Understanding Carol

Sorry I haven't updated in a while...but it's because nothing noteworthy has really happened.
This week is reading week so there are no classes for some departments, which includes the theatre department (with the exception of theatre crafts classes which us CalEx students can't take).

So, no classes...naturally I've gotten nothing done (with the exception of work on Oleanna).
I've been waking up late, doing errands on campus and in Selly Oak. Zarah isn't here so I'm bored. But my friend Paul has got me hooked on Prison Break so we've been watching back to back episodes the last two nights. Now I know why people have been so obsessed with it.

Today I had a rehearsal with the director one on one for my monologues cuz act three of Oleanna is basically all Carol tearing John apart, talking down to him, and then taking up the role as teacher. It was supposed to take an hour but ended up taking the full three our rehearsals usually are. Felt really good though. It's so great working with my director, James, cuz we pretty much have the same vision, like I'm about to suggest something for Carol's character and he just beats me to it. And we both see eye to eye on the importance of showing a character's vulnerability and humanity, as malicious as Carol (AND John) can be.

The first time I went to OSF with Irwin's class I had an epiphany; it was a summer of many antagonists, and I didn't hate a single one of them because they had their moments of humanity and vulnerability and I could understand why they were the way they were.
The second time I read through Oleanna was during the read through and after reading it and hearing how people responded to it and the character of Carol (this play caused riots when it first opened) I was worried I was gonna have a hard time loving her. (I have hated characters I've played in the past and realize now it was not the way to go.)
But James had us play an interesting improv game called "Hotseat" where we were asked questions and we had to respond as our characters. The answers all had to be really quick and organic and I learned a lot of things about Carol...
1) she's from Georgia
2) she's from a rather poor underprivileged family
3) she's the first of her family to go to college
4) her father disapproves of her going to college
5) his name is Robert (sorry, Dad)
6) her family's surname is Johnson
7) she has a brother (whose name is probably also Robert, I've decided)
When James asked "Carol" about her childhood, first thing that popped into my mind was that she was beaten, but Carol didn't feel like sharing that and just said she had a relatively normal childhood.
I now feel like I understand Carol, where she's coming from, and why she goes to such extreme measures to screw up her professor's life. Then again, I don't think it was even her intention to go that far; she's just a lost girl under the impression that she's found her voice in this feminist group that seems to have it in for John.
The whole history Carol has with her father makes her involvement in the feminist group make more sense to me.

Sorry that was a whole lot of actor rambling.

Moving on:
tomorrow I go to Manchester with the Oleanna crew for voice coaching. David's learning the northern American accent and we're gonna work on my southern talk I guess.
ROAD TRIP!
There will be pictures and I will post them.