Collins --> THE REAL DEAL

One thing that I have found has been really useful is that my character was a real person. This has proved really crucial to my characterisation and development process as I have had something to research and provide a bases for my character. The fact that my character was a real person, I feel adds more pressure my performance because I am representing and telling a real persons story and it is really important to me that I convey him as honestly and truthfully as possible. As a result of this I have found that doing sufficient background research into my character has allowed me to be confident in the character and opinions that I am displaying to the audience, as I feel as I am continuing someone's story and legacy in a respectful yet truthful manner. On top of this I have found that having a basis to look into and to explore has really pushed my character development and understanding of him. This has been exceptionally useful to me personally as in the start of my character development process I was completely focused on that fact that I am playing a man and felt as though this was the most important thing physically in my character and that it had to conveyed in a believable manner to the audience. Although this is true, I found that it was consuming my character exploration and the choices that I was making. When I went back to the research that I found on my character, I found that simply exploring him as a real person allowed me to think of him as a person rather than defined by his gender. As a result of this I have found that my character choices have become based around him as a person not solely around his gender. I feel that this has pushed my character development, allowing me to connect to and understand him more clearly which has created a more truthful, real character of which the audience can relate to.

Research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Collins_(governor)

"but did not enjoy being at sea" --> I think that this is really interesting as a pre-tense to my character before he appears on stage as it has made me consider how his journey had developed on the ship and how this could have affected him mentally and emotionally as well as physically. 

"Collins was responsible, under the governor, for the colony's entire legal establishment." --> This really made me consider the power and status that Collins as a character holds not only amongst the convicts but the officers as well. This made me realise how crucial he is to the colony and how he is creating the very beginning of a society and the legal side of this. It made me think about how much his views on justice would have impacted on the colony as a whole and for years and years after. This has helped me to take into account the importance of my characters views and the weight they hold over the rest of the society. 

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/collins-david-1912

"13 June 1777 he married Mary (Maria Stuart), daughter of Captain Charles Proctor" --> The idea of him having a family back in England I think is hugely important to his characterisation but also to his attitude to his surroundings in the play. I particularly think that it would add heaviness and pain to the line "England" when he is remembering home. It has allowed me to have a purpose and something driving that line, which has really helped me to connect to it as well. 

"n. In March 1790 after Ross had been appointed lieutenant-governor at Norfolk Island, Collins could write to his father, 'Since Major Ross went from here, tranquillity may be said to have been our guest. Oh! that the Sirius when she was lost, had proved his—but no more of that. While here he made me the object of his persecution—if a day will come—a day of retribution'." --> This has really helped me to think about my relationship with the character Ross and how my character feels under his power. I think that this will really help drive the tension and stakes in the scenes that we have with each other. Also it will definitely make me consider the proximities of our spacing on stage and how this physically can tell a story to the audience.  

"Like Phillip he had a compassionate interest in the Aboriginals"--> For the period that our play is set and when he would have been alive, I feel that this view point would have been really fresh and modern and revolutionary. I think this says something about the nature of the character that I am playing and the care that he has within him. I also think it opens a curiosity within him and makes me consider him as a person who loves to explore and learn about new ways and people. 

Research --> The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant

This is a story of Mary Bryant who we can assume is Dabby Bryant in our play: "Our Counties Good". However it also focuses on the journey of the convict and the officers as well and I have found it really helpful to not only get a deeper and clearer understanding of my character but of the situation and the context of the show as well.

In regards to my character development and exploration what I have found most helpful from this clip is the scene with the officers eating and discussing the convicts and their treatment. I found this helpful because this scene is so similar to the Bird scene and the big debate scene amongst the officers. I think that in these scenes there has been something missing from the officers and the atmosphere that they are creating. However this clip has allowed me to see the casualness of the discussion that they are having and it made me think how death was such a normal thing to them. This will have an impact on how I approach the language and how I speak and project and display my lines in our scenes. It also made me think about how I approach the convicts and my opinion to their lives and how we treat them.

Also the shooting in this clip made me think about how I approach the guns as an object but also as a deadly weapon. It made me think about physically I would hold the gun and how I could hold it and use it. I think that this is really important because at the moment we are not approaching the guns as realistic objects and ones that could seriously cause pain and death. Also the physicality of the guns of them being heavy and how that changes how I walk and hold them.

Costume!!!!!!!

As an actor I found that getting my costume was really helpful as it allowed me to tap into my character and to be able to bring him to life. I perticually think that for Our Country's Good, it was really helpful for us to get our costumes as the context of our performance is one that we aren't used to or have any connection with so it allows us to get deeper into the world of the play. 

I found that it helped me get more specifically into the gender of Collins as I am going against my gender in the performance. It has been harder to connect to and on top of that to get into the physicality of my character. I have found that the costume has not only allowed me to connect to and explore the physical character of a man but also it has really helped me with the class of the Collins. I found that it has given me more status ad power within my body and my voice which has allowed me to express this through the performance. It has also made me feel more comfortable within my character and that I can push my choices even further.