dinnertime!

SO dudes, today Scotty was speaking about the Stanisluvski method (hope thats spelt okay) and how we need to have an emotional link with our character in order to establish a more believable performance. He’s also told us about how its important to establish a backround story for your character. I’ve tried a number of times to research the characters of this play and have found it very very difficult to find anything substantial (so if anyone has found a good site or some good character information, please let me know!) On this blog i’m going to put together everything i’ve found so far along with my perceptions of the character from reading this script. throughout this process, i’ll update this page as i find more out about Monika and further establish her story, so if anyone’s interested in Mon Mon, please read on.
Monika:
Monika is an office worker and has been recently widowed. She is seeking a good night out with the girls. She seems to be suffering with grief and depression from her husbands recent death and at times imagines he’s still with her. She is confused and a virgin to this kind of environment and outing. She’s been fairly sheltered through her years of marriage as we learn that Martin (her late husband) didn’t like to go out much, they usually stayed at home. She reveals that she never drove, but was always driven and is late as she had trouble getting ready (not knowing what to do first, make-up or hair), she couldn’t find her car keys, and gets lost on the way, her melways missing pages. We get the idea that she wasn’t a very independant woman, but rather did what her husband wanted and spent her life working in the office and taking care of him. She’d cook and clean for him and sleep with him when he wanted it, even though it wasn’t satisfying for her, if anything a vile experience. As the night goes on, she reveals that she didn’t shed tears for her husband and his death, but rather for herself and the fact that she didn’t lose him sooner. We find out that she was stuck in an unhappy marriage, and perhaps to insecure, scared, adjusted to get out of it. Through an argument with Dympie, we learn that she didn’t live for herself (she lived selflessly)and she now makes a decision to please herself rather than always trying to please others (as she did with Martin). She’s in fact pleased that Martin is gone, not distraught but judging by her behaviour, she seems to still be suffering from grief of death of someone who was so strongly involved in her life. She never says she didn’t love Martin and I sence that she did, but the key problem was that the marriage was dysfunctional and unhappy for her and she never did anything to solve it, therefore, to her, his death seemed like a solution and a gateway to a happier life. We learn that she wants to take a man home with her, have a one-night stand and leave him before he wakes up. From this desire, i learn that Monika is not looking for another serious relationship or a new marriage, all she is looking for at the moment is FUN, she wants to experience things, break away from normal and old routine, as her past years in marriage have restricted her from doing so. The negative experience of being stuck in an unhappy marriage, with an unsatisfying sex-life has drawn her to look for fun, more teenage-like experiences, rather than a relationship. Monika is lonely (as i sence she has been for a long time, even in her marriage) and confused but after this night, she is on her way to building herself the life she wants.
…Well, this has certainly helped me get more of an insight into Monika - and hope it has for you guys too, i recommend all actors do this themselves, as i believe it’ll help enhance performance. As i said, i’ll update this blog as a learn and realise more about Mon Mon. thanx for reading (if you did) Asta Manyana