The Children - Theatre Production
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
This project involved acting a role in the WA premiere of the play The Children by Lucy Kirkwood for Theatre 180 in Perth. The setting (a small coastal UK town) implied British accents, but the specific location was unclear. The role of Robin posed creative challenges due to its multifaceted complexity: how to play a character who is simultaneously layered with a façade of humour and the tragedy of terminal cancer? Traditional Stanislavski methodology of action and objective proved less fruitful and so I investigated the potential of the innate connection between dialect and character (eg. what compels him to speak?) to suggest alternative paths towards character realisation.
Research Contribution
I embarked on an iterative series of practice-led dialectic experiments (Smith & Dean, 2009) that brought together the theories of K. Linklater (1976) and W. Labov (1970) regarding dialect and environment in an innovative fusion. Ultimately, a Scottish accent proved most effective in its incorporation of appropriate character traits & idiosyncrasies inherent in the script. The dialect assisted in intuitively accessing a blend of humour and pathos. The unique rhythms & nuance of the accent added extra resonance to the performance & subsequently informed my teaching.
Research Significance
This production was funded by a competitive WA Government grant, produced by the innovative Australian company Theatre 180, and directed by the author Kirkwood (an acclaimed British playwright). There was strong critical acclaim (eg. The West Australian Newspaper; Seesaw Magazine). Theatre 180 has subsequently contracted me to continue to build on this notion of dialect acting with another production occurring in 2022. The novel approach has already fed into the research-led teaching offered by me and colleague Luzita Fereday in Unit3004. Transmitting knowledge in the deployment of dialect as a tool is impacting a new generation of actors at WAAPA.
Non-Traditional Research Output
Live Performance
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2021
Publisher
Theatre 180
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
RAS ID
43561
Event Title
The Children
Event Dates
May 8-29, 2021
Event Venue
Burt Hall / St George's Cathedral
Duration
1h:10 mins
Comments
Smith, A. (2021). The Children [Video Recording]. Burt Hall, St George's Cathedral.