Outline the physical and vocal qualities that you would look for in casting Juan and Victor, and explain how you would direct them in Act II Scene II to highlight the differences between the two

‘clipped’ voice. His tone would be quite low in general, and his volume quiet; this would show his lack of energy. I would also want him to speak with a slow pace in general, although clearly it would vary with the performance.        To cast for Victor, I would look for an actor who had quite a contrast to Juan; I would look for a tall actor, with a strong, more muscular build than Juan. I would also want an actor with deep-set eyes, and long, dark hair. This is because Juan would have short, light hair, so the differences would highlight the contrast between Juan and Victor. Vocally, I would want him to speak with a deep, booming voice; low tone but with high volume. He would also speak quite quickly, his words flowing, to show his passion, ‘Duende’.         At the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2, Juan would behave in a way that seems impatient and obsessive to begin with; he would be pacing up and down frantically, putting his head in his hands occasionally, and flicking his head to face the door periodically. This would portray him as a character who seems unable to properly relax, as he is very on-edge and nervy. He would also be slightly bent in his posture. The reason Juan is worried at Yerma’s lateness is due to his reputation; he is afraid people will talk about their marriage. I would direct the actor to talk to the sisters with a fast pace, medium tone, and a quite quiet volume, to show his impatience and annoyance. On the line ‘She hasn’t come. One of you should always go with her!’ would be said as if he is snapping at them, blaming them for her absence. This presents Juan as an impatient character, who seems to also want control aspects of Yerma’s life, in order to keep his reputation, his family honour.        When Yerma arrives, Juan would speak with brevity towards her, showing the awkwardness in their relationship. He would straighten his backbone slightly, and keep his hands by his side. He would be glaring and frowning at her, mouth turned downwards and eyes wide. He would move slowly towards her. He would speak with brevity, a fast pace and controlled tone. In the line ‘You’re out too much! Haven’t you ever heard me say that?’ he would raise his volume and tone to show a certain anger, and speak with brevity in response to her complaints. He would speak like this to show the tension, and coldness in their relationship. When Juan says ‘Being around you only makes me restless and uneasy’, he would be acting as before; pacing quickly, speaking quickly and perhaps fidgeting slightly; playing with his hands. This would show that he is indeed uncomfortable around Yerma.        The tension between Yerma and Juan develops through the scene. As it progresses, the tension and shortness between the two becomes increasingly evident; when Yerma tells him to eat alone with his sisters, he replies ‘As you wish.’ And exits. I would direct Juan to speak very slowly at this point, with a low, defeated tone. This would show that he doesn’t really care all that much about what Yerma thinks, and is fed up with the situation; he lacks any real passion.        When Victor enters, I would direct him to stand very straight, striding confidently. I would want him to speak in a reasonably quiet volume, low tone and moderate pace. I would also want him to express controlled, slow gestures. This would contrast with Juan’s quick, fidgety gestures. In this scene, Victor is humbled slightly by the fact he is leaving. Nevertheless, on lines such as ‘It’s all the same. The sheep have the same wool’, he would speak quite loudly, despite the dismissive nature of this line, and with a low tone. He would also shrug, putting his arms out far in an expansive, slow gesture. This would contrast with Juan’s small, quick gestures.         When Juan enters, I would juxtapose him with Victor, and have him bend his back slightly, to exaggerate and highlight the height difference between the two. Also, both of them being next to each other would provide the audience with a strong visual contrast. Victor would speak with more enthusiasm than Juan as well; in lines such as ‘Your husband should see his fortune made!’ he would speak with a loud volume, higher tone and on this line would move his hands from his shoulders downwards and outwards to his sides in a slow gesture. This would be seen next to Juan, who would be making slight, quick gestures, and speaking with a lower volume, higher pitch, and lower tone. This visual and vocal comparison would clearly show the audience the difference between the two characters.