UAL Assignment 4 - 2025 - End Of Year Show - Auditions, Character Insight And Research

Candidate Declaration - I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work* and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself.

Audition Preparation, Understanding and Process

Questions to think about before entering

What were your initial thoughts on the script that you have chosen?

My initial thoughts were that it is a very hard hitting script, and that it will require a lot of raw emotions and understanding to do it correctly.

Which particular character/s do you like/ resonate with you?

Susie - I feel like she is extremely interesting and goes on the biggest journey of having to understand the fact that she is dead and able to see her killer interacting with her family, and trying to communicate to them.

In what ways do you think that this particular piece will challenge you?

I think that this is a hard script because no matter the role, the emotional journey they go on is incredible - the loss of a child/being a child that has been murdered watching down upon the world is an incredibly sensitive situation, a situation I haven't been in, therefore it will be hard to find the emotional beats for the situation.

What areas of research do you think you should be covering to be able to take on this challenge?

Grief/Mourning, Longing, Murder, Views on the afterlife.

Why did you choose the monologue that you have brought today?

Rue's Monologue - Euphoria 

What does this monologue that you have brought tell us about you as an actor?

This monologue shows that i can handle hard topics and be able to talk about them with the correct emotions at hand.

My audition.

I think the audition went quite well, however I was very anxious. My audition material was Rue's Monologue from Euphoria - where she delivers a eulogy to her father who has passed. I picked this monologue because I think it emotionally connects to Susie who I am interested in, as a lot of the time the show involves Susie trying to communicate with her father, I feel like it suited as Rue reminisces about memories her father said to her and Susie sees this from the other perspective. I prepared for this by watching that episode of Euphoria as well as searching for context - understanding that he passed from cancer and finding the light and how she handles it personally. I think subtext and content wise, i was very well prepared, understanding how I wanted to do it, however i think nerves got the best of me with my lines. If I did this again, I would spend more prep time on my lines - ensuring I knew each one with confidence as i struggled with a couple of them. Delivery wise, I believe that in the actual audition it could've gone better, as I confused some of the lines when delivering the audition.

I think that my appearance and professionalism within the audition was strong, I had my hair tied back in a ponytail to ensure that my hair was out of my face and wore a black shirt and joggers - meaning I would be able to move around and make it easy to be redirected. I do wish however I entered the space a bit differently and more confidently - if i entered with more confidence i feel like i would've felt less nervous.

After my audition was over, i received a recall for Franny! Although this isn't the role I was originally wanting, it was great to go over the script in a different light and explore a new character. This character is more content with the fact she is dead and is a strong woman, so i played her more calm and collected. For this audition, i had a partner come in and do it with me, which i think helped me as it allowed me to have another person next to me to bounce from, which improved my performance. Overall, i am happy with my recall. 

ALL INFORMATION FROM THIS POINT IS NOT FULLY MY OWN WORK, IT IS BASED ON RESEARCH FROM DIFFERENT LINKS WHICH ARE PROVIDED UNDER THE RESEARCH TASKS

Research In General - Helping my Performance - The Railway Children

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION(S): 

The original production of 'The Railway Children' (Mike Kenny adaptation) was first put on stage at the National Railway Museum in York 2008. During this production they used a real steam engine as part of their set - as seen in the image.
however it was shortly followed by being produced at Waterloo Station, London in 2010. 

Information from: https://www.barntheatre.co.uk/productions_events/2019-2020/the-railway-children-2/#:~:text=Mike%20Kenny's%20imaginative%20stage%20adaptation,Station%20in%20London%20in%202010.

The play: 'The Railway Children' has been performed many times over the years from 2008 - 2025. The play version has been adapted from the book by Edith Nesbit by Mike Kenny and originally came out in 2008. Mike Kenny wanted people to be able to use their imaginations, as well as have a piece of theatre that anyone can enjoy as its target audience is 'Appropriate for all ages' but targeted to 'Teens age 14-18' and 'Children 6 - 10.' A quote from Mike Kenny about his work is: "You don't need a real train to perform this play… the most powerful prop is the imagination of the audience, the most effective tool the skill of the actor"  Which shows both his passion about people performing his theatre, and his love for his work - as he knows his story can inspire thought to the audience. The play is set in 1905.

Information from: https://origintheatrical.com.au/work/11228

The movie: The movie version of The Railway Children was released on the 22nd December 1970 and was directed by Lionel Jeffries and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was around 1 hour 50 minutes and under the genre Family/Adventure. This version of 'The Railway Children,' we can see the characters go on an emotional and strong journey in the countryside, with heartfelt moments captured in close ups and mid shots. The actors who play the three children in this version are incredible and have a clear understanding of the storyline. Roberta is played by Jenny Agutter, Phyllis is played by Sally Thomsett and Peter is played by Garry Warren. These actors have been nominated for awards specifically for this film - Sally Thomsett was a 1971 Nominee for the BAFTA Film Award 'Most promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles,' Bernard Cribbins for the '1971 BAFTA Film Award in 'Best supporting actor' and Johnny Douglas who worked on the film for the '1971 Nominee Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music.' It was based on the book Edith Nesbit had published back in 1906 and '79%' of google users liked this film. The list of everyone involved in this film are on this website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066279/fullcredits/

Over information from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066279/

The book: The Railway Children book is the original story written by Edith Nesbit - It has been adapted for the stage and screen multiple times and was originally published in 1905 in London magazine however made into a book in 1906. Edith is a writer and a poet and had many hits such as 'The Railway Children,' 'The Phoenix and the Carpet' 'The Story of the Amulet' and many more. She wrote/collaborated on 60 fiction books for children and was very much focused on children's entertainment. She was born in Surrey August 15th, 1858 and she unfortunately passed away May 4th, 1924. 

Information from: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7935185.E_Nesbit

COSTUMES, CLOTHING / HAIRSTYLES:

Hairstyles: Hairstyles for girls/women in 1905 depended on both class and age. Upper class women in both 1900s and 1910s featured a lot of partial/full updo's - however they werent as tight as they were before in the 1800s. They featured loose waves a lot of the time. 

https://brillarebeautyinstitute.edu/hairstyles-through-the-decades/#:~:text=Early%20Hairstyles%20of%20the%2020th,often%20featured%20loosely%20updone%20waves.

Compared to younger women, who typically depending on the age did have their hair out of their face and partially up - plaits were quite common within hairstyles for younger girls. From this research me and Beth (who is on Hair for production) come up with a hairstyle for Phyllis. It involves a half up half down with wavy hair, and the part that is up is plaited into the rest of the hair. This therefore is time-period accurate to the age of Phyllis - as she is only 8, therefore would typically follow the partially up with a plait combination.

Clothing: During this time period, children's clothing - girls in particular wore long dresses - particularly white ones and often wore them with either pinafores or smocks. In the 1910s, girls started to wear fabric that was more durable for movement and playing. Other examples mention that children's fashion was very similar to the adults fashion, however more modest. For girls light colours and lace were common and popular - often wearing dresses down to their knees if not below and wore black stockings and shoes or boots in the winter. Examples are shown in the photos.

Based on these photos and research, for my costume i got a long pink and white dress with a smock over the top, i didn't wear black stockings however i got some white tights and frilly socks with black boots. I think this both suited the time period and the social status for the family at the time.

TIME PERIOD: 

The Railway Children is set in 1905. This was during the Edwardian Time period. There was lots of events that went on around this time period historically, some key events included: Suffragette's (votes for women), sinking of the Titanic, and WW1. These events meant that the world was constantly changing and moving, however the division between the rich and the poor was still present. People who were working were being taxed more due to the inflation and demand of the country, whilst the rich were still getting taxed  - it was not as much. A powerpoint which explains how England was undergoing poverty in 1900: https://www.stchistory.com/ewExternalFiles/1poor1900.pdf

WHO WERE THE RAILWAY CHILDREN: 

The railway children were a small family from London who moved to the countryside due to their father being wrongly arrested. Their mother originally made them move to protect their children from the news, as well as it was more affordable for them to be there. As they had little entertainment within their new home, every day they would go down to the railway station and wave to the 9:15 train to London to take their love to their father. They were known amongst the passengers to wave, and even stopped a train accident. 

Information based from the script by E. Nesbitts The Railway Children. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Railway-Children-NHB-Modern-Plays/dp/1848421311

RAILWAYS:

From around 1892 - 1913 the advancement in railways were not as advanced as they are now however we can see a slow improvement over time. in 1892 there was a Gauge Standardisation - the information website says 'Officials and onlookers crowd Paddington Station to see the last Broad Gauge Engine start its journey. An overflowing boiler makes it look as though the engine is crying, and a band plays it off. Meanwhile along the route thousands of workers wait to adjust the track in one huge weekend-long job, finally connecting Britain’s mainline railways in one standard gauge.' Then, in 1900s it was the start of the electric commuter trains - 'Suburban living, with good housing design and green spaces, served by city railways, becomes popular. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and Southern Railway’s electric trains are a perfect match: very well suited to ‘stop, start, stop’ requirements. Electric trains create a rush of development around the capital, creating new suburbs.'Finally, in 1913 the national union of railwaymen formed - 'Many smaller trade unions come together to provide a collective voice for hundreds of thousands of rail industry workers. They lobby employers, run sickness and support clubs, and fundraise for children of railway workers killed or injured on the network.' This is all helpful information as it means I understand the advancements in the railways at the time, which helps with knowing what type of stuff the children would be witnessing when going down to the railway every day.

Information and quotes from: https://railway200.co.uk/timeline/

In 1905 in particular, the technology was advancing in both steam and electric locomotions. Some examples of trains are:

PERSONAL RESEARCH:

HOW THE CHARACTERS INTERLINK

CHARACTERISTICS:

As well as what is listed below, i personally believe that these characteristics help shape who she is when she is older and still falls into some of these habits. I believe that she is sheltered her whole life so never really has the opportunity to fully mature - specifically as she is still quarreling with Peter even as an adult.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS:

PHYLLIS MOTIVATIONS: 

Throughout the entirety of the play, It is obvious that her main goal is to tell her story to the audience, however when digging further i also believe that the other goal is to stay strong and happy as a family for the sake of not only her Mother and other siblings but for herself - as her father is away and she doesn't know why she needs to be able to cling onto the hope of him coming back with the shared love of her siblings. As the older version retelling this story, the motivation deeper meaning is slightly different, it is more of a looking fondly back over the memories she managed to create and capture within her family - a bond i believe she is truely proud of. 

CONFLICTS:

I don't think Phyllis faces much conflict throughout the story that we see, however based on the information i have on her i believe that in reality, she would struggle quite a lot with knowing who she was within herself - as she calls herself the between-maid and says its a struggle to be the youngest sibling. On top of this, she gets told she means well as well as gets brushed aside or told to be quiet quite often - sometimes even for telling the truth or expressing her opinion. In real life, this would cause some personal issues and i would relate that to the character in the play during soft / harder moments when she is upset or angry at other people. Another conflict i think she faces is the worry of where her father is - with no real communication or answers until later in the play (however when i act it i need to make it seem like i don't know it at the time) she would always be wondering - which might answer why she has so many questions or concerns.

PRACTITIONERS

I believe that this piece touches on both Stanislavski technique as well as Brectian. Throughout the entirety of the play, we see her break the forth wall and talk directly to the audience - which is what Brect did to remind his audience that it is just theatre. The idea of making the audience aware that it is just theatre helps me with this forth wall break as it allows me to make direct eye contact or highlight words which show it is just storytelling. Stanislavski comes in within the scene parts of the play - the parts where they aren't talking to the audience and the family are simply being a family. A big one for me that is helpful for Phyllis is the magic if. As i am not in the position that she is in, it's helpful for me to take a step in the shoes and take a second to imagine what life would be like if i was in her position - losing all life as she knows it, her father, moving to a strange place and not understanding what is fully going on. It is a hard situation to be in, therefore it is important to be empathetic and try hold onto something and that emotion. An emotional memory which somewhat helps trigger this thought process back to my head is leaving school - coming to a new college where i knew nobody, even though the scenarios are vastly different, it allows me to trigger the thought in my head and what i was thinking about before using the magic if.

Research On Production Role 

PROGRAMME: 

For production for The Railway Children, i have decided to do the programme. A programme is a little booklet that contains information about the cast, the play and the rest of the team. It is given to / bought by audience members and it is a way to acknowledge the hard work of everyone involved in the production. They usually include: Title of production, Director, Actors, Author & some context to the play. Some programmes can contain advertisements, information on the sponsors, 

Programmes are useful to everyone involved in the production as it gets their name out there - whether they are already quite big in the industry or upcoming, it gives them the equal opportunity to be recognised by the audience. As well as gives the audience the opportunity to recognise who they are watching - this can be useful for agency's and casting directors.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

I also helped out a little bit on the social media aspects of the show, making a reel to promote the show. Social media can be a great way to bring attraction to a show, as it can reach audiences that expand further than the cast and crew's circle - such as people from different areas.

Character Development: Phyllis - The Railway Children

The character i'm playing is called Phyllis - she is 8 years old and originally lived in London but due to her Father being arrested (that she doesn't find out about until way later down the line) she moves to Yorkshire with her Mother and her two older siblings - Roberta and Peter. In my opinion, she is the comedy aspect of the play. Her lines have subtle hints of comedy that if played correctly can hit in the audience. To go over this, i have annotated my copy of the script line by line to understand the meaning and depth behind it. Some great examples of this comedic part would be: "I was rather disappointed." "I was rather hoping for a baby elephant, i've always wanted one" and " You must have been born sometime, even if it was 70 years ago.

Based on both the book and movie, she seems sheltered from what is going on by her family at the start but becomes aware by the end.