Final Performance Evaluation

The show in general was extremely successful and I feel that the majority of the cast members put a lot of effort into their characters and their performances. One of the aspects I feel we improved greatly on in our last couple of rehearsals as a collective group was our pace in different scenes, this was extremely apparent in our final performance, as we managed to get the show done a lot quicker than we had done in rehearsals. I feel that the majority of us managed to capture the pace that our characters would interact and carry themselves and presented that effectively to the audience.

I felt one of the main strengths of my performance was the fact I knew all my lines and my cues confidently enough to be able to focus on her character and the way I was going to portray her story towards the audience. Not needing to worry about my lines as I knew them well was extremely useful as I could put the extra effort into portraying her character and playing my objectives during my performance. Another aspect I felt that was one of my strengths was that I used my voice effectively enough to articulate my words and I felt that I used enough projection that my lines were able to be heard by everyone in the room. This was one of the main struggles for the cast in general as I found that during rehearsals it was quite hard to hear some peoples’ performances and so I tried to put in extra effort to be able to be heard clearly and I think I carried that out successfully in my final performance.

If I had had more time to work on Ranyevskaya’s character, I would have gone into greater detail about her characterisation and more specifically, her physicality. Though, I feel I managed to portray the basics of her characterisation through my physicality – I feel this was one of my biggest weaknesses and I would have liked to developed it in increased detail and really have explored the way she holds herself. I found it quite hard to approach Ranyevskaya’s physicality with bold characteristics, as her physicality isn’t completely specified in the text, and I didn’t want to stray too far off the text. However, I would have liked to have had the chance to spend a little more time developing a further understanding. Another aspect I would have liked to improve and have explore further, if I had the chance, would be the way Ranyevskaya uses her voice. I that was another one of my weakest areas as I feel I barely touched on the surface and would have liked to have experimented more using my voice to explore layers of her character.

Over the term I learnt that naturalism is hard to portray on stage and it takes a lot of understanding to do it effectively as you have to learn and get the grasp of many different techniques to staying true to the character. Initially I found this quite challenging to understand, however, over the term my understanding developed through the different workshops that took place and my own research. By understanding the different key aspects of naturalism, I could use different techniques effectively in my final performance. I think I managed to achieve the most naturalistic performance I could at this stage in my acting development in my final performance; however, in the future I would like to explore naturalism further and develop my skills.

Stanislavsky’s different naturalistic methods helped me develop a deeper understanding of my character, I explored different areas of my character that I usually wouldn’t have approached or looked at in great detail previously. I felt his exercise of ‘Magic If’ really helped me explore the different ways Ranyevskaya may react in different situations. This helped me develop a further understanding of her character and how I would present that in my final performance. Another method I found useful was his use of objectives and splitting scenes into units. By giving Ranyevskaya an overall super-objective it meant I was able to understand her character in better detail and develop a deeper understanding on how to present that on stage. My development was also helped by splitting the singular scenes into different units and giving each unit a different objective – this meant I understood Ranyevskaya’s motivation in each scene and what she was trying to achieve. This was one of my main strengths in my final performance as I kept my objectives in mind throughout the performance and I feel I managed to portray my objectives towards the audience effectively enough to present a performance true to her character.  

I felt that one of the strongest performances was Felix's portrayal of Yepikhdov. He managed to portray the unhappiness and hurt behind Yepikhdov’s character really successfully, causing the audience and myself to feel sympathetic towards the character and his situation. He held Yepikhdov’s physicality in such a way that presented him as of a lower status than those around him, he seemed drawn in on himself and sad, presenting his inner turmoil over his feelings towards Dunyasha to the audience. However, contrastingly, there were also scenes where he played Yepikhdov quite confidently – such as; in his first scene with Lopahkin or with his argument with Varya. This added different layers to Felix’s characterisation of Yepikhdov, presenting the idea that his character is a lot more refined than what may be displayed on the surface.

Overall, I feel that my performance as Ranyevskaya was successful and I am extremely happy with our final performance. I think I managed to portray her character to the audience through different aspects of Stanislavsky's techniques whilst staying true her character. I have learnt many different skills over this term which I had never had the chance to develop before and so I have gained new knowledge and experience that I will definitely use in further roles and their development.

Costume

We decided that Ranyevskaya would wear a simple black pencil skirt, a shirt or blouse and black heels. This way we chose a costume that is simple and easy to replicate and wouldn't take much effort to bring together. To colour and add characterisation to the costume, Ranyevskaya will have piece of fur that's unique to her character. This costume managed to capture Ranyevskaya's personality and her outlook on life, she's generally possesses a simple and positive outlook on life and doesn't need anything extravagant to wear. However, I feel the fur helps add and portray the status of Ranyevskaya's character and how she perceives herself. As we aren't approaching the text traditionally, our costume has to be relevant as if the story would be taking place right now - this is why we're in more modern wear rather than traditional 1900's costume.  

Maria's characterisation of Dunyasha is comical and I feel it captures exactly what Dunyasha's character is like. Though she is a house maid, it's clear she has a good relationship with the members of the house and I think Maria presents that effectively. She managers to capture the good relationship Dunyasha has with Anya and the dynamic of their relationship together. She also works with physicality to enhance her lines and add bolder colours to her character. 

I think Romy and Jack's scene is one of the strongest in the show, both actors use their voice effectively to display what the scene is trying to portray. Romy manages to capture Ranyevskaya's pain from her past and they both work well together to portray the character's relationship. Their character choices are interesting and make their performances more dynamic and true to the characters. Their characterisation comes through the lines and physicality effectively, giving the audience a good idea about who they are playing and what they are going through. They also manage to connect to the audience in such a way that causes the audience to feel sympathetic towards the characters and intrigued to find out who their story ends. 

Character Work

What my character has said about other people;
"...And Varya's just the same as before - she looks like a nun."
"My beloved child."
"...You're the same as ever Lenya."
"...He's a good man"
"You were still a boy before, just a nice young student."
"...My poor Varya feeds everyone on milk soup to economize.."
"Why do you drink so much, Lenya? Why do you eat so much? Why do you talk so much?"
"My husband died of champagne - he was a terrible drinker."
"That wild man - he's ill again, he's in trouble again."
"This is the room where our poor mother loved to walk.."

These are all different examples of Ranyevskaya talking about other people. I feel like Ranyevskaya generally has a positive outlook on life and tries to find the good in everyone - "...And Varya's just the same as before - she looks like a nun.". This may because of her need to find comfort and love in everything she does to chase away the events of her past. But, that can sometimes be pushed to the limit and taken advantage of, for instance with her husband - he took advantage of her broken state, this causes her to speak about him quite negatively. This also gives me an idea about her relationships with other people and how I should approach them. I feel like she has strong relationships and cares very much about the people she loves - "My beloved child."

What other people say about my character;

"She's a fine woman. Easy, straightforward."
"I felt so sorry for her, I put my arms around her..."
"Then she tips all the waiters a ruble each."
"Mama couldn't bare it. She escaped."
"I love you like my own flesh and blood."

These are different examples of other characters speaking about Ranyevskaya. I feel that many of the other characters are sympathetic towards Ranyevskaya, almost pitying her for the events that have happened. However, it's clear that many have great respect for her and obviously look up to her as a leader. I also feel that some characters may see her as quite a clueless woman who's just trying to escape the demons of her past - this is suggested by Anya's comment about Ranyevskaya throwing her money around and paying the waiters - "Then she tips all the waiters a ruble each.". Looking at what other character's say help me get an idea about how other character's perceive and see my character and how that may influence their relationship.

What I say about myself;
"I slept in here when I was a little girl."
"I gave myself to him."
"I tried to poison myself...so stupid."
"If only I could forget my past."
"Today my fate is being decided...my fate."
 "Laugh at me I'm such a fool"

From what Ranyevskaya says about herself it's clear she hasn't managed to let go of her past, it's still following her every move - "I slept in here when I was a little girl." "I gave myself to him. I feel that this causes her to try and prove to others that she's okay when really it still effects her greatly. She tends to obsess over issues and events that have happened in the past, dwelling on them until they become too much for her. I feel like she hasn't really found her place in the world yet and she knows it, she keeps jumping from place to place ignoring what she leaves behind - "I tried to poison myself...so stupid."

Ranyevskaya Character Work

• Who am I? 

I am Lyubov Ranyevskaya, I am mother of Anya and Varya. I'm a kind and caring person, though, I may be a little blindsided by the pain I've experienced in the past. I care about my family and my friends, I only want what's best for them. I'm strong and stand by my ideas and it's hard for myself to be influenced by other's points and idea's. I come from a well off background, well educated and well cared for. Though, the losses of my son and my husband have both affected me greatly and my view on the world. My second husband was another bad experience to add to my list, I ran looking for comfort after death of my son and found a man who lured me into a sense of false hope then ran off with another woman. I know that there is pain in my past but I chose not to face it, almost because I don't want to influence my negativity onto other people's lives. However, this causes me to be a little single minded about certain subjects - such as the issues concerning my estate and cherry orchard. My upbringing here, birthed many memories attached to the estate and orchard - influencing my reluctance to sell it. I often have trouble letting go of things due to the emotional influence it's had one me.

• Where am I? 

I'm sitting in my old nursery. The furniture is almost the exact same since I last saw it, the colours are bright and bold - perfect for when I was growing up. There's a window at the back of the room, looking out onto the estate's orchard, I used to look out of there everyday when I was younger. However, there's raining beating down against the window at this moment, it's quite cold. Sitting on one of the cupboards, in the corner of the room, are a few of my old toys from when I was younger - they're worn from over time but they provide a state of comfort. This rooms means a lot to me, I have a lot of memories attached to this place, many a day I spent playing in here with my brother. I like to come and just sit and observe the room, just being in here transports me back to my childhood days.

• When is it? 

It's a cold Wednesday morning, the sun has barely risen. It's mid may, one or two days after I arrived back at the estate. I felt restless in my bed and felt the pull of the nursery. 

• Where have I come from? 

My home country is Russia, however, I've been in Paris for the last couple of years, fleeing from the death of my son. There I found a husband, but that feel apart and is now in the past. I barely made a real home for myself in Paris, so on my return to Russia I had very few things to bring back with me.

• What do I need? 

 I'm searching for comfort. I'm searching for love. I'm striving to find a place in the world that I can be completely comfortable in, I thought that was Paris - it wasn't. I'm searching to find love, whether that be in my family, friends, a lover or the memory of this estate. I need to settle back into my old home and move on with my future. I need to face my problems and the tragic events in my past, however, I do not know this consciously. My actions are all motivated by the fact I need to settle back, and find comfort. 

• Why do I need it?/Why do I need it now? 

I need it and I need it now because all the issues in my past are banking up and becoming too much for me. The looming sale of my estate and orchard is casting a shadow everything I do, I know it's something I need to do but I need the comfort it gives me. I need that in my life at this moment, especially after the events in Paris. I could feel myself losing it in Pairs, being away from this estate and my family. I needed to come back right away, I needed the comfort and the love that comes with this estate. I need it to block out everything that's happened to me, I need it so I can have a sense of stability and comfort in my life. 

I found blocking and running through this scene a little more challenging as I have more lines and more actions to carry out. However, I feel this scene really begins to explore Ranyevskaya's character in greater detail. I begun by giving her the objective for the scene as; to settle in (same as previous scene) but also to ignore and block. She wants to settle herself into her estate again, "...I shall never survive this joy..." as she's evidently extremely excited to back in such a familiar place. But when Lopakhin brings up the issue of selling the orchard, she instantly reprimands it with the fac the orchard is a valuable heirloom, "...my dear forgive me but you don't understand." This also gives an indication of the relationship between Lopakhin and herself as they are both quite fond of one another but Lopakhin is extremely oblivious to how Ranyevskaya feels about ideas. Acting this scene out really helped me develop an understanding of their relationship and how I should portray that as effectively as I could.
I action-ed my first chunk of lines, from "Is this really me sitting here..." to "...still alive." as to validate and to communicate as she's validating how much this estate and the country means to her "Oh, but I love my country...", she's really expressing how much this place means to her and the emotions she's attached to it, "...I did nothing but weep..". She then communicates with Firs and greets him with a large amount of respect, "Thank you, Firs, thank you, my dear." - this gives me an understanding on how she communicates with him and her use of "dear", gives me an idea about how much she respects him and his place in the house hold. I action-ed my next set of lines, from "I can't sit still..." to "my dear old table." as to ignore and to reminisce. Ranyevskaya makes an instant point of ignoring what Lopakhin, giving an indication of her feelings towards what he's trying to say - this could also suggestion something about her characterization; that she ignores many of the issues facing her in her life. This gives me a better understanding of her personality and how she's paying more attention to the physical objects of the room, "..my own dear bookcase.." than to the issues Lopakhin is trying to convey. This piece of dialogue also gives me a chance to explore how she moves about the room and how she holds her physicality. She's further reminiscing on the objects presented to her in the room, using words such as "..my dear old.." to convey how much they mean to her.  I then action-ed "I don't entirely..." as to question as she's questioning Lopakhin and herself if she really is hearing what he's saying, she can't quite comprehend what he's proposing. I action-ed the next set of lines as; to respond - She instantly defends the orchard and presents how high in value she holds it "..something rather remarkable.."  -this shows the extent of her emotions and attachment towards the orchard. I then action-ed my last line "And what's happened..." as to question as she's almost asking a question that she doesn't want to know the answer to, it feels as if she's nervous the orchard will fall into the future of the dried cherry recipe.

 The first part from "Is this really me sitting here..." to "They wrote and told me.." I split into one unit as it mainly involves Ranyevskaya finding her footing in this scene and settling back in her old familiar surroundings, familiarizing herself with objects and a room from her past. Her main objective in this objective is to settle in and feel at home again. Then I split "I don't entirely understand..." to "...then it's our cherry orchard" into another unit as it mainly involves the discussion about the issues surrounding the cherry orchard and the character's reactions to Lopakhin's suggestion, Ranyevskaya's main objective in this unit is to ignore and constantly block out what Lopakhin is saying.  I put the rest of the dialogue into one other unit as it moves onto Firs talking about the old cherry recipe they used to use in the past, all the other character's are exasperated by the discussion beforehand. Ranyevskaya's main objective in this unit is to question Firs' statements about the recipe and try and forget all the issues surrounding the sale of the orchard. It's almost as if she uses Firs as a distraction, rather than face the situation full on.