Age of Arousal Read online

  Director/dramaturge Karen Hines developed a vocabulary to help actors find their way through the scenes, to answer this fundamental question: when one person is in thoughtspeak mode, what are the other actors doing? She said, ‘You have to give the other actor their privacy.’ It was a perfect way to describe what happens when an actor is stuck onstage while another actor says things she/he can’t hear. You can look away slightly, cross to a table, you can stare straight ahead. At times, and this will work, you can look directly at the other actor. Avoiding an overuse of business, thoughtspeak sections can be a good time to press a handkerchief to a damp forehead, run a hand absently along a thigh, adjust a shawl, look at papers ... or it might be a good time to remain utterly still and within the scene. You just have to give the other actor their privacy.

  Hines believed that if the first time thoughtspeak is heard, it’s absolutely clear to the audience what the characters are doing, then things could be loosened up later in the play, especially in the second act when there is more morphing between the dialogues. In ‘The Dream’, the absolute disconnectedness of each character from the other’s thoughts was, and is, essential. This involves a meticulous attention to the moment of entry into thoughtspeak and the exit out of thoughtspeak. Vocal tone, intensity, pace, physical attitude. Getting in and getting out. The thoughtspeak was choreographed down to the flutter of an eyelash.

  For the second production, director Maja Ardal did a great exercise. After three days of table work but no actual rehearsal, she had the actors act out the play on their feet, scripts in hand, pulling chairs or tables as needed. They just winged it. When the self-staging became dyslexically confusing, they stopped briefly and figured it out. It was wonderful to watch how at times the thoughtspeak blocked itself. Then a couple of actors would find themselves looking at each other during an intimate bit, know it was wrong and have to back away. Even in this wild trip through the play, actors were finding the double rhythm between the dialogue and the thoughtspeak. Eventually, the thoughtspeak was choreographed down to the flutter of an eyelash. All roads lead to the same necessity.

  KINDS OF THOUGHTSPEAK

  There is no specific rule as to when thoughtspeak is used and when it isn’t. For a long time I thought there should be, but then I realized I was making it up and it could happen whenever I wanted. There are lots of occasions when, like any play, the subtext does drive scenes. And just to complicate things, not all thought-speak is the same. I’ve created different categories and names. There is ‘fleeting thoughtspeak’, which takes place inside a scene, interspersed through regular dialogue. This can be jagged bursts of a single line, three or four lines or a series of exchanges. An example is at the beginning of ‘Budding Morsel.’ There are ‘arias and choruses,’ which are mostly in the middle and at the ends of scenes. These are clusters of thoughtspeak text with two or more voices often overlapping, like in the food section of ‘Remingtons.’ With ‘synchronous thoughtspeak,’ the other character seems to hear what is being thought or echoes it. These are sprinkled throughout the play – Rhoda and Everard at the end of ‘Impressionists.’ ‘Dialogue thoughtspeak’ verges on spoken dialogue in that the other character responds even though the text is in italics. This happens most often in the second act where the division between what we came to call speakspeak and thoughtspeak begins to meld – Mary and Rhoda in ‘Packing’. Everard’s speech in ‘Budding Morsel’ is unusual in that one individual character has a large thoughtspeak section to himself within a scene.

  SET

  The philosophy of theatre as an empty space which is then filled is the best one to follow with Age of Arousal. With all its transitions, this play lends itself to simplicity in terms of set construction. To set up Mary’s sitting room as a naturalistic space with walls, bookcases and stairs creates difficulties, as there are too many scenes take take place in other locations. The first production was on a thrust stage, so the set became the furniture. In the set changes, which were marvels of invention, furniture whirled on and off. To give a sense of modernity, the look was light as opposed to heavy Victorian – furniture was upholstered in very au courant shades of robin’s-egg blue and brown. The flooring was espresso, as were the bases of the chaise, tables and chairs. The Remingtons were set on three small wooden tables, allowing us to use just one or two type machines in a scene. There was even a typewriter waltz-transition, with the characters twirling the machines to music. In the second production, there was a more minimal approach to the furniture, with basic pieces used for different functions. Mary’s house is still the base for the drama, but there was minimal use of furniture and more multipurpose pieces. The typewriters are best on separate, movable tables – these can even be metal computer tables, bringing the concept of the modern to the furniture as well. Pillows thrown on the floor are useful, giving both a modern edge to Mary’s house and allowing the characters a freer movement style than is traditional.

  LIGHTS

  In Age of Arousal, a lighting designer is freed of the need for a naturalistic source for light. A beam of light can appear from nowhere. The ‘Impressionists’ scene allows for a use of strong Monet-like pastels, but a projection in a twirling black and red graphic can indicate that the Impressionists weren’t just pretty but also provocative. There are possibilities for lush greens in the park, dramatic specials on the Remingtons, white light in the gynecologist scene. The lighting can be both dramatic and enchanted.

  TRANSITIONS

  No matter how minimally or maximally this play is staged, transitions will be central. They can be included in the drama. Characters can continue to relate to each other as changes occur around them: looks, touches, surreal moments. In Calgary, Monica twirled alone in the middle of changing furniture. In Toronto, the play was performed on a proscenium stage, but in both productions there was a constant web of connections between characters in the shadows while scenes transitioned. The idea is never to stop the action.

  COSTUMING AROUSAL

  The costumes in Age of Arousal are the real set. They send out the visual code for the play. Initially, I imagined that a fashion designer would do the costumes until it became clear that theatre designers were a much better idea.

  Go to the costume books and websites, look up 1885, and you can find in excruciating detail what colours were worn, how high the necks, how big the bustles, how tight the corsets. But we are in another realm here, and that must be communicated through the visuals. Unlike Shaw, Chekhov, or Strindberg, Age of Arousal is a contemporary play set in the past. How to remind the audience of this modernity without overly commenting or losing the sense of period?

  It works best to keep the basic Victorian silhouette. The costumes can all fit close to the upper body, with skirts long but not heavy, with a hint of bustle achieved through scrunched and gathered cloth as opposed to the appalling bum-shelf that was sometimes worn. Then it’s time to play, especially with necks and bosoms. Even if the books say they were buttoned to the eyeballs, expose throats and upper chests in order to express, especially with Mary and Rhoda, a consistent sensuality. Monica should be, of course, deliciously exposed. Any time a costume can have a more sensual feel, go for it, regardless of perfect period detail.

  A powerful area to give a sense of both fantasy and modernity is in the use of colour. The historical Victorian palette is very dark, with colour accents in the gem tones. By just lightening the palette, introducing light and deep pastels, a whisper of modernity can be achieved. There are many ways to go: the modern can be insinuated through texture, colour, fabric, through ornament and embellishment. There is a Victorian futurist look that could be explored. Whatever the choices, a strict adherence to what was done is to be avoided. Designer Jen Darbellay used black lace trim on Mary’s gown (in the daytime – horrors!) and there was often a sprinkling of sparkle on necks and hems. Generally, the characters can be more dressed up than in conventional period. Using shiny silk-like fabrics as opposed to heavy velvets can create an effect that is lig
ht and airy, a little fantastic, but still ... Victorian.

  In Age of Arousal, there is a lot of movement from indoors to outdoors, from Mary’s sitting room to the park and back again. In ‘perfect period,’ the ladies would don hats and jackets, but shawls can also be used to give a taste of the outdoors without resorting to intense outdoor paraphernalia. Putting on a shawl is a lovely, fluid gesture and allows for smooth transitions. Without jackets, bodies are more sensual, more exposed. Hats are not necessary, even if ladies did always wear them. Not wearing a hat can be a tiny touch of rebellion. But little cloth purses that dangle from wrists are almost a necessity. Little purses can hold handkerchiefs for business when thoughtspeak is taking place. Handkerchiefs are excellent for fainting, pre-fainting and almost fainting.

  Mary

  The world of the play is Mary’s world. She sets a good table and loves her luxuries, especially clothes. This is a hip Victorian woman and she should be dressed as interestingly and as sensually as possible. Mary’s arc in the play is not towards more sexuality but, in a way, towards less. At the beginning of the play, her nightgown should be open, showing shoulders, collarbones, décolletage. In the second act, she would be even more careful to look great, as she fights the battle of contradiction. She may do what many women do after a break-up: change her hair, buy a new dress.

  Rhoda

  Rhoda is tricky because she can appear severe, which might be translated to her dress unless we take into account she is in a lesbian relationship and, prior to the first scene, has had lots of fun. Of course, there will be a desire to take her in a more sensual direction as the play progresses, but it’s important to remember that she is already a well-dressed woman when the play opens. It may be that she is more elegant and well tailored at the beginning of the play, but she should still indicate a sensuality that is bubbling beneath and has been partially satisfied with Mary.

  Monica

  Monica’s dress is referred to as ‘tarty’ in ‘Remingtons’. Imagine her, with her shopgirl’s wages, going to the mall. But Monica is smart and knows how to shop well even if there’s a little too much trim and way too much décolletage. This must be achieved while keeping her lusciously attractive – she never looks ridiculous. Monica can look like a piece of confectionary candy. In the second act she still shows too much bosom but the materials are more expensive and the total effect is towards elegance. She learns taste without ever losing her extreme sexuality.

  Alice and Virginia

  Alice and Virginia are initially the most conventional characters. They’re not sexual or even sensual at the beginning of the play. Typically, they would be dressed in browns and greys, but it’s also possible to give a sense of clothing that has faded and seen better days. Dulled pinks and blues can indicate that these women are not only living in genteel poverty but are immature in the ways of the world. Alice in faded blue. Virginia in faded pink. Their clothes may be mended, but the sisters are not paupers with obvious patches on their skirts – they are ladies who have one dress that just might pass for acceptable in the lamplight. Alice is more buttoned up than Virginia. Her arc moves towards the sensuality of chastity. However this is interpreted, she can look more put together as the play progresses. Virginia never achieves herself dressed as a woman. In the first act, she should look conventional and unremarkable. When she arrives back from Berlin, her man’s suit can be ill fitting, as well as torn. In ‘Infidelity’, when she returns to women’s dress under protest, she can look truly dowdy. But she should be wonderfully revealed in the last scene of the play: in ‘The Garden,’ Virginia should be dressed as a stylish man of the period.

  Everard

  As a wag who has travelled abroad, Everard is both fashionable and slightly ahead of his time. Keeping to the concept of opening up buttons and throats whenever possible, frock coats that are open to the waist are better than the closed variety sometimes worn in the period. Everard has certainly been to India – his waistcoats can be colourful with a hint of chinoiserie, and his dressing gown may speak of exotica. Everard should be dressed delightfully à la mode – his clothes are brilliantly fitted, beautifully textured.

  THE GREAT CORSET DEBATE

  In traditional Victorian costume drama, the corset is de rigueur. Its use can be adhered to with an almost religious zeal. But the use of corsets should at least be questioned. Even in terms of historical verisimilitude, New Women were questioning everything that kept them chained. They were aware that tight corsets were bad for their bodies. Mary and Rhoda would not be trussed tight, even if they wear corsets to allow their clothes to fit well. Actors can be given a choice as to whether or not they want to wear corsets. Some will feel it that it helps period movement, others that the corset constrains them too much. It is vital that the actors feel free enough to move in a slightly modern way. They should be able to sit on cushions on the floor, to bend, to reach, even to sprawl. This alone gives the clue that we are pushing the boundaries of Victorian perfection.

  ACCENTS AND CLASS

  I took my lead from Gissing. He was concerned with middle-class women. I’m a middle-class woman, albeit a bohemian one, so I stuck with the program. As a Canadian, I couldn’t imagine coming up with faux cockney, although I may have been able to deal with working-class Yorkshire. I was also genuinely interested in the rise of the middle-class during this period and the new layers of society that were evolving. The aristocracy is not involved in this play and there are no maids or servants, even though Mary would certainly have help to run her house.

  All the women in Age of Arousal come from the same general class, although their experiences give nuance to this broad category. All of the characters except Mary have experienced a reduction in circumstance. Alice and Virginia remember better times, when they lived with their father in a ‘gentleman’s’ house – meaning the gentleman didn’t work and lived on inherited income. Monica would have only a vague memory of this life and has been raised in a harder world. The money, wherever it came from, has dwindled down to the last generation, who traditionally then had to work. Rhoda, the sisters’ childhood friend, would have been orphaned in very similar conditions, but is a couple of steps down the ladder financially. Mary also had very little cash, although the Barfoot family included people like Everard’s father, who clearly had considerable income.

  Mary may count as upper-middle class, and she certainly conducts herself with a sense of noblesse oblige. In terms of wealth, Everard grew up in the best situation, before his nefarious activities resulted in a reduced inheritance.

  British accents need to be used with this language, although overly plummy sounds aren’t appropriate. What is known as ‘Received Pronunciation’ or RP helps to generate a middle- to upper-middle-class sound. Mary’s accent may be slightly different as she has experienced a commoner’s prison and a range of classes as a result of her suffrage activities. Monica, although she comes from a genteel background, is a shopgirl and consorts with the less genteel. Rhoda has bettered herself through education. Virginia and Alice are isolated in a gentrified world of their own. Everard’s travels have broadened any pseudo-aristocratic twangs he may have exhibited when younger. In all these cases, we’re talking about subtleties, as opposed to Mary sounding cockney or Monica reflecting a London street accent.

  True to the world of the middle and upper-middle classes, and true to the rising of this new age, money is more of a factor than class. All these characters have a basic education, then it’s a question of what they did with it.

  Everyone in this play on the brink of tumultuous change.

  PRODUCTION HISTORY

  Age of Arousal premiered at the Alberta Theatre Projects’ playRites Festival in Calgary, associate-produced by Duchess Productions, in February 2007.

  Mary Barfoot: Dawn Greenhalgh

  Rhoda Nunn: Irene Poole

  Virginia Madden: Valerie Planche

  Alice Madden: Elinor Holt

  Monica Madden: Gemma James-Smith

  Eve
rard Barfoot: John Kirkpatrick

  Director: Karen Hines

  Dramaturge: Karen Hines

  Set Design: Scott Reid

  Costume Design: Jenifer Darbellay

  Lighting Design: David Fraser

  Composer/Sound Design: Richard McDowell

  Production Dramaturge: Vicki Stroich

  Associate Director: Linda Griffiths

  Production Stage Manager: Dianne Goodman

  Stage Manager: Rhonda Kambeitz

  Assistant Stage Manager: Michael Howard

  Junior Apprentice: Nicholas Blais

  The play was presented by Nightwood Theatre in Toronto, development-produced by Duchess Productions, in November–December 2007 at the Factory Theatre.

  Mary Barfoot: Clare Coulter

  Rhoda Nunn: Sarah Dodd

  Virginia Madden: Ellen-Ray Hennessy

  Alice Madden: Maggie Huculak

  Monica Madden: Gemma James-Smith

  Everard Barfoot: Dylan Smith

  Director: Maja Ardal

  Dramaturge: Karen Hines

  Set and Costume Design: Julia Tribe

  Lighting Design: Kimberly Purtell

  Music and Sound Design: Eric Woodley

  Assistant Set and Costume Design: Gulay Cokgezen

  Assistant Lighting: Cameron Davis

  Assistant Director: Audrey Dwyer

  Stage Manager: Stephanie Marrs

  Apprentice Stage Manager: Stephanie Nakamura

  Production Manager: Stefan Lenzi

  The US premiere took place at the Wilma Theater, development-produced by Duchess Productions, in Philadelphia, December 5, 2007, to January 6, 2008.