translations

We have chosen to perform the Brian Friel play Translations, a modern classic. We chose this particular play because of its relevance to the Northern Ireland situation and because of the challenges involved due to the complex ideas it presents.

I decided to approach my role using Stanislavski’s idea of “the triumvirate of mind, will and feeling.” The “will” is my desire to play the part of Bridget, driving me to think of my character objectively to begin with, and the application of “mind” researching and learning about her. Stanislavski believed that something in the character’s nature would arouse an interest in the actor, creating empathy, which is the application of “feeling.” I realise that “mind, will and feeling” are the three essential ingredients an actor must possess to approach a role convincingly.

Once we had edited the play down to 25 minutes of action we did a reading of the play as a whole group. This enabled us to discuss our init...