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REHEARSING THE CHANGELING
The Director’s Approach
Director, Stephen Unwin’s overall approach to rehearsal is strongly text based; he is thorough in consistently
guiding the actors to be specific in their scenes, to avoid generalised performances, by exploring the text indepth.
He and the actors spent a long time studying and analysing the text to discover the meaning of the scenes,
the language and to gain a clear perspective on how the scenes should be played. The actors with the
director had lengthy discussions to gain a full understanding of each character.
Practical Exercises used in Rehearsal
• The aim of this exercise is to help the actors gain a better understanding of which words and
phrases, spoken to them by other characters, their character really responds to.
Two actors who have a dialogue together, sit on two chairs back-to-back. As the first actor speaks,
the second actor vocalises their instinctive, emotional responses in modern, non-verse English, and
then vice versa.
This produces a lot of noise, and is practical when the actors in question have a strong enough
command of their lines not to be distracted by the other person speaking. This is also why they sit
back-to-back.
• This exercise is used to make the actors on stage aware of what is unusual and strange about what
actually happens in the play.
The actors are instructed to act out the ‘ordinary’ version of the scene, and then play the version in
the script. For example, at the start of the play, Beatrice-Joanna leaves a church. In an ‘ordinary’
version of this scene, she may simply walk off and go home or have merely a passing conversation
on her way, but instead she is distracted by Alsemero, who then declares that he loves her.
The Director and Actor in Rehearsal
Question:
• Choose your favourite character from the play and imagine you are an actor playing this role,
what does your character want more than anything else in the play?
Exercise 1:
• As actors, playing Beatrice-Joanna and Deflores, use the following excerpt to identify ‘wants’ on
every passage spoken. Then play the scene, literally announcing your chosen ‘want’ prior to
each section, e.g.:
Beatrice-Joanna: I want to engage you intimately – Oh my Deflores
The group should suggest ‘wants’ for the actors that feel most apt for the characters needs
and the actor must play the chosen ‘want’ as effectively as possible whilst saying the lines.
If a chosen ‘want’ isn’t effective enough, maybe it’s the wrong one? Consider why and think of
and try alternatives.
Once the group are happy with the chosen ‘wants’ for the actors, let the whole scene be played
out once whilst announcing the ‘wants’ prior to the line.
Re-play the scene again, this time not stating the ‘wants’ but going back to using the text as it
stands. However, make sure the ‘wants ‘ are still being strongly played.
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