Using the research

How did I use the research to develop Nell's character and the scenes?

   I already discussed some part of this in my research of syphilis and how I wanted to use it to show her physicality in the last scene, which you can find here. Also, you can find the rest of my research over here.

   Doing the research was very important when working on Playhouse Creatures, since it is set in a completely different time simply reading about that time in history helps us to understand the motivation of each character better, and it certainly helped me. I found that knowing what happened before the play is set, about the Puritans and theatres closing down and all the friction happening between the different kingdoms, helped me to understand the situation Nell is in and where she is coming from. Women do not have the best position in the society, but rather they are seen as property to men, and they are basically worthless without a husband or a socially powerful lover. So, getting to become an actress, a profession that used to be monopolized by men, can seem like a career of power and success to someone young like Nell, when reality the profession of an actress was very close to being a prostitute. Researching this period of time and the social models really helped to get in touch with the women's objectives to find lover's and men to support them - without the men they were basically doomed for a low living style and destined to poverty.

   Researching Nell's life obviously had the biggest influence to my creation of her character, since knowing her life could help me with playing Nell in three different parts of her life. Since she was little, Nell worked for her mother to basically advertise a brothel to men. This really helped to come in grasps with Nell's fearlessness, especially in the scene where she is on the stage, making up a dance as she goes. She has never been afraid to use her voice and obviously she is creative enough to be able to think on feet and make it up as she goes. Her past is also why seem's so struck by the audience at first. She isn't afraid immediately, but in awe of the attention and glory. It is something she has never experiences before, being the centre or attention, with royalty admiring her. It is only when the other women snap her out of this awe, that she realizes that actually, she is in bit of trouble.