WEEK 4, Day 21: HOW TO END IT

Think whether you are man or woman at the end.

What is the message of the piece?

You have layered and woven many ideas of HOW TO BE AN OTHER WOMAN into one another. Your piece of theatre is operating on various different levels of reality. You have understood what is going on by making lists: of characters, intentions, scenes, concerns, joys and woes. (Tuck the last few personal lists in your pocket, they are for your eyes only). Surrounded by your lists, shoes, cigarettes etc., and stretching out after busting out some Jane Fonda moves, wonder: how should the piece end? Unfortunately you have realised that when the story by Lorrie Moore ends you have to keep working. As a very clever story- teller you have created a level of reality of you as a shop assistant making the story, being part of the story, you have become the author of your own fate. What happens as Charlene's reality fades? Are you the shop assistant in fact Charlene? Are all of you in the ensemble Charlene? Who even is Charlene and the various men in her life, is she and all the characters you have incarnated in a montage of all of the story-tellers experiences? Remember that you can't reveal all the answers on the internet - to find out how this piece ends, book tickets and find out: www.gatetheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 0207 229 0706 Mon-Fri 10am-6pm.

WEEK 4, Day 19: HOW TO BE A NARRATOR

When you were young you thought that being a narrator was basically not getting the main part in the nativity...

Shop Assistant/ Window Dresser/ Dream Seller

When you were at school you believed that being a narrator was reading out the boring bits in the school Nativity play. You weren't outgoing or pretty enough to play a Wise Man or Mary. Now you are older you know it can mean many things and it definitely doesn't mean reading out the boring bits. You realise during the process of devising from a short story adaptation that the narrators are the story-tellers, they are the audience's guide. Everything that happens, everything that doesn't happen is because of them. They stop and start the action, creating the story live. You thought when you first read the script that when you were being a narrator, i:e not a man, woman, mistress, wife, you might get a bit of down time; no real need to do character work on a narrator. And just like in the school Nativity play there are four of you narrating the action, in a tag team. As long as you emphasise the key plot words, smile and show off your polished general American accent, you can present the fruits of all your method acting skills when you get to play heroine Charlene. After 18 days of rehearsal you understand this idea of the narrator in a very different way. You understand that this piece of theatre, unlike your school Nativity play, operates on many different levels. The narrators/story-tellers create the frame-work for the performance, they make the rules, and once you have made the rules you have to follow them through, just like in any good game, the rules create the logic. At first this makes no sense, it sounds dumb, because you don't even know who these narrators are. You think to yourself the Nativity narrator at school was just a voice, characterless. Ask questions: Why are they here and why do they want to tell this story? What do they think about the story and do all the narrators want it to end in the same way? You are beginning to ask the right questions and they help you to unlock many of the ideas within the piece. As a narrator you are in the guise of a shop assistant, the world of the play is set in a shop, a shop that sells a dream, Think about selling and advertising and what happens when you buy into a dream that isn't yours, Why do people sell anything? You are becoming a better story-teller, your attitude to the story and the characters in it, you can just walk into the middle of a scene, talk to Charlene, make her do things. You are having a lot more fun than you were in your school Nativity. You decide that your narrator/shop-assistant/story-teller is a little bit like a fairy godmother - you can make Charlene's life better, you also realise that even though you tell Charlene to do something she doesn't always do it. It is times like these that you decide that you want to be Charlene. (Make a list of things still to do: Invite your 5th Grade school teacher to see this show to inspire a new generation of Nativity narration.)

WEEK FOUR, Day SEVENTEEN: HOW TO BE A PARANOID FANTASIST

You are beginning to see things differently, and just generally see things at this point in the rehearsal process. Being in this play feels a little like a kaleidoscope or being a shape-shifter: 

Man or panther? MANIMAL

 (remember the 1980s programme ‘Manimal’, now that really is shape-shifting, imagine what kind of animal or your characters could be- get carried away. Fantasise: move across the floor like a panther: a predator a seductress a mistress.)

Your reflection appears to have come to life

You have inhabited at least four different characters, you have been in a relationship with a married man, you have given advice to a mistress, you have been a married man. You and the ensemble have also created at least 6 different locations out of three abstract structures that are part of the set design. Look at your list of scenes, you still have twelve to make, and you overheard that all the props have been bought. Ponder to yourself as you walk around the rehearsal room, start to visualise ALL the potential uses of beige raincoats and shoes, they really do look like a row of people hanging up next to each other, 5 people queuing at a movie box office counter- one of them looks like they are flirting with another- his hand on her... Turn away and blink, all three other members of the ensemble look like they are staring at you, using their shoes as phones, they are judging you for what you did in that last scene, look at the director she also seems to be using her shoe as a phone, are they talking about you and your drunk acting in that last restaurant scene? Focus. They have all turned away now and it's time for you to go back to the office for the next scene. Two of the pieces of the set structure seem to be closing in on you, your fellow ensemble members are closing in fast, pushing them, you become claustrophobic, dizzy and in a… elevator. They are closing in a little too close it feels crowded, hot (ask the stage manager if the air conditioning is on or if she can open a window or something!) you are sweating into your expensive beige raincoat. Don’t panic, this is just a paranoid fantasy. The director seems… impressed? She is certainly applauding your performance, a slow clap though - not a good sign. You explain that you merely understand the language of the rehearsal room; you have been learning your intentions. Nothing paranoid about that…suddenly ‘did that hat just move across the room on it's own or are we doing puppetry now?’ you think to yourself: ‘Puppetry!’ hmmm not in your physical vocabulary yet, perhaps another pattern in the kaleidoscope.

WEEK THREE, Day Fifteen: HOW TO BE AN OBJECT OF DESIRE

You have got under the skin of a man you can walk and talk like one; and hopefully you now know what a man looks for in a woman. So... now you are a woman again, you know exactly what to do to become an irresistible object of desire. (Note to self: make a list of all the scenes and what character, and gender, you play in each. You have spotted the potential for total identity crisis) You have to play it cool, men like cool. You dance like an idiot and whoop with excitement in the privacy of your own apartment - he doesn't want to see this. More importantly when he doesn't want to see you or puts you on hold for more than a week, DON'T call him, just wait and be happy that you have a man that could potentially call. Whilst you are waiting for him to call practise your Jane Fonda exercise moves, get your hair done, go shopping for fabulous outfits, but don't tell him about any of this - he won't be interested in your grooming just the outcomes of it.

'Wrap yourself in something special' for who?

Consider how you walk, push your hips forward and put your feet one directly in front of the other in a straight line, just like the models do, walk like this even when you are not with him just in case you bump into him. You are learning throughout this rehearsal process that being desirable is basically a lifelong career it is physically and mentally taxing, more than your office job anyway. When you are on a date, say cocktails at a fancy bar, hang upon his every word, focus only on him - eyes on the prize. Whilst you are listening to his stories which you have heard before, DO NOT tell him, just laugh at the parts that are ‘funny’ (this week’s to do list ‘Practise sexy laugh’).

WEEK THREE, Day Thirteen: HOW TO WRITE A LIST

1. Think about what you are going to put on your list.

2. Is the list related to your home, work, health, or is it a hybrid list? Think about categorising to streamline.

3. Why are you writing this list? Is it a) cathartic b) functional c) to waste time.

4. Who is this list for, yourself? For someone else? Is the list completely private, would you like someone else to see it by accident? Think about what you will do with your list when you have completed all the tasks on it, or you no longer have any use for it any more.

5. Where do you write this list, in a notebook, a diary in your head, on your co-worker's post it notes. (Steal your co-workers post-it notes when you can't gain access to the stationery cupboard)

Post-it office

Make a list of all the uses for post-it notes

6. Do you get distracted whilst writing the list?

7. Do you enjoy getting distracted? (Are you a total fantasist?)

8. Do you actually love to hate making lists because it makes you think about all the things all the things you never do? Do you make this kind of list because you want to punish yourself and organise all your disorganised thoughts?

9. To do... Work out how lists function theatrically. You do not have a hi-tech mini camcorder attached to a pen and projector screen, you have ten beige raincoats, think about the list the designer made when designing the set.

WEEK THREE, Day Eleven: HOW TO BE A MAN

Understand that you will need to change many facets of your psychology as well as your physicality in order to represent the opposite sex. Despite what you may think or what you overheard in the male locker room it is not simple being a man. Begin by changing the most material of things, your clothes, throw on a larger, shapeless coat, some tragic shoes, and a hat (no as a woman in the 80s you would not wear a hat- your hair is a sculpture - see Jane Fonda). Physically you need to take up more space, you have noticed in your observations of men outside the rehearsal room that men are generally lovers of space, taking up as much room as possible. Think back to your journey to rehearsals this morning, could his legs have got any wider and further into your personal space? You have also noticed that men do not walk with their hips in a sultry fashion, it is all about the shoulders, a different rhythm and above all else: confidence. As a man, the man in this story anyhow, you know where you are going stride around with purpose, it feels good. You have also discussed and discovered what his intention is in most scenes of the play now too, so you definitely know what he wants, contrary to an earlier thought, his motives are a little more straightforward than Charlene's. Be glad of this difference (especially because you are beginning to learn how many props you are going to have to remember to use for each character, the simpler the intention the better!) Learn his smooth moves, how he seduces, how he dances. Now you know the tricks of the being a man trade, surprise your fellow actor by sweeping her up into your arms and carry her over the threshold of your imaginary apartment. You will impress the director and choreographer with this move, you will impress yourself with your strength. Pat yourself on the back, you're a hot man! Now you have nailed the physicality and psychology, concentrate on how you talk as a man, it is not all about lowering your pitch, but volume too. Place a greater emphasis on every word. Remember 'behind every consonant is a vowel, just like behind every president there is a wife' . Your voice coach makes you laugh with these comments. It distracts you from your loud man voice, you giggle like a girl. Remember what sex you are trying to be; regain your composure. Be playful with the pitch and keep your voice grounded in the back of your throat, pretend you are talking out the back of your throat with your hand. Have a conversation with another actress playing a man like this. Enjoy the reverberations. Don't forget you are speaking in an Uppercrust Delaware dialect. This is different again to your New Jersey and Brooklyn dialect. Keep slipping into your favourite De Niro impression. Think about who you are talkin' to. Are you talkin' to me?

WEEK TWO, Day Ten: HOW TO ACTUALLY BE JANE FONDA (AND HAVE HER HAIR)

Jane Fonda- perfection.

Wear a leotard to rehearsal, one that your mother gave you that she actually wore in 1980. Put on Jane Fonda's advanced workout video on you-tube. Be surprised by how big the hair is and how tiny the waists are and totally shocked by the enthusiasm and lack of sweating by all participants in the video. You take part in the video, you are sweating however, but you enjoy all of the whooping and clapping. Think about how Jane Fonda motivated millions of women to buy her exercise videos and how many ended up getting the body that they wanted.

Bend and stretch. Imagine whether you have time when you go home to practise this Jane Fonda video, and stretch to the right and over to the left NOW DOUBLE TIME!

Wonder how inadequate Charlene feels as a woman in her early 20s in 1980 in New York City and what she does to make herself feel adequate.

Twist right twist left twist right twist left. Imagine what Charlene would think about whilst doing an exercise class and whether she enjoys it or not.

 Think about whether anyone enjoys staring at 20 supposedly perfect woman bent double and whooping, whilst slapping their hands on the floor in time with electro beats, and try to keep in time.

WEEK TWO, Day Eight: HOW TO MAKE AN ADVERT

Watch an advert for Revlon's Jontue perfume. Realise that advertising in the 1980's was all about fantasy and buying into a lifestyle. Wonder what would happen if you buy into a lifestyle now - will those high-waisted trousers make you a more serious fashionable person?

Watch the woman in the Jontue advert. She is beautiful, blonde and peaceful, she looks perfect riding on a horse through fields in bloom. The camera cuts to a man picking flowers in a forest, also on horseback. Who is he picking this flora for? 'Jontue for a more feminine you' says one of the most beautiful male American voiceovers you have ever heard, you even gasp at the sound of it.

JONTUE ADVERT

Cut back to the woman on horseback, out of the forest and into the field gallops the man wearing a man with one too many buttons undone arriving to present the woman her flowers: 'Jontue, wear it and be wonderful' the Jontue slogan. (Note to self, look up price of Jontue on Amazon later that night whilst listening to your American vowel sounds CD) Think about packaging and slogans and how Charlene is controlled by these things within the story, how different is the fantasy and the reality. Explore this idea in the first few scenes of the play. In the text Charlene has advisors, women that tell her what is a good idea and a bad idea, are they really helping her or are they just selling her an empty dream?

WEEK TWO, Day Six: HOW TO MAKE THE PLAY

You are in an expensive boutique in New York City, 1980. The designer and director have made this creative decision, hence why you have so many fancy retro clothes in the rehearsal room. As you have been playing with these clothes all week you have realised their potential in being more than just clothes and accessories. A shoe for example could be a phone, you just need to make the director believe that it is. Use your best creative visualisation skills. Realise that the real challenge of the play is to make the audience realise where they are, as a lot of the time you are slipping into Charlene's fantasy world and then back into the real world of the play. Think to yourself: 'but even in the real world of the play we are in a heightened theatrical state, as men are played by women and within the boutique we must create the 14 locations that are in the play. ' Do not freak out. The director and choreographer will guide you and help you find the rules. Focus on your creative visualisation, begin to see things differently. You can be an other woman.

You have been practising your improvisation skills for a week now and you have become rather good and coming up with ideas on the spot. When the director asks you to improvise the opening scene you see a dance routine between Charlene and the shop assistant. Direct your fellow actors. Ask the stage manager to play some Cyndi Lauper, you begin to explore the possibilities of the text. One scene down, 43 left. Throughout this process remember to ask yourself in each scene what each character wants, this will help your improvisations. The director calls these wants intentions. Do not get your intention confused with your action. It is not what you are doing, it is the reason that you are doing it you must discover. This helps to keep everyone's creative visualisation for the scenes make sense, there is a tendency to get carried away, girls just wanna have fun, intentions will help you be truthful whilst doing so.

WEEK ONE, Day Five: HOW TO TALK

Reuben Sandwich. NYC classic.

Speak in you best American accent, the voice coach is in and his American accent is amazing. Wonder if he actually is American, wish that you had spent more time watching American TV last night rather than researching what is in a Reuben sandwich and then preceding to buy the ingredients to make one. Pastrami and gherkins at midnight was not such a good idea. Learn that by definition speech is short, broken and intense and that Americans generally use loudness to emphasise words. If you want someone to hear it shout it. Also note that Americans generally speak on the opposite rhythm to the British. Emphasis comes at the beginning of the sentence and will often trail off at the end. Practise playing with your pitch: 'Up like the skyscrapers, down like the road' you will begin to sound like you are from across the pond.

Speak like you are from Brooklyn, speak like you are from New Jersey, speak like you are from New Jersey but have lived in Manhattan for the last 2 years. Get a little confused, but realise this will help distinguish your different characters in the play. Make different lists of all the words that have similar vowel sounds, and listen to the CD the voice coach has given you. Every single day. Look forward to speaking like you are from Brooklyn the most, pretend later on at home in the mirror you are Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver 'YOU talkin' to me, I don't see anybody else here, YOU TALKIN TO ME!!'.

Who are you talking to?

WEEK ONE, Day Four: HOW TO FIND A CHARACTER

Engage your best improvisation skills.

Putting your shoes on the wrong feet

From listing facts and questions in each scene you know certain things about the characters in then piece. Fact: in scene 6 we learn that Charlene aged 6, thinks that the word 'mistress' means 'to put your shoes on the wrong feet'. The director will ask you to imagine you are Charlene aged 6, and with another member of the ensemble improvise the scenario that shows how Charlene came this understanding. You have 5 minutes to discuss this and then show your improvisation. Get creative with your fellow actor. Think about how Charlene first hears the word 'mistress'. Did she actually hear 'mis-dress' and come to her conclusion? Did she hear the word 'mistress' from her Mom? Think about Charlene's Mom. What is her name, how old is she? Did she have an affair? Is that why Charlene has an affair? What size feet does Charlene have, and is it the same size as her Mom's? 5 minutes is up, improvise the scene. Discuss what you learn from the improvisation, increase the list of facts you know about the world. Get under and into the characters skins.

WEEK ONE, Day Three: HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE TEXT

Lorrie Moore

With your fellow actresses read the play out loud, in your best American accent (it will sound a lot better than it did in your head at home.) Go through the text with the director making a list of facts and questions about each scene. For example 'who is Lorrie Moore?' - a question, and 'Charlene, the heroine of our story lives and works in NYC' - a fact. Nominate someone to research questions so that they can enlighten the rest of the cast. Realise that some questions, for instance: 'why does Charlene have an affair with a married man?' cannot be answered by research. The answer to this kind of question may become apparent in a later scene or later in the process, sometimes asking the question is more important than finding the answer. Facts and questions will help unravel the world of the play.

Where does Charlene live?

Whilst going through the text, the director asks you to find 'events' in each scene. Ask what an event is. The director explains that an 'event' is something that changes everyone in the room/scene. An example of a factual event would be someone turning the light off. Think to yourself: 'that would change everyone in the scene'. An example of a verbal event would be someone saying 'I'm leaving you'. Imagine someone you are having an affair with leaving you and how that would change you, begin to think about how to be an other woman.

WEEK ONE, Day Two: HOW TO WARM UP

Listen to your favourite tracks from 1980, something by Michael Jackson, Duran Duran or even some of Kate Bush's earlier work. Follow the leader, 'if you can't see anyone else in front of you then you are the leader' says the choreographer. Don't say anything it is 10am and there will be plenty of time for talking later. It is like being in an exercise class, or being sucked through an MTV time warp into an alternative dance video reality invaded by Dolly Parton and her colleagues working '9-5'. This is fun, and a great way to show off all of your favourite moves. Show the choreographer what you can do, she will probably use your moves to inspire her to make up the sequences you will be dancing for the 5 week run of the play so enjoy it.

By day 3 of week 1, you begin to become more adventurous with this warm up game, there are a lot of items of 1980's costume lying around and it would be great for the director to begin to see how you can use them. Break away from the group when Footloose comes on the sound system, it has inspired you to try on a pair of stilettos and improvise, when the rest of the ensemble do the same pretend you are strutting down 5th avenue on your way to your NYC office and everyone is looking at you, the director likes this, you are beginning to create the world of the play. As the week continues you become even more playful during your warm up. The director has pointed out there are only 4 of you in the cast (all women) and 12 characters in the play, and some of those are men. Think to yourself that changing your physicality will be important for the audience to follow the story. Spend half an hour one just moving like a man, wonder to yourself: 'how do men walk?' Watch men intently on the street after rehearsal, take notes, look away when they get the wrong idea. Show off your male moves the next day.

WEEK ONE, Day One: HOW TO BEGIN

Meet at the rehearsal room, 171 Union Street. The play is 'How To Be An Other Woman'. The room is like a portal to 1980, New York City. Laden with matching bags, stiletto's, hats, trench coats and all of the hit records you could possibly remember from '80-'82 awaiting an airing on the sound system. It is a a fashion feast awaiting you to incarnate the world of Lorrie Moore's short story for the stage. The director and choreographer will guide you through the process and inform you that each morning will begin with a physical warm up to understand how the play will move, following that you will begin to explore the text and characters. After 5 weeks, 3 previews and having made all 44 scenes you will have a show.