Written concept of a personal performance of Mrs Iger, from Jim Cartwright's "Two".

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Written Concept

In my drama monologue, I am playing Mrs Iger from the Jim Cartwright play, Two. This is a naturalistic play set in the 1980s, in a northern pub, with the intention that all the characters can be played by just two actors.

In Two, I see Mrs Iger as resentful towards her husband, Mr Iger, for being small, timid and quiet, as this is what prevents him from simple activities such as buying drinks and having an argument. For this, I interpret Mrs Iger as being a very confident woman, who overshadows her husband immensely in confidence and loudness, but as her monologue consists mainly of how much she wants “big men”, I believe she wants a very masculine, domineering man, and Mr Iger does not fulfil these wishes. This makes her resentful towards Mr Iger, and so she imagines, in detail, the extent of a man completely the opposite of him – big, quiet, strong and brave. However, the fact that she does not have a “big man” suggests that it is something of a forbidden fantasy for her, which she does not fulfil but longs for. Therefore, I see her as very confident, which I will illustrate through her poise and posture – by making her sit up straight, with her legs crossed, and on moments when she asks questions (E.g. “And you can really dig deep into ‘em, can’t you?), leaning forward and looking directly at a female in the audience, as if letting them in on a secret.

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As the play is episodic, to follow the playwright’s intentions I will keep the staging of the scene very minimal, with only a chair and small table to keep the main focal point on Mrs Iger. I will place this downstage, to keep the audience close to Mrs Iger, as if everything she is saying is confiding in them, like a close friend. I will have Mrs Iger sitting down throughout the monologue, and a move from the chair is not necessary, as it would detract from the effect of the words. I will start it quite slowly and ...

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