AN APPROACH TO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, BY TOM WOODWARD
So, my approach to creating the character of Robin in THE CHILDREN by Lucy Kirkwood is not about actually creating him at all. I consider Lucy Kirkwood the creator; I am merely a Vessel and a Messenger of her words. I am also an Interpreter of her punctuation, the spaces and pauses she offers up in the threads and the thru-line of how Robin co-exists in the shrinking world borne out of a dire and heightened circumstance that has changed everything for him and his wife. The best analogy I can come up with at this point in my process is, if Robin and Hazel were children on a playground, they have discovered that the teeter-totter is their ride/game/distraction of choice. They have nurtured a rhythm of give and take, of support and of mutual responsibility to survive, it not thrive, together. But when Rose arrives and then eventually reveals her true motive for this visit, the teeter-totter is thrown off its axis (or fulcrum or whatever smarty sounding visualization works for you, the reader) and they are forced to join Rose on the Merry-Go-Round, creating a dizzying and chaotic counter effect on their ability to manage their lives.
Which leads me to my discovery process of how to bring Robin to life. The process, for me, is really just following a tried and true recipe written during my training process as a young actor and carried with me in my soul and on my heart. However, since my first experience of working with Seat of the Pants two years ago, portraying Al Manners in TROUBLE IN MIND, I have been able to expand on the recipe I have been following for decades, by adding ingredients from the process that this ensemble has developed. Two years ago I cautiously, and with hesitation and even skepticism, tried adding a few ingredients generously offered, but didn’t trust myself with a more layered approach to the work itself. I had a struggle with the semantics of it all. Now, I have greater understanding of how the added ingredients can enhance my work and make the journey smoother toward character development.
Whew, that’s a wordy and heady way to just say this: Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open. Always use love and trust as the origin of your approach to every scene, speech, word, and touch. Be inclusive on every level, which to me means not discounting fear or trepidation as events that need to be excluded or shut down—use them! Let them work for you in your approach and process.
And never leave yourself out of the recipe, either. I always try to find what I have in common with the characters I play, and not be afraid of that, even if it involves shedding light on my own personal flaws or shortcomings. It’s all part of the recipe.
