Kelli Sloan, my character in Jane Shepard’s short play "Commencing", is the exact opposite of me in almost every way.
She wears short, tight clothes. She is not interested in politics or social issues. She is rude and abrupt. She has been hurt very badly, and she is trying her best to bounce back from that experience.
This character was hard to create. No less because she and I differ so much in our experience, life choices and general attitude.
She wears short, tight clothes. She is not interested in politics or social issues. She is rude and abrupt. She has been hurt very badly, and she is trying her best to bounce back from that experience.
This character was hard to create. No less because she and I differ so much in our experience, life choices and general attitude.
I had to find new ways to speak, move and gesticulate. Kelli was created piece by piece from gestures and movements that I picked up from people in restaurants, trains and movie theaters. Some supplied me with hand gestures, others with ways to flip my hair, still others gave me a clue about how to roll my eyes. It is always worth remembering that the people around you are a veritable treasure-trove of mannerisms suitable for any occasion. Just don’t stare at them too much. They get very annoyed.
The wardrobe helped as well. When you put on clothes that are not your own, you can suddenly transform yourself into a different person. They change how you walk, sit and carry yourself in a profound way. I was put in high heels for the first time in my life. They can teach you a lot about how difficult it is to keep your balance in the world.
But the hardest thing by far was to figure out Kelli’s psychological state. She may seem ditzy and careless, even cruel, but underneath it all, she is a person who was burnt very badly. She is trying to rebuild. But as she tries to keep it together, she doesn’t realize that she is falling apart.
How do I even begin to explain Kelli Sloan?
She is a woman on the verge. And things are about to change.
-Anastasia
The wardrobe helped as well. When you put on clothes that are not your own, you can suddenly transform yourself into a different person. They change how you walk, sit and carry yourself in a profound way. I was put in high heels for the first time in my life. They can teach you a lot about how difficult it is to keep your balance in the world.
But the hardest thing by far was to figure out Kelli’s psychological state. She may seem ditzy and careless, even cruel, but underneath it all, she is a person who was burnt very badly. She is trying to rebuild. But as she tries to keep it together, she doesn’t realize that she is falling apart.
How do I even begin to explain Kelli Sloan?
She is a woman on the verge. And things are about to change.
-Anastasia