Using The Mask In Rehearsal Of A Modern Play

by Gavin Hawk

The mask has been utilized in theatrical works since the age of the Greeks, but modern use of this dramatic tool has been largely regulated to actor training, devised theatre, and in traditionalist productions of classical theatre. While all of these applications have their value, the potential application of mask work in rehearsal on modern plays should not be overlooked. The mask can be a formidable instrument in helping the actor make interesting physical and vocal choices, and explore their character’s biography in a meaningful way.  This article will examine effective techniques to incorporate mask work in the rehearsal process.

The crux of this method demands an intensive study by the actors and directors of all the characters in the play before any work on text is done. This means that the actors must be willing to set aside any anxiousness to “get to the words”, and instead focus on the persona from whom those words are coming from. An immense amount of trust must be placed in knowledge that this work will result in a deeper emotional connection to the material when the actors do finally pick up the scripts and start speaking the lines. That being said, all of the following exercises are hinged upon a strong working knowledge of the material and every choice the actors and director make should be informed by the play.

MATERIALS NECESSARY

A wide selection of half-face character masks should be available to the actors at the start of the first rehearsal. The director should be careful not to limit the number masks to be used, nor try to pressure any actor into using one specific mask that the director deems appropriate for their character. The masks should be of a wide variety of faces, and need not be from all the same maskmaker. A good ratio of masks to actors is at least three masks for every one actor.

In addition, there should be several costume racks with various pieces of clothing, shoes, hats and hand properties from which the actor may costume themselves. The director should hold a special meeting with the costume designer for the production before rehearsals begin. Special care should be made to assure him or her that the clothing being used is merely a tool to help the actors find their character, and that the costume design need not expressly reflect those rehearsal clothes. However, if you can find a costume designer who is willing to hold back on their designs until after this initial character work is done, and who is willing to let the actors’ choices influence their designs, then so much the better. If the designer is unwilling to make this concession, then ask them to show their renderings as early as possible to the actors, so that the actors may select appropriate rehearsal clothes that fit into the designer’s concept.

Finally, there should be a large mirror in the rehearsal that will allow the actors to see themselves head to toe. This mirror should be large enough to accommodate several actors looking at themselves at the same time, and should be able to be covered up when necessary.

HANDLING THE MASK

The following ground rules should be laid down for the actors before they begin trying on the masks:

1. TREAT THE MASK AS IF IT WERE A REAL FACE. The mask should be considered an object of great power and potential. This does not mean it should be used like a religious artifact, but it should also not be mistreated or used to clown around. Have respect, but not reverence, for the mask.
2. ALWAYS PUT THE MASK ON (AND TAKE THE MASK OFF) FACING AWAY FROM THE SPECTATOR. No one, including the actor viewing his or her own image in the mirror, should ever see the mask until after it is firmly in place. Adjust the straps, seat the mask comfortably on the face, and prepare yourself to be surprised by the image.
3. DON’T TOUCH THE MASK WHILE YOU ARE WEARING IT. The clash of context of a flesh and bone hand on a neoprene or plaster face destroys all illusions that the mask creates.
4. NEVER MOVE OR TALK IN THE MASK WITH YOUR “NORMAL” SELF. Every time you put the mask on, you should “transform” into the character. Of course, we all understand that the actor’s self remains beneath the mask, but the actor must avoid anything that will distance himself from the character. Things like talking about your plans for after rehearsal, or asking the stage manager when the next break is coming up, or getting the director to clarify a concept are anathema while wearing the mask. Take the time to properly remove the mask first.

EXERCISE ONE – FREE PLAY

Place all the masks out for the actors to use, put on some music appropriate to the style of the play, and allow the actors to try on ALL the masks while looking in the mirror. Tell them to do this with a sense of childish wonder, exploring each mask PHYSICALLY for a short period of time, not lingering or making any quick decisions about which mask is right for their character. Ask them to play in silence, and not to speak or interact with any of the other actors during this period of time. Tell them you will discuss the work afterwards.

EXERCISE TWO – FINDING THE BODY

After this exploration, the actor should choose one mask to work with that they feel is closet to the image they hold in their mind of their character. If this choice seems too sudden or daunting, the actor can choose several masks they feel might work, and use the following exercise to narrow it down to one mask.

Continuing to work with the mirror, the actor should first sit with the mask in hand and look at it from every angle, touching each angle and curve, imprinting the mask in his or her visual and muscle memory.  Simple actions are then explored with the mask on the face, such as small movements of the head and neck, and variances in tempo of those movements. Move on to full body physical exercises, such as standing and sitting, walking around, or observing something or someone. This leads the actor to discover in what manner the character moves through space; where their body leads from, the weight of their movement, the tempo, and the overall physical attitude of the body.  As the director you may side coach with the following types of questions:

• From what point in the body does your character initiate movement?
• What is the weight of this character? Do they move heavily or lightly?
• What tempo do they move in? Are they generally quick, or are they slow?
• What kind of rhythm does this character have? Do they move in a 4/4 time, like a rock and roll beat? Or in a 3/4 time, like a waltz?
• Does this character have any physical tics or mannerisms? Do they use their hands or feet a certain way? Do they have any repetitive gestures, such as checking their watch or running their hands through their hair?

EXERCISE THREE – FINDING THE VOICE

The actor is now able to move on to the oral mannerisms of the character. Direct them to start first with simple vocalizations, which are not text, based, such as the way the character laughs, or the noise they make when they think, or the sound that they make when they are impatient. These vocal signatures can reveal a great deal about the character. For instance, a loud, braying laugh could illustrate a character’s boldness, or a small tittering laugh could belie a timid person.

After finding these aspects of the character, the actor is now ready to move to text.  While keeping their attention fixed on their image in the mirror, have the actors imagine that someone is telling them a long and complicated story. Ask them to answer this person with the words “Yes” and “No” at first, and then have them move on to short phrases. By not immediately launching into a monologue, the actor escapes intellectualizing the process. He is not concerned with creating an interesting story, but in playing with the voice of the character. He is able to discover the tempo and rate of the character’s speech, whether he pitches the tone of his voice high or the low, and the overall vocal impression the character makes.  Again you may side coach with the following types of questions:

• How fast or slow does this character talk?
• Where is the pitch of their voice? High or low?
• Do they stutter, or lisp, or have any other vocal impediment?
• Do they speak with any kind of regional dialect?
• Does this character have a signature word or catchphrase that they often use?

EXERCISE FOUR – LIVING BIOGRAPHY

Once this groundwork has been laid, the director can now move on to the emotional life and history of the character. Before initiating the exercise, tell the actors that you are going to interview them in character, and for the purposes of the work it is important that their character feel that this is a safe place to talk, and that the interviewer can be trusted with any and all information, no matter how sensitive it is. For this exercise the mirrors should be put away or covered up in some sort of way, never to be used again.

Ask the actor to place the mask in a chair facing the audience. The actor should place the chair center stage, stand back from it, and visualize his or her character sitting in the chair. Then ask the actor to describe every detail he can about the character from an outside perspective. Ask them to articulate every nuance of the character, the clothes they are wearing, the posture they are sitting in, the expression on their face, and the environment they are surrounded by. It is important that the actor not make any internal judgments about the character, but rather keep their observations as external as possible. This is important because the next step of the exercise involves the actor making the shift from the external to the internal.

Once the actor has completed their external observation, direct them to walk around the chair several times as the character, bringing back the physicality they discovered earlier, all the while keeping their attention fixed on the image and mask sitting in the chair. When the director feels that they see the character living fully in the actor, they should ask them to sit into the character, melding their body with the image. This is where transformation occurs, as the actor changes his body and expression to match the external description. The actor “becomes” the character, and is ready to be interviewed.

The director should always start each interview with a simple, “Hello”. From that simple beginning he or she can now ask questions to the character about their environment, history, beliefs, and relationships. It is vital that the director not ask leading questions, but rather open ended queries that allow the actor and moderator to be surprised by the character’s response. Examples of good questions are:

• Where are we right now?
• What was your favorite memory from childhood?
• Who do you love most in the world?
• What is your greatest hope?
• What do you dream about?

After these open-ended questions, the director can move on to questions regarding more specific events mentioned in the play that the character would have an emotional point of view about. When the director senses that they have gotten all they can out of the character, they close the session by thanking the character for speaking to them, and then saying goodbye. This is the actor’s cue to step out of the chair and out of the character.

CONCLUSION

One of the first questions the actor must ask in the rehearsal is, “Who am I?” It is a profound question, a question we all ask ourselves at different points in our lives. Yet, as important as this question is, we actors tend to skim over it. We fall back on old body habits and vocal cliché’s, we answer biographical questions about our character factually but not emotionally, and we are dismayed when they don’t resonate with us. Consequently, we end up shoving our own personas into the confines of the part, bending the author’s intentions to cohere with the objectives and actions we personally would do within the given circumstances. This leads us to play ourselves over and over again, the only difference being the title of the play and the name of the character. Using the mask can provide a catalyst for the actor, a visual cue to the heart and mind that makes it safe for them to behave in a completely different manner than their default “self”, to unequivocally state, “I am”, and believe it with every fiber of their being.

Gavin Hawk is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Eckerd College. He received his Diploma in Acting from The Juilliard School and his MFA in Acting/Directing from California State University, Long Beach.