Life is But a Stage... :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Life is But a Stage... This fall I performed the role of Stage autobus in the local high school production of Thornton Wilders Our Town. Our director didnt cast the role as the traditional lead, white male that most productions use we put off the role into two female parts of different race. Without the traditional portrayal to fall back on, we had to create our characters from scratch. The thought crossed my mind a a few(prenominal) times that my character didnt really have a name. Certain names remind you of stereotypes, and based on a name you can make both(prenominal) easy, general choices on how to portray that character. Mindy is a ditz, Christine can easily be a nerd, and Irma can make a nice old maid. That name association gives you a point to start from, after which you can explore other things. But where on earth do you start with a name interchangeable Stage? I formed an image of a guy wearing dirty overalls, walking barefoot and playing guitar outside his cabin i n the woods. He liked to philosophize about the world, and found that a little Baileys in his coffee made that world slightly clearer. He didnt need people somewhat and didnt completely understand them -- or maybe he did, and just got frustrated because they didnt understand themselves. He usually walked with his hands in his pockets, looking either up at the trees or down at the ground, but never focused at eye level. Somewhere in the process I adopted a feminine perspective on my character, very much a tomboy but also very much a woman. At two points in the show I took on other roles. . . in Act Two I played the minister at the wedding, which was a background character and non very distinct. Then, with fairly short notice I took on the role of Joe the undertaker in Act Three. I learned the blocking and the lines quickly, but my conundrum was that I had to change into Joe right on-stage, and just after my favorite Stage Manager speech. I decided to use a few simple material tr aits to help get into character. First I buttoned my shirt, which in three seconds was the only thing I could think of to give the audience some hint that I was changing identities. I developed a squint, changed the tone of my voice, and I gave Joe a limp by keeping my left knee locked.