Creating Characters

As we came back from winter break, we started intense rehearsals for the senior IB projects. As Kermeka, our director, worked with each actor individually, she had us work on character development as we waited for our turn. To do so, she told us that the purpose of the production was not to imitate and completely embody the animals so that we would be transformed into animals ourselves but to embody the animal characteristics and portray these qualities into our character. In order to do so, we were told to think about the animals that we represented and analyze their movements and attitudes.

For example, Iris was Kathy who represented a cat. We decided that cats usually have a pompous, pretentious air about them so that they think of themselves as being above everyone else. In terms of attitude, Kathy was supposed to be a self-absorbed character who thought of herself as being superior. Because of a cat's body size, it slinks around lazily rather than running or walking actively. As a result, Iris glided across in order to mimic a cat's fluid movements. When it was my turn to portray Danielle, a donkey, it was harder to create a distinct voice, movement, or persona to embody a donkey's characteristics. I was told to go home and watch how donkeys move and react on youtube.com. In observing the donkeys, I realized that their one distinct characteristic that set them apart from other animals was their braying voice. Because Kermeka had said that the purpose was not to be a complete imitation of the animals, I decided to vary my voice by speaking with a normal tone that suddenly went to an extreme high. With this, we were able to further develop our characters so that the audience would have a better grasp of which animal we represented.