Improvisation with Maya

Today we did duet improvisations with characters in the play who are influential to our own. I was paired with Maya who plays Mrs Bergmann, Wendla's mother. We decided to focus our scene around the breakfast table just before Wendla goes off to school. The improvisation lasted for about ten minuets and within that time we uncovered some really useful background knowledge about these two characters. 

The scene started with Wendla and her mother discussing a book Wendla was reading. This then changed into Wendla asking her mother about romance and babies. This was a really interesting topic because in the play Wendla doesn't stop until she finds out everything about reproduction. It developed into a convocation about what happens why the stalk comes. In the play I have a line 'A boy! That's why she had the flu for so long!' Maya and I discovered from this improvisation that Wendla's mother told her that when someone is expecting a baby boy from the stalk, they get a terrible flu for nine months, with regular vomiting and a bloated stomach and when someone is expecting a baby girl they get a really bad stomach bug, hence the vomiting, bloated stomach and slight weight gain. This was really interesting to experience as it gave purpose to that line which I have been struggling with slightly. We then moved onto Wendla's dad. Her mother doesn't like talking about it but Wendla becomes more curious and as the improvisation went on. We developed what we discovered in the hot seating. Although Mrs Bergmann never caved in, it was still very useful for character development to see each of the characters different reactions.

The improvisation helped develop our characters connection and relationship, but also helped Maya and I set up that Mother and Daughter dynamic. I found the tales which Wendla's mother told her about reproduction very interesting and it explained one of my lines in the play. Discussing the dad was also very informative because both of us saw each others reactions concerning the situation. The fact that Maya is a young mum came up, making us think that possibly she was in a similar situation as Wendla was. All of this is helping me to become this character and plan out her life. I feel as if I now have a comfortable bubble of Wendla's life around me and I can access that whenever I need it. I always find improvisations handy as they allow the actor freedom to make decisions about their character. The past few improvisations have been extremely helpful for me and I now feel completely immersed in Wendla's world and connected with Devan.