Little Women; Further Character research - Professor Bhaer Task 2

 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 

As the cast list has been released, and whilst I did research on Laurie to prepare for the audition, I now must research the Professor in equal depth, if not more. 

The first thing I must consider, is how different he is. The Professor is European, meaning he'll act differently to everyone, not completely considering Etiquette still affects him, but It's less strongly impacted on his character due to the fact he's not from the area. He's also a lot poorer than the majority of people in the show, giving him a different sense about him, in the term of how he acts but also how he dresses. Now despite the fact he's poor, I still think Bhaer would uphold a certain class, so whilst he's poor he doesn't dress like it, I feel like Bhaer would wear either just suit trousers and a white button up, with or without a vest, perhaps even a jacket in some setting, nothing that show's he has money, nor neither something that screams the fact he's poor. 

In my eyes, he acts differently to the other characters, I've made him a little bubbly, yet still firm when he needs to be, I've taken advice from the rehearsals I've been in and have toned it down slightly but not too much. For the finale, I'll be having an umbrella, and my idea was that instead of kissing my co-star, I'd lower the umbrella to the side as we lean in, to give the impression It's a kiss whilst still having it be a scene that tugs on the strings of your heart. I'll also have an umbrella with a handle, though I'm unsure of how easy that'll be too find, I'd opt to use my umbrella however It's branded, I'll also have a beat-up looking briefcase, as in the scene he tells Jo he's not actually leaving, so It wouldn't make much sense if he had a suitcase. 

I may take inspiration from Louis Garrel's portrayal of Bhaer, as he is calm and soft spoken, if I turn down the bubbliness of him more, then perhaps I'd be able to mimic, I don't want to copy, only take inspiration, as I want this portrayal to be unique to me, my version of him. 

For marketing, we've set up a calendar, timetable esc idea. We wrote down everything we'll be doing for marketing up to the show, we also wrote down on a board ideas of what to do, checking each off if we do it. We've started filming a short marketing video based around etiquette which I've taken part in as an extra. With Alan being the narrator in it, I appeared in a scene about when a lady leaves all gentlemen must stand. We'll post it as part of a marketing take-over, where we swarm social media with posts on Little Women,  using photos taken, or videos/promotional photos. For example, later this week I plan on doing an "Interview" with the leads in the show, asking them questions for marketing. I've also taken many photo's and a couple of videos, including but not limited too, the dance scene and the starting scenes. I've taken photos whenever I can and sent them to the marketing group chat, including some later scenes. 

Marketing has also designed custom tickets for the show, is organising sponsor walks and blind cards to raise money for the budget of the show, and the next shows budget for once we've left. 

Through my research, I have adapted my way of thinking whilst on stage, I changed how I hold myself, making it more calmer and relaxed, soft spoken, yet also keeping the fact he wouldn't understand their customs as a foreigner so he's more immature than the other male's in the play. I also had some feedback from a peer of mine, who told me that I'm acting Bhaer as though he's younger than Jo, that I need to tone it down slightly, which I plan on doing as I've done further research on the character, I still plan on keeping his immaturity but I do also plan on toning it down, to make the character both my own interpretation but also an interpretation that would do the character justice.

I have also researched on 1800's Etiquette, how the male and female classes handled themselves, how they'd stand, how they'd speak, how they'd walk, what they'd do in certain situations. I also took part in an Etiquette video for marketing that explains and demonstrates different scenarios in which both men and women would act in, for example, if a lady leaves the room, the men must stand, and the same applies for if a lady enters a room. Of course this mainly applies to Gentlemen and Ladies, which were a specific class and group of people, however it was still expected to be learnt back in that era. Just as giving up your seat on the bus for someone elderly, similar rules would apply back then too. 

The interviews have been recorded and posted, including with marketing uploading photos and videos of the actual performance, and set prior/post to the show, and it must've worked as Thursday was expected to have 12 tickets sold but it sold a fair bit more! Not only that but I helped with costume as I learned how to turn a tie into a cravat, so I had more than plenty (essentially every male character) come to me asking me to tie that cravat, it'd happen mid show as well, in case it became untied, I didn't mind but I was quite surprised by the number of people who kept coming to me, though I was happy to help. 

Little Women's backstory

Little women was based on real people, the writers actual sisters, albeit loosely, yet events that happened in her life also happen in the story. 

For example, the sister Beth was based on the writers actual sister, Elizabeth Alcott, and given the same first name. Both perished to Scarlett fever, whilst Beth had a dignified quiet death, Elizabeth's was quite the opposite unfortunately, having suffered much more audibly, as Louis May Alcott expressed in her biography. 

Amy was based on her sister, Abigail, who became a famous painter, having her paintings accepted to the Paris Salon, she was picked over other famous painters of the time, whilst Amy in the book abandoned her love for painting, her real life counterpart chased it, and achieved her dreams.

Meg was based on her sister Anna Bronson Alcott, whose likeness to meg was very similar. Anna had a love for the dramatic arts, she enjoyed starring in Louisa's plays despite the fact she was also very "in the times" and "proper". She was very much a model wife in that time period. Yet despite this, she still had a love for drama, and still dreamed of becoming an actress. Whilst meg achieved this dream, Anna did not. Even so, Anna helped found the Concord Dramatic Union which was also where she met her husband. 

And finally, Jo, who Louisa based off herself. And just like Jo, they both wanted to become writers from a young age, both are highly ambitious with Louisa even writing her journal when she was a child that she wished to be "rich, famous and happy before I die" but that's where their likeness ends, as Louisa was a successful author, and split apart from her family, becoming her own successful individual, remaining unmarried. Whereas Jo got married, and stayed in her family circle, letting go of her dreams. 

Friedrich Bhaer's Storyline

Life in Germany

Friedrich was born in Germany and became a noted professor in Berlin. Though believed to have once been a gentleman in the old country, by the time of his arrival in the United States, he had been reduced to genteel poverty.

Life in New York

Friedrich emigrated to New York City, where he lived in Mrs. Kirke's boarding house and worked as a language master. Though possessing the background and qualities of a gentleman, he was very poor. He taught many children and got very close to them, including a little girl named Tina.

He met Josephine "Jo" March, who had moved into the boarding house for the winter holidays with a hope to get away from Teddy(Theodore). They became friends and he critiqued her writing. He encouraged her to become a serious writer instead of writing "sensation" stories for weekly tabloids. The two eventually married.

Life at Plumfield

The Bhaers moved to Plumfield, left to Jo by her Aunt March, where they established a school. Fritz taught the children many virtues and important things while also teaching them education. They raised Fritz's two orphaned nephews, Franz and Emil Hoffmann, and their own sons, Robert and Theodore.

- Source: https://littlewomen.fandom.com/wiki/Friedrich_Bhaer