CHARACTER

Much Ado About Nothing

-By William Shakespeare

My Character: LEONATO

Before the start of Term / My initial approach to the script

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My first step in approaching the script was to go straight ahead and read through the script. I didn’t understand a lot of the play but I got an idea of what the

In preparation for rehearsals and to help me gain a greater understanding of the script I watched the David Tennant/Catherine Tate 2011 staging of Much Ado About Nothing that was put in modern context, similar to ours.

Leonato Analysis 

(Based on my interpretation of the script and the portrayal by JONATHAN COY)

·      He's  a bumbly character which shows through both the text and Coy's interpretation.

·      He's often seemingly comfortable (in terms of physicality) most likely as the majority of the play is set in his house.

·      He's quite old.

·      He's humorous though this is sometimes through the audience laughing at him rather than with him.

·      He's humble despite his high status.

·      He's inquisitive and a lot of the time wants to understand what's happening around him.

·      He's jolly and seems to take pleasure in seeing others/his guests happy.

·      He's accepting and welcoming of outsiders.

·      He's powerful and respected by everyone around him.

·      He's commanding and able to take control of a situation.

   He's generally warm and welcoming but he has the ability to switch and be very serious when necessary.

Accent Work
I started out by picking up significant sounds that are pronounced differently in the accent partly based off of my own knowledge (having muslim family friends) and some youtube videos.

·      w = wh

·      I + ee

·      d = t

·      V = F

·      A= ah

·      O = ohh

·      R’s are rolled

·      L’s are placed at the back/sides of the tongue rather than the tip

·      T’s are said with the middle of the tongue rather than the tip

I struggled to roll my R’s and sometimes I slipped into a Russian accent out of habit but after a while I trained my mouth not to and learnt avoid it. I also watched a few you tube videos of arab accents and noticed that the R roles are softer and less prominent than that present in a Russian accent.

My pronunciation of vowels began to sound Italian at one point but I avoided this simply by learning to strengthen my mouth and engage certain muscles that I don’t so much usually.

My primary reference for my accent was actually a YouTube clip, originally intended as a comedy sketch video. In it the speaker impersonates a number of Arab caricatures such as a Sudanese government spokesperson and a Syrian school teacher.

Initial Notes on Physicality

I first envisioned Leonato somewhat feeble from old age and perhaps his earlier years (maybe he was a soldier himself). He is definitely older than the other characters (e.g. soldiers) and not as physically fit/capable.

My Character in Relation to Others

• Who i openly like: At the beginning Leonato likes everyone but is probably, to some extent, annoyed/irritated by the american visitors.
• Who i secretly like: Most of his affection is consistent outwardly and inwardly.
• Who i openly dislike: Though short lived Leonato expresses some discontent towards hero out of shame after the accusations that she was not loyal to her husband on her wedding day. He then recognises the princes, Claudio, Margaret and Borachio as the true perpetrators. By the end tho only person he does make amends with is Don John
• Who i secretly dislike: Once again he is quite consistent in who he likes and who he does not, there is not much secrecy to his affection although he does pretend to like the "villains" in accordance to the Friar/Benedick's plot.

Who is my enemy: Leonato is somewhat of a loved character throughout the play and although he may have disliked people at certain points it's a stretch to say anyone is/was an enemy.

Who is my family: Hero (daughter), Beatrice (niece), Claudio (son in-law), Benedick (soon to be nephew in-law), Antonio (brother)

Who are my friends: Friar Francis, Dogberry (though often an annoyance to Leonato there are moments where the two characters seem quite close or at least thankful for each other),

Who are my acquaintances: The Soldiers, Margaret (maid), Ursula (maid), Don Pedro (guest), Don John (guest), Borachio (guest), Conrad (guest), Balthasar (guest), Verges (Dogberry's deputy), Watchmen (guards)

(In Script)
Beats/Moments/Thought changes = l
Poetic features
Objectives/Action the script so i know what i'm doing to the other person on every line

What people say about my character

"Your worship" (your followers) - Dogberry

"Sir" - Dogberry/Don John/Benedick

"Fatherly and kindly" - Claudio

"Signior" - Dogberry

"Noble sir" - Claudio

"I praise God for you" - Dogberry

Leonato is a highly held figure in society and is respected as a superior by everyone except the Friar as he's a member of the church and arguably socially higher than Leonato in the context of Shakespearean english values.

What i say about myself
He doesn't directly reference himself but some of his lines say a lot about him and reflect his character

Leonato is respected yet humble and thankful, this is interpreted through Leonato's patience and generosity with/towards dogberry.

He is commanding when he needs to be, this shown towards just about anyone in front of hime when he's angry or emotional.

Given circumstances - In the original play Leonato is governor of Messina and a unifying character meaning that he's linked to all of the plots and characters in some way or another.

My journey through the play

• Leonato invites the soldiers to his house
• Claudio and Hero's relationship develops, i eventually have to facilitate their wedding
• Somewhere in between, Leonato also helps in pushing Beatrice/Benadick together
• At the wedding Hero is outed as sexually impure shaming his family name
• Leonato essentially disowns Hero but clings on to hop by agreeing to the Friar and Benedicks plan to prove the whole incident is a mistake.
• The plan works, the dilemma is resolved and Leonato stages the wedding once more. This time the wedding goes through and the villains are discovered.

9 Questions

Who am i?
Leonato - Muslim, Arabic speaker, businessman

Diary Entry

Today (as most days now are) was not all that eventful but we get what we're given here. My daughter and niece are well so i thank god. There may be a new deal with an american company on the horizon so hopefully there's new wealth around the corner which we can put into renovations or treating my family. In these hard times a little can go a long way. The war rolls on and we roll along with it, hopefully it ends and they bring home what and who they left with. I think Hero has her eye on a certain young soldier so maybe it's time to save for a possible wedding? A little celebration may be just what this place needs.

What Time is it? (year, season, day/night)
90's decade (precise year unspecified by director)
There is no reference to the season in the play but it was originally put in Autumn/Winter
It is set over an unspecified timescale but most likely a few days

Where am i? (each scene)
The set is Leonato's house so he is essentially at home but his home is also the wedding venue. Throughout the play the house feels seemingly relaxing and festive.

In the context of our 90's adaptation the setting is a mansion/palace in the middle east on desert terrain by an american army base. It is hot, dry and sandy.

In Shakespeare's original context Messina is a bustling port city. The men returning from battle would most likely have viewed the place as a deserved respite from war. Messina is essentially an idyllic setting away from the dark realities of the war elsewhere. Leonato's house is perceived as beautiful by the reader as it's romanticised by the characters but this could simply be drawn in comparison to the savage setting of the war.

What surrounds me? (people/things)
I am surrounded by family, friends, american soldiers and local watchmen (guards)
There is a war going on in the background

What's happened to me before the scene starts? / What happens after it ends?
Before - Leonato hotly anticipates Hero and Claudio's wedding.
After - The wedding is celebrated, Don John is persecuted and in the near future i'm assuming that Beatrice and Claudio get married.

What's my objective (by scene, Super objective)
First Scene
To get the wedding venue ready and presentable
To kindly dismiss dogberry and verges
To quickly resolve the issue of the "arrant knaves" before the wedding starts

Second Scene
To assist Hero and Claudio's marriage
To make a seemingly unhappy Claudio, happy
To understand/come to terms with the controversy regarding Hero's purity/virginity
To grieve my loss of reputation
To punish Hero
To salvage any hope that the situation can be resolved

Third Scene
To assist the Friar and Benedick in their plot to find/punish the true villains
To fool Claudio into thinking grieving Hero's false death
To expose the true villains
To once again respectfully dismiss Dogberry and thank him for his work/dedication

Fourth Scene
To find and punish Margaret as a villain
To arrange and the second wedding attempt (whilst keeping the secret of the "new" bride's true identity
To consent to Beatrice and Benedick's engagement
To make Claudio remorseful for his mistakes
To oversee Hero and Claudio's second marriage (successfully this time)
To deal with don Pedro and move on from everything
To kindly encourage the visitors to leave

Super Objective - To maintain mine and my families reputation whilst facilitating other character's relationships and happiness.

What are my obstacles?
Hubris - It may well be a condition of the society but Leonato prides himself too much on his reputation.
Jealousy and people spreading rumours.

What do i do to get what i want?
Encourage romantic relationships (Claudio/Hero, Beatrice/ Benedick)
Reward people's work (Dogberry and the other soldiers)
Be forgiving (the Villains, the Princes, Claudio and Borachio)
Leonato is generally just nice to everyone (He shares his wealth)

Personal playlist (my character's journey)
Only One - Kanye West (wedding, family etc.)
Family Matters - Chance the Rapper (the second wedding)
Daughters - John Mayer

Celebrate - Anderson .Paak (melancholic celebration) resolving the broken relationships)

Wars In The Middle East Since 1990

There have been 25 wars/conflicts/uprisings/protests etc. in the middle east since 1990 the most notable being The Gulf War (40,000-57,000 casualties) The Iraq War (109,032-650,726 casualties) and The Syrian Civil War (250,000-470,000 casualties)

The Americans and British have been involved/contributed in all of these conflicts (led by George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Barack Obama and David Cameron.) Western involvement in said wars is massively controversial and often debated even today. Recently there was debate in the parliament concerning the decision to green light bombings in Syria, which was approved and ultimately led to the deaths of a number of innocent men, women and children. Arising from these conflicts and "the war on terrorism" is a global villainization of Muslims carried out through media outlets (Fox News/The Sun), Hollywood (American Sniper, Iron Man 3, Zero Dark Thirty) politicians (Donald Trump, David Cameron) festering hatred through fear. This hatred leads to dehumanisation justifying anti-refugee and pro-murder attitudes because "it's okay if it's foreign people in a far away places to die on a regular basis but as soon as it's a british life, it's now a tragedy. This ideology is fundamentally wrong and hugely harmful to the well-being of humanity but i feel as though this issue is too deeply woven into society and it seems ever increasingly harder to uproot.

The Gulf Wars Lecture

2 August 1990 - 28 February 1991

(2003 Invasion of Iraq)

1. Iran = Islamic fundamentalist
2. USA fund Iraq to prevent the spread of Islamic fundamentalism
3. Berlin Wall falls November 1989
4. Soviet Union dissolves 1991
5. Shift of international interest from Europa/Russia to the Middle east

Invasion of Kuwait

In July 1990 Saddam hussein accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi oil and demands $2 billion in repayment. He Blamed Kuwait for the over production of oil thus the fall of oil prices internationally therefore poverty in Iraq. Iraqi troops threaten Kuwait who dismiss/ignore said threats. The US (George Bush) took no action to prevent invasion and in August 1990 Iraqi troops attack Kuwait.

International Response to Kuwait

• The UN posed economic sanction on Iraq if they didn't withdraw
• USA feared over their oil supply as Iraq held 20% of the worlds oil supply
• Un passed "Operation Desert Shield if Iraq didn't withdraw

Operation Desert Shield

• 250,000 USA would move into Saudi Arabia if Iraq didn't withdraw b the deadline
• ODS would become Operation Desert Storm: Kuwait would be forcibly liberated
• Egypt and Syria join to fight against Iraq and Britain back USA with 45,000 troops
• France are reluctant to support and Germany only provide financial aid
• 16 Jan 1991 - USA + coalition launch a military assault against Iraq

Highway Of Death

The Highway linking Kuwait and Iraq was used first by the Iraqis to invade Kuwait in 1990 and then the US in 2003. 1,400 and 2,000 vehicles were hit or abandoned

• Bush declares the gulf war is about peace, unity and justice for all
• Un place further economic sanctions on Iraq
• Dec 1998 - Uk and USA bomb suspected nuclear production points. The operation was a failure.

War On Terror 

• 9/11 takes place and an international war is declared on terror and any state supporting terrorism.
• The event was used by the US to justify any action needing to take place
• in 2001 Us invade al-Qaedas training camps.
• The Taliban regime is removed but Bin-Ladin is not captured and in 2004 the Taliban regain strength despite UN and NATO action.
• As one war ends another begins

In 2003 the US/Britain invade Iraq and Saddam Hussein is captured 

By 2004 the UN had removed sanctions on Iraq.

Gulf War Syndrome (PTSD)

Gulf War syndrome is a multi symptom disorder affecting veterans an civilian workers of the Gulf War. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, rashes and diarrhea. Around 250,000 of the 697,000 veterans who served in the war suffer from the symptoms listed. It is reported that veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars may also suffer from GWS. Very little is known about the illness but it is said to have been caused by not only trauma but also a certain mixture of chemicals but so little concrete knowledge is known about the syndrome it is hard to treat. Many sufferers and people working within the war zone are said to have been exposed to oil and smoke from burning oil wells, swarms of insects and consequently pesticides and high powered microwaves used to scramble enemy communications which are all said to be sources of the problems. 

Animal Study - Meerkat

I chose the meerkat because like leonato they stand tall overseeing everything. They are welcoming and friendly unless met with hostility in which case they can be vicious and territorial. Meerkats also dwell in hot climates as Leonato does and as a result of it are comfortable in the sun as opposed to the visitors. They're somewhat temperamental creatures

bearing sharp claws used for digging burrows and digging for prey. This is remnant of leonato in that he is mostly friendly but potentially vicious as seen in the initial wedding scene.

Off Text Improvisation task (Self and Peer Assessment)

On the 12th of April (rehearsal 7) we performed our improv scenes to the rest of the cast and dissected/discussed them in fair detail. My counterpart (Adjei) played leonato with great convection and i can really see that he's starting to feel comfortable in character especially with the accent which has hugely improved looking back at the first rehearsal. It's clear he's done a lot of work on his characterisation. His scene looked at the interaction between Leonato and Friar Francis (Imam Farhouk) and it was brilliant. The pair captured the comedy almost perfectly whilst staying truthful which Jack rightfully said is the key to performing a comedy succesfully. The comedy of the scene arrived through the clash of characters in Leonato's focus on family/religious tradition (with mention of hijabs and extravagant chandeliers whilst the imam/wedding planer (in the context of our play) was focused on contemporary fashion/style saying that the wedding dress should be more revealing and that Chandeliers are "sooooo 80's". There were moments when they played to the comedy of the scene a bit much which made it clear as an audience member how important it is to be truthful and meet the comedy via said truthfulness.

My scene depicted Leonato conferring with the soldiers on their plans in terms of security for Hero's wedding night. I feel like the scene was all in all successful and we played to the truthfulness of the characters quite. It was nice to explore my relationship with dogberry a bit and look at the comedy through that. Upon receiving feedback from the class Jack commented on my physicality becoming clearing showing that i am an older gentleman but still of high social ranking which i'm quite happy with. Lily also mentioned that my relationship with the soldiers was accurate and effective in that i showed how i didn't really want to be around them or further to it "relying" on them but i needed their assistance and was grateful for it. I enjoyed this exercise and i feel it will definitely improve my scenes with the soldiers and Dogberry having a more established and rooted relationship between us.

Directors Notes 4/26

Projection, clarity, muscularity, volume and diction

Energy and pace

Make bold, confident decisions 

Balance the space and find good sight-lines

Play the antiphasis (Key to performing Shakespeare)

Be strong and confident on our exits and entrances (both when and where)

Personal notes

Enjoy the humour a bit more and find a stage where i have a high enough status that i can laugh at myself.

Start to think of the play in terms of atmosphere (wedding scene, outside (accusations), second wedding)

Analysis of Adjei's interpretation (of Leonato)

It's been amazing watching Adjei's development of his portrayal of Leonato over these weeks of rehearsals. He has gradually become more and more comfortable within his character on stage by opening himself up to suggestion/direction and actively working on receiving constructive criticism.

It was clear in the first few weeks that he hadn't done too much work on his script/character as he dropped quite a few moments of comedy and didn't seem to be too familiar with the narrative, this however began to change as the rehearsal process progressed. As he began to understand his character arc and his circumstances (previous and present) his characterisation dramatically improved, his performance became less internalised and he developed stronger relationships with the characters around him. Of course it is difficult to know what is going to happen in a scene and perform it numerous times whilst acting like it's completely new news but it needs to happen nevertheless. I feel that being involved in the mafia run may have aided him in the sense that it made the text somewhat feel fresh but he unfortunately was unable to attend said session.

As his understanding of the plot/text improved so did his accent. I think self-consciousness and lack of research proved a hinderance in the opening stages but he picked it up as the weeks passed, i do however feel he could've done more to make his accent more natural whilst maintaining that same diction and clarity.

Especially seeing as Adjei opened the play, saying the very first line, he held the audiences full attention and you could tell if he was fully immersed in his surroundings or not. As an audience member and a human being you learn detect when someone is being truthful or not and with something as alien as a middle eastern dessert his job was a lot harder. When he truly believed his surroundings, so did the audience which set the scene and energy of the rest of the play. Our Michael Chekhov exercises definitely had an effect on the cast and i could clearly see how it aided Adjei and resulted in a much more truthful performance, particularly in the opening scenes.

In terms of physicality, Adjei was strong from the start, he used his advantage in height to almost lean over his peers displaying higher status in a lax and natural manor. He managed to command the stage whilst maintaining a sense of innocence and welcoming. The only thing i could say needed to be improved upon was his physicality in relation to others, how he might loosen up around family and be more regimented around employees/soldiers. He stayed quite consistent throughout his half of the play and it would've been interesting to see some developments or different sides to his character.

Another interesting thing about observing Adjei's Leonato was seeing how we influence each other. I learnt a great deal from watching Adjei and my perception of Leonato changed. I realised quickly that the comedy of the character is often at his expense rather than of his intention, in this sense there is occasionally a sort of naivety and senile clumsiness about him. At the beginning i feel he played too much on the innocence and naivety of the character and lacked the sense of wisdom and experience. This changed the dynamics of scenes and how other characters treated, although it became better towards the end i feel like it still could've been improved upon.

Personal Evaluation

I admittedly wasn't as strong on my lines from the start but i was strong on my contextual knowledge and my research. I had done work on my accent/voice, previous circumstances, physicality, objectives and actions prior to the first rehearsal which showed in my performance and characterisation. I found learning the lines themselves quite a challenge, i believe this was down to the combination of old english and the application of an Arab accent.

Throughout the process i received a lot of positive feedback but not as much criticism as i would have liked. My accent especially was well received but I think this may have been more so due to my relationship with the cast, having already been friends, they were generous in their responses to my performance.

I find it difficult to project regardless but having to project in the accent proved a huge challange. L's, TH's and R's proved incredibly hard to sound when on voice and i found myself going over certain lines a number of times such as

"Brother, you know your office. To be father to your brothers daughter and marry her to young Claudio"

I realised as time went on that the primary difficulty in perfecting my accent was that my mouth and the muscles surrounding it have (over 16 years) developed to cater to an English, Londoners accent. To truly engage with this accent i would have to speak arabic in order to strengthen certain muscles before going back to english. In the time frame we had this wasn't possible but i now understand the depth f preparation needed to jump into a role such as an arab businessman/uncle. I think by the end of the process i had somewhat adjusted to the accent and the performance in the new theatre i felt comfortable however outdoors in Brighton i felt stretched and a little shouty. 

I felt that we didn't spend as much rehearsal time as i would have liked to on the second half of the play however i should have taken upon myself to arrange outside of school hours. Despite certain scenes not being as thoroughly rehearsed i felt like they were fresher which heightened the energy of said scenes such as my entrance just before the second wedding. There is a sense of excitement to that scene which i feel may have been worn down by over rehearsing it.

I didn't pay too much attention to my physicality in the initial rehearsals but once i was able to put my script down i immediately began to explore and feel what it would be like to be this person in this surrounding. I found it difficult to find a compromise between authoritative and somewhat senile in comparison to the soldiers and watchmen but i found balance as the weeks went on. In the final performance my mum commented on my posture which was a choice but upon reflection perhaps it was the wrong choice, or perhaps that i didn't dedicate to the choice enough.

I really enjoyed the final performances especially as they were all so different. The first showing in the New Theatre was filled with friends/peers, which was incredibly fun as all of the comedy was well received and the audience were somewhat more comfortable/expressive than the other two. Seeing as the majority of my scenes are somewhat solemn and serious i feel that the almost over-energetic crowd almost worked against me, the second performance however worked in my favour. It was a bit more of a challenge, the comedy wasn't as well received in some places and we had to feed more energy into certain scenes. This audience was a lot more perceptive and i feel the second half scenes had a much greater impact on them. The Brighton Fringe performance was completely different to anything i've done before and i really enjoyed the challenge. Granted it was difficult to project above the ambient noises and conveniently scheduled rock band performance i feel that there was a fantastic energy from both cast and audience. Never, in my short career, i think has Peter Brooks teachings of community through theatre been so relevant. I look forward to the Stratford-Upon-Avon performance and seeing what i take away/learn from that experience.