Dear Evan Hansen Written Work- duologue selection and analysis
Part 1: Duologue Selection and Analysis (Written)
This scene involves an interaction between two people (Conner and Evan) happening after their main school day. It takes place in a computer library/Printer room. Evan is in the middle of writing a letter to himself after being recommended to do so by his therapist. Conner comes into the space to start an assignment that's already over due- he's already frustrated.
Scene context: before this scene Conner and Evan have only had one brief interaction, were Conner accused Evan of laughing at him getting made fun off by some other boys in school. As a result Conner pushed Evan into his own locker and shouts in his face. This interaction is viewed by most of the people in the hall way, and leaves Evan extremely embarrassed.
The emotional stakes throughout his scene vary in impact along with significance. But the most significant moment for both characters within the scene is when Conner goes to the printer and sees the printed out letter that Evan has just written- because not only does Conner see his sisters name on the letter (which then leads him to become paranoid and believe that he's been set up) but Evan also now has no way of getting the letter back with his secrets on it, and the two characters are then left in a state of distress.
When the dialogue first begins, it's slow. There's larger moments of pause and gaps of un spoken emotion- especially for Evan who in the beginning is just purely responding reluctantly to the questions that Conner is asking him. In these moments the conversation is set up with Conner on the attack and Evan on the defence, although it is not quick and Conner drags out his interrogation by leaving awkward silences and signing his cast harshly. It then speeds up more when Conner finds the letter in the printer with his words becoming more sporadic with Evan matching this ring to explain that he needs the letter and it's not what he thinks. this is a key moment of tension for both the characters that is slowly built from the moment Conner mentions that his sisters name is on the letter. The scene then slows right down again as Evan is left on his own with his own anxiety from the previous events.
Conner only initiates this interaction with Evan as a way to make himself feel better, and on entering the spaces notices Evan, and is instantly made more agitated, as he recognises him before. This is the first time Conner truly takes in Evan and sees him for what he is: a lonely outcast like him. Conner wants to use Evan as a way to weight out his own anger and frustration within this moment. There's also a sense of boredom and procrastination to why he initiates an interaction with Evan, he sees him as something he can toy with instead of acting upon his initial reasoning for entering the room.
Evan's main and initial objective within the scene is to type up his letter to himself and then print it out and leave the school without any altercations or human interactions. At this point in the scene he is weary because he is in a shared public space within the school- typing up something very personal. Throughout the scene his main objective shifts slightly when Conner enters the room and starts to interact with him, and instead his objective is to wait it out until Conner leaves. At this point Evan also becomes anxious and uncomfortable a long with still being weary and as result is stuck frozen waiting for Conner to leave him alone. His objective then shifts to trying to retrieve his letter to himself from Conner, as his anxiousness turns to panic.
Part 2: Rehearsal Process (Practical)
Part 3: Performance (Assessment)
put video of duologue here
Part 4: Reflection and Self-Evaluation (Written)
I found that when rehearsing and performing the duologue I used the what if method the most, finding it more effective to mentally try and put myself in his shoes than relate back to emotional memory. This is because I found the effect of using emotional memory to soft and as a result was actually loosing the character of Conner within the performance. This is not to say that I didn't use emotional recall- I did, I just didn't relay on it to help me reach certain states within the Duologue and instead used the what if method. Using these methods helped me not just embody the characters headspace, but also world build around me so I could understand their environment more which allowed a better execution of performance. When working on this piece I found myself toying with expressing anger in more than one way- but more specifically the development of it and how it lingers and builds throughout the piece. This is something that I feel I need to work on more in general and have set it as an area for progression within my targets, but whilst in rehearsals as a way to help my build on the character initial frustration with entering the scene, we placed two other actors in the background and told them to walk around, chat and steer at me when I entered. This was a method of forming natural frustration towards the environment instantly which I could then pull into the scene and build from.
As a result of this project I am now more able to breakdown more challenging scenes properly and in a way that is more useful and effective for me. I have found that my listening and collaborating skills are also stronger along with self direction and scene breakdowns. I've learnt that there is a large importance to taking your time and focusing on a particular moment instead of jumping straight to your feet and throwing yourselves into something, and am now more concise of pacing and tension building story telling throughout a piece.
Extension- Singing:
Attach wait a bit video here
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