mswiki2


 * Question:**

Your text offers suggestion on two basic approaches to acting, ie. the internal and the external. Choose either one and take the scene between Emily and George as your reference point and develop a fragment of "inner monologue" OR tactic concerning interpretation underlying a short section from the scene. I suggest the men choose to deal with George and the women choose to deal with Emily, although if you wish you may choose to develop an "inner monologue" or "external tactic" for either character. You may use up to 500 words for this module, given the complexity of the requirement. Be sure you let me know exactly which section of dialogue you plan to use for developing your answer.


 * Answer:**

When faced with the task of portraying a complex character, such as an emotionally sensitive teenage girl, it can sometimes be difficult for an actor to accurately express the sentiments felt by that character. In order for actors to identify more intimately with their characters, they employ the internal acting approach, a “psychological method” in which the actors “look for areas of the character’s life that somehow correspond to their own experiences” (Arnold 125). In the play //Our Town//, the scripted words do not necessarily show how passionate both Emily and George are for each other. In order for an actor to do justice to this relationship, he or she can create an “inner monologue” that evokes the magical feeling of young love and what it feels like to finally express that love to one’s partner.

__Selected Fragment of the Play:__

**//Our Town—//Act II—Pages 51-52** Well, up to a year ago, I used to like you a lot. And I used to watch you while you did everything—because we’d been friends so long. And then you began spending all your time at baseball. (//She bites the word//) And you never stopped to speak to anybody any more, not even to your own family, you didn’t. And George, it’s a fact—you’ve got awful stuck up and conceited, and all the girls say so. And it hurts me to hear ‘em say it; but I got to agree with ‘em a little, because it’s true.
 * Emily:** (//Facing mostly out, on verge of tears//)


 * George:** (//Helpless and hurt//) Gosh, Emily—I never thought that such a thing was happening to me—I guess it’s hard for a fella not to have a few faults creep into his character.


 * Emily:** (//The complete prig//) I always expect a man to be perfect and I think he should be.

The lines that Emily speaks to George appear to be filled with anger and resentment, but one cannot exclude the fact that Emily is completely infatuated with George. There is most certainly a romantic air about this speech, and the actor portraying Emily’s character must consider that. The following subtext is an “inner monologue” that relieves this ambiguity of the text.

__Inner Monologue__

As Emily confronts George, she thinks… “Oh George, why must I be so in love with you, when you seem to be in love with everything else but me? I would wear my nicest dress on the days of your baseball games and fix my hair real nice just so you would notice me. It’s just a game, you know, baseball, and it won’t last forever. You want to be a farmer anyway, and you’re about to go off to that agricultural college and forget all about us here in this little town. You’re going to meet all new people, a lot of new and pretty girls, and you will never come back. Don’t you think I want to spend time with you before you leave, George? I want to be with you all of the time, but I just cannot bring myself close to something that is about to go away.  I beg of you George, don’t leave me alone here, without you. I know that you are not perfect, and you have your faults; I do too. You’re perfect for me, George. You’re perfect for me. And I do love you."

Arnold, Stephanie. // The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre //. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
 * Citation:**