Acting C Self-Evaluation

Natalie Glum
The biggest thing I learned in this acting unit was getting to the centre of a character’s
innermost desires and dreads. Drawing from the hierarchy of needs allows a clarity of
motivation for a character’s actions. This write-up will largely focus on the Henry VI
Scene, as it’s the one I felt most growth in.

Once I realized that Queen Margaret’s greatest need in the core of her being is to prove
her worth (due to her relatively low upbringing and sudden rise to royalty) it helped me
realize why it was so essential for her to utterly crush York’s spirit. If she doesn’t show
him thoroughly that she’s in charge, and he still dies, she has failed to prove her worth
in that moment. She wants to be recognized so much that when York denies her power,
she has utterly lost in the scene. This is where her deepest dread comes in: she fears that
she’s a failure, and having lost to York in this scene brings her almost to her breaking
point. And that is compelling theatre.

Taking advantage of Shakespeare’s verse is particularly helpful. Margaret’s verse is for

the most part perfectly 10 syllables per line. That is, until the turning point of the scene
where she brings up Rutland’s death. At 11 syllables, it’s the one point where Margaret
breaks the metrical rule, and it’s the line that should jar York the most.

Finally, learning to get the work personalized really helped me bring the scene home.
Thinking of a secret person from my experience that treated me the way Margaret treats
York really helped me inhabit the character, making her much more real and tangible. I
also learned how to better stay in the moment, listening to the action onstage with
Margaret’s reactions flowing through my mind. To keep track of Margaret’s reactions
and responses, even just internally, really helps the scene.

I do wish I had spent more time and effort on the Winter’s Tale scene, but I was happy
with how it came out for the Sharing. I won’t turn down an audience’s laughter.

On the whole, I am tremendously happy with how I did and think I have learned a lot to
bring forward to future roles.