The Chekhov Diaries: Script Analysis

One of the first things that I do after a read-through is start script analysis with the cast. Our cast is thirteen and we have broken them down into groups to do this work.

The play is complex and with so many characters it’s important that my cast have an excellent understanding of the play as a whole.

I have experienced sessions like this where nothing but bullshit emerges as everyone wants to say their little piece about the script. I don’t need people to be competing to look smart, we have a great cast and I need them to focus on the task at hand and not feel like they have to say clever things.

So we confine our earliest discussions to answer some simple questions. Each actor is asked to answer them for themselves (their character) and the Protagonist.

Whose story is it? 
This question is asking you who the protagonist of the story is. Sometimes it is just one character, other times it is more.

In the case of Patrick Marber’s play Closer, it could be argued that Dan or Alice are the protagonist but since there is no clear single character, we decided it was multi-protagonist.

With the Three Sisters, a large ensemble cast could have multiple protagonists but the name of the play, their shared fate and the interconnectedness of their journey makes the Prozorov family the protagonist. If pushed, Irina changes most but I am happiest with focusing on the 3 sisters and a brother.

Next we ask: what is their underlying need?

What drives them consciously or unconsciously? We look for one word, a need that is constantly thwarted by a good writer.

We use this website for helping to think about needs. It provides a great resource.

The next question is: what conflicts or obstacles do they meet on their journey? In other words what stops her from getting their need achieve.

Conflicts can be external or internal.

INTERNAL: Vershinin needs stimulation, but his sense of duty always conflicts with it and always wins.

EXTERNAL: Natasha needs respect but the sisters look down on her and think she is rather vulgar.

The final question asks: how does the journey change the character?

The Prozorovs lose their home, but they are freed from a home that was never really their home. And perhaps they give up on ever going back to Moscow.

These sessions have been hugely eye-opening and it has been great for everyone to explore the script together.

We don’t talk themes or colours or what the character eats for lunch, we examine the journey of the character, what drives them and how they change. Then we start working on the scene analysis.

To answer these questions and discuss the answers with the rest of the cast, you really need a close understanding of the play. This means the cast must read it through independently a few time to become familiar with it.

There is no place for bullshit answers based solely on opinion, they must be evidenced in the script. Everyone can smell a bullshit answer and trying to squeeze things from the text to defend your opinion is unnecessary.

It’s all there in the script and these questions will help you to find it.

COACH