Children During Wartime

It is a week away from the rehearsal studio this week. With our director away for the week we have decided that the best use of time is to get the lines learnt. Going over your lines is a task that most actors don't relish. This may seem ironic to most people as the whole discipline of acting requires study of the script. Memorising and interpreting the author's words is our stock in trade and yet it is still one of our least favourite activities. I, personally, find it easier to learn the lines in rehearsal, pinning lines and cues to the action of the scene. Other actors I have worked with have had different ideas - some like to have all the lines learned before they come in to rehearsals, others write their lines out several times, and I have met actors who record all their dialogue and cue lines to listen back to during the day. Whichever method works for you is the best one.

One definite benefit of studying the text is that it gives you time to think about your lines; not just how to say them but also what they actually mean. It always amazes me how relevant plays are. No matter when they were written, good plays will always chime with the times and speak to their audiences. 'Blue Remembered Hills' is about the effects of war on children; how their innocence is stolen by the events that they live through. They may not talk about it openly but children are deeply affected by calamitous events such as war. The characters in Dennis Potter's play are all aged around seven or eight years old. They are still small children and the adults that they refer to, the figures of authority, are never seen. The war is viewed through the children's eyes. They cannot fully understand the events taking place, and must deal with them by imitating the adults around them, taking on their mannerisms and using phrases borrowed from their elders. In the course of the play the children all lose their innocence. They encounter death and killing, and must deal with them. By the end of the play, the children have grown a little more devious and worldly.

Watching the recent television pictures from both Japan and Libya, it is clear to see that the children have been affected by events that they have witnessed and experienced. Their eyes have become more dull and lifeless. In truth they are probably petrified and unable to communicate with anyone. As actors we need to think about this when playing the children. We are not mimicking children's behaviours. Instead we are looking to play the truth of every scene.