I am no longer overwhelmed. Or, at least, not in the same way I was at the beginning of this wondrous process that is “Uncle Vanya”. Back then (okay, so it was only a month ago, but still) I was a new person in a new place, and everything seemed completely beyond me. Now, though, I know my fellow cast-members, our director, dramaturg, and stage managers, and I can honestly say that I can’t see doing this production with a better group of people. Our movement workshops with the incredibly talented Kali Quinn and our character/theme work with Jeff and Jules have been astounding; really, that’s the word for it. I’ll admit, I was not overly familiar with the play before I auditioned, but in the space of four weeks, I’ve learned so much about the characters, the setting, the multitude of themes…and all without much use of the original text! I guess where I’m going with this is that I am no longer overwhelmed by the production itself as I am by what Waffles and all that he represents in the world of Vanya.

I have always believed that every character in a play is important, no matter how “big” or “small” a role is, and this is especially true of “Uncle Vanya”. Marina, Maria, and Waffles are all, as we’ve described in class, sideline characters. That being said, each one of them is utterly necessary for the play to work. Marina is always in the background, as she has been since Vanya was a child, and while she doesn’t often vocalize her opinions of the various conflicts between characters, when she does, it means that much more. Maria, I feel, represents everything that the Professor wants and says he has, but which, in reality, he can’t stand (“…that old bitch, Maria Vasilyevna…”, Act II). Waffles, for his part, is the unsuccessful moderator of the various interactions between Vanya, Astrov, and the Professor. As we learned in the culmination of Kali’s workshops, he is toadyish and faithful, needy and eager to please, and yet he always speaks his mind. Granted, no one ever pays attention to his little outbursts, but it is also fairly evident to the audience that he understands what is going on and does not like it one bit.

Okay, so how did these character ideas fit into the movement workshops? We started with basics, all the way back at the beginning of September. Instead of using lines, we used our bodies to express the emotions and thoughts of our characters. One particularly moving exercise (at least, for me) was one that involved working with another person. I was paired with Thomas, one of our two versatile and extremely talented Vanyas. Essentially, the exercise involved looking into each other’s eyes while one partner remained in neutral position and the other moved as directed by Kali. The subtleties of Thomas’ emotional shifts and how much he could convey with just his eyes were mind-blowing. Even though we weren’t technically using our characters, I could totally see Vanya in all of his unsettled glory in motions as simple as pointing or the folding of Thomas’ arms. When my turn came around, I could feel myself settling into Waffles’ person, and I found that he has a lot of pent-up emotion. See, no one really likes him, except Sonya and Marina, and in general, he has accepted that and lives with it. However, when Vanya or the Professor shut him out and show complete disregard for his thoughts, it frustrates him. All he wants is to be heard, but even that is denied him. He is even-keeled to a fault, but there’s always a limit, and that is one of the important things about this play: all of the characters are pushed to the very edge. With some, it is pretty obvious when and why it happens (e.g. Vanya and the Professor). With others, it is less so (e.g. Marina). Inevitably, every single on of them is forced to ask the question: What have I done with my life, and what will I do with it now?

–Rory