Every parent and teacher knows how children will be drawn to particular fictional characters. Each narrative world holds a series of figures with whom young people can identify; part of the magic of theatre is that it allows children to embody those characters for a period of time — to literally make believe that they are someone else. But what happens when students turn down a part, resisting a role that could be an exciting fit for them?
For example, we have worked with students who have the maturity to play roles like Hamlet or Juliet, but shy away from the opportunity because the parts are “too serious.”
Remember, never force a child to play a part with which they are uncomfortable, or which asks them to engage with emotions for which they are not quite ready. But broadly speaking, we have found that diplomatic detective work is very effective. Find out why a student is rejecting the part — is it the number of lines? Is it a specific action that they will have act out? Or is it a fundamental divide between how they see the character and how they see themselves?
A perfect case in point was when we had a young man who was hesitant to perform the opening monologue from Richard III (listen above). At first, he protested that he did not want to play “a bad guy”; up that point, he had only played sympathetic roles like Romeo and Puck. But when we spoke to him in more detail, we were able to explain the complexity of Richard’s position. We talked about his frustrations as the youngest and least handsome of the glamorous York brothers; we invited the child to reflect on moments when he, too, might have felt upset or left out. From there, he recognized a shared experience with the character — and that was enough for him to approach the part with confidence and sensitivity.
Again, the aim here is not to cajole anyone into playing specific parts! But rather, approach such moments as opportunities to encourage young actors to think critically about the material and the way they relate to roles more broadly.
To paraphrase the classic saying: They do not need to find themselves in the character, but they may be able to find some of that character in themselves.
©2022