Hedda Gabler Evaluation

During our first term of year 12 at the Brit school, our first unit of performance workshop involved a production of Henrik Ibsons play Hedda Gabler.

Whether it be during the rehearsals or on the night of the show, an aspect that was every important through out process of creating this peace was my ability to show an effective use and control of performance based techniques. Certain points at which these techniques where clearly demonstrated include my role within the show physically and vocally. Being that are only experience of performing this piece within the space was that of  the actual day, it meat that I would have to very quickly adapt from the significantly smaller surroundings of our rehearsal spaces to a much larger scale. Vocally this meant that in order to fully engage the audience my lines would need to be delivered with the right amount of volume and clarity.

In order to communicate the intentions and purpose of my character within the piece, things such as my characters costume, accent and body language where adapted and played upon to accentuate and individuate the role of my character. From reading the play and doing further background research into the world and times of our characters, I was able to gain a greater understanding of how my character being someone such as himself may have sounded and dressed, meaning I was able to introduce aspects to the piece that would work, really allowing me to play and be relaxed within the environment.

From the time spent working on this piece I have learnt the importance of working from my characters objectives, working from within the body to be as natural and fluid with my moments and words, embodying the character to the full extent. In order to achieve this, working on relaxing and imagination exercises in class meant I could be in the moment, leaving my thoughts behind and entering the mind and sole of Eilert Loveborg. One perticular exercise that i found very effective, involved laying in semi supine with your eyes and imagining that you are looking in the mirror as you character, allowing you to imagine exactly what they would look like and pay attention to every fin detail.

Overall I am greatly pleased with how the final performance went. Although at times I mad mistakes or slipped up on lines, in the end everyone put in all there effort to achieve what I believe to be a successful night and great learning experience.

9 Character Questions

Who am I ?

My name is Eilert lovborg, I am a man of my thirties and from an aristocratic family. I am a former alcoholic and now have a career as a teacher and author. I am a man of average height, I'm dressed in the rather smart attire of a black and white suit and tend to carry myself in quite a strong, confident manner. I have spent my life living on the edge, striving to succeed and embrace anything life has to offer. However after being reunited with my beloved Hedda it seems I've been stumped, as I come to grips with weather i really want to continue living in the world as I know it.    

What time is it ?

Living in 1890's Norway, it is the early hours of a cold Autumn evening. Although there is a cool breeze in the atmosphere, there is a clear red sky as the sun begins to set.

Where am I ?

I am currently in the new home Mr and Mrs Tesman; a former colleague and a woman who was once very dear to me. I have been kindly invited in, and now find myself seated upon an arm chair as I admire my surroundings.

What surrounds me ?

Before me lies a drawing room. The space holds entirely new furniture, with every detail showing a clear sense of intricate thought and planning. High ceilings and great tall widows on every side of the room provide the most spectacular lighting, in doing so extenuating the radiant colours of the numerous flowers dotted around the place. 


My relationship with the surroundings ?

Although surrounded by an undeniably beautiful space, I am finding almost impossible ignore the things that play on my mind. Once living a life completely free of all care and worry,I decided to make some changes in my life in order to better myself as a person, for example putting a stop to my regular consumption of alcohol. However being in the constant presence of people of my past has started to corrupt me and I wonder whether I will be able to with stand this for much longer.

What are my given circumstances ?

In my scenes as Eilert, the cracks in this innocent persona that has been previously up held by Loveborg are begging to unravel. I have agreed to the invitation of a night out about the town with Brack and George, in doing so giving in to the temptations of alcohol, going against myself and Thea. Also I have managed to loose my manuscript, meaning I have lost all mine and Thea's hard work and ruined any of my hopes of a some what happy life.  

What do I want ?

I have come to the conclusion that after losing my manuscript, I no longer want to attempt to make anything of my life. Therefore eventually wanting to end my life, also cutting of my relationship with Thea and saying goodbye to the one woman I truly love but can never be with, Hedda Gabler  

Whats blocking me ?

Really the only thing in between Eilert and his objective is himself. He makes it clear that he is sure on his decision to "end it all" and really there is no one capable of stopping him from doing this, apart from himself and possibly Hedda, who doesn't do so.

What am I going to do to get what I want ?

In order to achieve my objective I must be truthful and real with the people that I care for around me. I must set my wrongs with Thea right  and say goodbye to the one love.

An Introduction to Stanislavski and Naturalism

Born in 1863, Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev or Stanislavski as we know him, entered the world as a member of one of the most affluent families in Russia. With theatre and the arts being very much held in the lime light of his home life, he became largely educated and influenced by this world from a very young age.

Aged 22, at a time where all theatre was presented in the form of melodrama being highly censored and constricted by the guidelines set in place by the government, Stanislavski began to question these methods and took it to himself to to delve dipper into what he believed to be the real truth of a good actor. He once said "life is the most important director", he saw the importance in the ability of making theatre look just as reality and develoed this through out his life, into the method of naturalism common in the majority of theatre, film and tv we see today. By the end of the 19th century a lot of writers where writing in this style and up until present day an audience will almost always expect this sense of reality when going to see theatre.