Play Bernie example essay topic

Title Sexual Perversity In Chicago Author David Mamet Character Joan S. Webber 1. How do you relate to the (a) plot, (b) mood, (c) the theme of the play? Describe and explain EACH. A) I relate to the plot of the play just as the other characters, I am trying to make my way through the sexual and emotional mind fields of the singles in Chicago. B) I relate to the mood of the play through my actions which play a small but vital role. C) 2.

What is your super-objective? This is a statement about what you want to do in the play. My super objective is to understand the three things that confuse me the most, men, sex, and life in general. 3. How do you (as the actor) relate to the theme? Can you relate to what the playwright is saying?

Why? 4. What are your opposition forces? What's in the way of what you want to achieve?

Who is against you? I believe is against me (my opposing forces) 5. Indicate all of your relationships. With whom are you most heavily involved?

Why? In the play I am only heavily involved with Debra Soloman who is both my best friend and roommate. 6. How are you physically and psychologically different from the other characters in the play? I am different from the other characters in the sense that I play the youngest women in the play who seems to know my way around physically but psychologically I find life confusing especially in the fields of men and sex. 7.

When you enter, where have you been? When you exit, where are you going? When I enter I have just come back from where I was retrieving snacks from the lounge across the hall for the toddlers snack time. Upon leaving I am taking two toddlers to wash their hands and call their parents. 8. How do your changes affect others in the play?

In the play I push people away and come off as being rude with knowing it. When I change and try to fix it I am still pushed away became the other character still sees me as rude because they think I'm being sarcastic about it. 9. Find all the lines and record those of importance here. These are ANY lines in the script, which reveal something about you, and what you say about yourself, what you say about other characters, what others say about you, and what comments and descriptions the playwright offers.

Write them down and INCLUDE THESE TRAITS IN YOUR CHARACTERIZATION PROCESS. 10. Who likes or dislikes you? Who do you like or dislike? Out of the four characters in this play Bernie dislikes me because I met him at a singles bar and I was blunt about telling him to get away from me. Danny doesn't care for me either his reason is because I always have a "slick remark" that makes him annoyed he doesn't just openly check me because I am the best friend of his girlfriend.

Deb is the only one who likes me and I like her. I dislike both Bernie and Danny just as strongly as they dislike me because there men and I don't understand them (even though I wouldn't dare let them know it.) 11. Physical description (be as detailed as you can). Include: sex, age, height, weight, hair color, eye color, skin, posture, appearance, defects or unusual physical features.

I am a twenty-two year old female who weights not a pound over 135. I am 5 feet 8 inches tall with medium length brown hair that I keep in a tight bun and on occasion in a French roll. My eyes are dark brown and my skin complexion is opaque and a bit pale due to not being much of a beach lover. I sit up strait and don't follow the trend of showing off my body like others but would prefer something a something a bit more conservative but yet at the same time professional. 12. Sociological profile: class occupation, attitude, education, race, nationality, political affiliation, admirable qualities, intellect I am ranked in the middle class range as a kindergarten school teacher my attitude is basically non afflictive, flippant simply quick with comebacks.

I am a white American with a bachelors of science degree in education. I am a republican and I am kind and loving of young children. 13. Psychological profile: moral standards, sexual behavior, ambitions, personal habits, frustrations, temperament, life attitude, complexes, emotional disturbances, abnormal behaviors, abilities, talents 14.

Who are you? First, middle, and last name I am Joan Sarah Webber 15. In what country, state, and city do you live? I reside in the United States of America and live on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the city on a lake. 16. Are you single, married, or divorced I am a single young women.

17. How do you dress, walk, and sit? I dress professionally but comfortably, I move and appear to be confident in my walk and sit up strait. 18. What are you characteristic voice tones? My characteristics in voice is a monetary tone.

19. Are you in good health? I am in very good normal health. 20. What are your strengths? How are they affected in the play?

My biggest strength in the play is being flippant this strength is affected by Bernie when I meet him at a singles bar and he calls me a Cock teaser after I continuously pushed him away and told him to leave me alone. When this is said it makes me notice how rude I'm being and I apologize but by this point does not care and storms off. 21. Do you use good English skills? Do you speak illiterately? Do you have a dialect?

Why? I have good English skills with northern dialect. 22. What kind of life have you had? I have had a life. 23.

In what kind of home do you live? I live in an apartment in a big city on a lake. 24. What are you needs and wants?

I want and feel the need to understand my life. 25. Do you get what you want? Where?

When? How? Why? In the play all I get is more confused. I cover this up when Deb and Dan brake up and give her all kinds of advice when I cant supply myself with any.

26. Who helps you? How? Deb's experience with Dan helps me to understand men can't be understood and that there's no sense of blaming yourself. Bernie also helped me at the bar to see just how rude I can be even though I still continued to insist on having the last word I kept that lesson in the back of my mind. 27.

What is your general response to people? 28. What do you do (actions in the play)? What prompts these actions?

In the play I have the tendency to push people away (mainly men). Are you I do this because I don't understand them so I look at them as a threat. I also tend to tell people where their wrong and point out their mistakes. The reason I do this is because I want the person (in this case Deb) to feel like she doesn't need men so she " ll want to stay with me. 29. What do you NOT do?

I don't make and effort to entertain things I dislike or feel uncomfortable around. 30. How do you want to appear in general? I want to appear as an independent women who is always right and there to comfort my friend about her relationship and seem like the advice give, the soother of the situation. 31. How do you NOT want to appear?

I do NOT want to appear as the way person I am on the inside, which is really confused and lost. 32. How do you want to be perceived by yourself? 33.

What appearances must you avoid at all costs? 34. What appearances must you avoid with each particular character? 35. Who is your god? This is NOT a religious question.

Who or what are the guiding forces within your life? My god is my job. I believe it is the only thing I can turn to that doesn't confuse me, a place where I don't have to worry about sex or men. Besides all that I am the one who is in control of every thing and at this stage of my life I need that.

36. Who is your private audience? If you knew someone was watching you, who would you be living and playing for? I would have to say my private audience would be all the single women if I knew someones watching me, I'd be living and playing for them because I would want them to see and feel the same things I do and how confusing being a single women really is. 37. Find the good in your bad character, or the bad in your good character.

38. What are the differences between you and the actor? Of course my physical appearance and my characters physical appearances are different but so are our psychological appearances. For instance, I (as the actor) could care less about how I appear to someone else as long as I's atis fied with it nothing else has any form of importance to me.

Also Joan has questions about things as an adult that I have already gone about finding for myself and solving. Joan also lets her guard down when called out about being rude where as I personally become sharper. Lastly Joan uses a cover up to hide who she really is never allowing others to see who she really is and doesn't give them an option that they can base from how and who she REALLY is, frankly why I'm me all the time so people know what to expect before they want to form any kind of relationship. 39.

What are the similarities between you and the actor? Some of Joan and Is's similarities are that just as Joan I too live in the same class as she and also some of her admirable qualities. For example, she is kind just as my self she also cares deeply for children and is strait forward with them about the definitions and questions that are asked about that the parents might be upset with. 40. What is the dramatic purpose of your role as created by the playwright?

Why are you in the play? In the play I help in setting the mood because I am debs advice giver because if you look at it the play is really about Deb and Danny's relationship, Bernie and I just fill in the gaps to set the singles stage and tell our friends how wrong they are for one another. 41. What qualities of the actor are needed? Physically, vocally, personality, and special skills?

Well physically I would wear my hair up and in a bun. I would also have to wear semi-dressy for work but not too dressy because I teach a kindergarten class. As for my speech I would need only to talk as normal as I usually do but a bit more mature because my character is a born Floridian. Being that myself (as the actor) and myself (as the character) share some similarities I would still need to touch up my personality. I would have to play the personality traits of my character and delete some of the ones I do as an actor. Due to the fact that I have a psychological gesture that I use and know of now that has been brought to my attention as the actor I plain to use that in my peace as Jane.

42. Determine a psychological gesture and explain how you use it. (what do you DO that SHOWS how you FEEL? 43. Do a character observation period.

Find a person on whom you would base parts of your characterization. Maybe it is several people. Observe them and incorporate the traits in your characterization. List these observations. 44. what animal best represents you? Why?

List animal traits / behaviors you will use in your characterization. 45. What inanimate object best represents you and why? 46.

Fantasize about your IDEAL future. Where will you be in one year, five years, and ten years? 47. Make a list of as many adjectives that you can which describe you.

48. Are you in the foreground, middle ground, or background; explain? 49. Are you head, heart, gut, or groin centered; explain?

50. Create and imaginary background. Complete your history, giving special attention to the events in your life which were influential in the development of your character as you appear in the work.