Debbie's character leads two different lives, the one before and after the car crash. Before the car crash Debbie is a free sprit and a fighter. She raised 3 children by herself as her husband left her when she was pregnant with their third child however she’s not bitter about this. In fact she’s happy living independently with her three kids. All these facts are shown in the flash back she has in the metal institute. After the car crash is a contrast to her former self, as Debbie resembled a newborn baby totally oblivious to the world and everything that’s surrounding her. Throughout the whole play Debbie is faced with a series of emotions conflicting within one another. She is confused, scared and vulnerable all at the same time.
The main focus of the play was to show the unspoken reflection of society. Keeping this in mind, I had to ensure that my character portrayed an insignificant individual who is nothing more but a statistic. Due to the fact that we decided to perform the piece naturalistically it was important for me to build a suitable character structure for Debbie because it not only helped me with taking on the role but also got the audience emotionally involved, which was what we anticipated. I also wanted to the audience to see Debbie as a character, not me as a person reading the lines. In order to gain the right body language and vocal control for this role I had to study a few characters on the television and also use emotional recall to put myself back in the situation where I felt all the emotions that Debbie is feeling.
I modelled myself on a character called Little Moe in Eastenders. I felt that she is the perfect character that I should model Debbie on. I studied her for a while taking notes on her body language, facial expression and gestures, which were the main aspects that I have to ensure I deliver effectively if I were to take on board her role. The more I studied ‘Little Moe’ I began to gain a better understanding of how to form Debbie as a character and as a result it helped shape myself into my final role. As our play developed my character became stronger as I understood what and how I have to communicate my character in order for the audience to comprehend each stage of Debbie’s journey and her changing emotions.
Another aspect that I had to consider while developing Debbie’s character is how to show Debbie’s behaviour around other characters and situations. Establishing this would portray my full understanding of the character and her objectives, as it would illustrate that I took into consideration every aspect of the character. Within our group we carried out the Stanislavki's relaxation technique. During this we were able to look deeper into our characters and the characters background and experiences. This enabled us to know our characters on a deeper level and know how our character would act if they were put into a certain predicament also known as the ‘Magic If’.
The final climax of the play is when the audience see Debbie reach her breaking point as she comes to terms with everything that has happened to her. She remembered that all her children and her only sister have all died in the accident. She realises that she has nothing left not even the control of her own life as nobody is listening to her. Although the audience get to witness Debbie’s weak point throughout the play, it is only when it comes to this scene that society finally see her erupt. This scene sums up the message that we were communicating to the audience throughout the whole play. I had to project all of the theme behind the play through my acting, the sense of entrapment, solidarity and seclusion. This moment captures the realisation of her insignificance and it was crucial for me to portray this fact effectively.
I kept Debbie’s costume simple and it stayed the same throughout the whole play. The reason for this was due to the fact that we wanted to show a clear contrast between Debbie and other characters, portraying that while everybody is changing around her she still remains the same. I also wanted to reflect the period of time in which these events are happening to her. The whole storyline took place within a week, from beginning to end, so I wanted to portray this fact clearer through the use of costume.
