kinky bedroom sex roleplay) as certain character's for a prolonged period of time, I tend to bring across their personality traits into real life, I talk slightly more like I imagine they'd talk, adopt the mannerisms I write for them, adjust my language to suit their background and upbringing.

So, what I want to know is...As an actress and writer, is it a good thing that I find it so easy to adopt my character's mannerisms and such? I mean it doesn't effect me greatly, and when I realise I'm doing it I can snap back to myself straight away, but is it natural to do so?

Lent, and what I'm giving up for it

I know I know, there are probably a million and one different posts like this popping up around the internet at the moment, and I know you're saying 'But Alice, you're not religious, why should you care about lent you hypocritical arsehole!'

Well for one, thank you for saying arsehole. It brightens up my day because the voice to my inner monologue simply cannot pronounce the word 'asshole' without sounding like a completely different entity has entered into my thoughts and is rudely jumping in on my normal mental narrator who speaks in a very distinguished and refined English accent which I attempt to channel into my everyday speech which has earned me the title of being 'very ladylike'

But I digress. Secondly, I believe that lent is a good thing (despite the fact that this is going to be the first time I observe it) because everybody needs a chance to let their bodies wind down, relax, and detox. Considering that exam season is coming up soon as well, I need to spend as much time as possible relaxing now before the stress induced binge that will come with frantically reciting my lines the night before I'm due to play Titania for Theatre Studies, or trying to overcome my resentment of the character Holden for English Literature.

So, what am I giving up for lent? Well, quite a lot of things actually, considering I'm also dieting (inb4 'so that's your real motivation!')

-Chocolate (obvious one)
-Sweets (still obvious)
-Sugar (as in adding extra sugar to things)
-Fast food (fast food that mum doesn't cook- Yay for oven bake!)
-Soda and diet soda
-White bread
-Pastry (I'll miss you pastry </3)
-Cake
-Alcohol

Well then, haven't I got a fun and highly enjoyable 40 days ahead of me