Dressing the part

As we near the end of our final intensive week of rehearsals we have begun piecing together all the elements of 'Vanessa and Virginia'. We have been joined this week by our designer and tech team which has meant we have been able to begin working more specifically with props and costume. I have found this incredibly helpful in terms of establishing and embodying the age of Virginia. Not only does she span from age 4 to 57 throughout the play, but by page 7 I am already past my actual age. Initially this was something I found very challenging to portray but have found the use of specific costume changes work very much to my advantage. For example, adding the use of a jacket for her 20's, a cardigan for her mid 30's- 40's and a pair of glasses at her eldest have all helped me to realise and adapt a more appropriate physicality for each period. Introducing the use of a cigarette has also been useful and has allowed me to find both a concentrated precision of speech and an air of understated confidence for Virginia. As I have begun to work with appropriate props as opposed to rehearsal props it has felt as though the world of the play is becoming clearer and more natural, and I feel increasingly excited to incorporate the other elements such as the music and moving backdrop- which I feel will add further to the wholeness of the piece.