A performer (self-identifying as a descendant of a Jamaican) reflects on preparing for and inhabiting the role of Margaret White, the mother/matriarch in a family-focused play. The speaker describes finding personal through-lines for the character, balancing Margaret’s individual arc with her responsibilities toward her family, and the creative journey of fleshing out relationships until the performance feels "really full."
Chapters
I am the descendant of a Jamaican, so I think I'm pretty good. But it's like, I was really invested in wanting to make sure that my. That was on point. And also, I think just finding my own storyline, my own through lines with each of the characters that I. That I'm up against. You know, I play Margaret White, who is the mother and matriarch in this family, and there's a lot going on. Everybody's got their own thing happening in this play. And for Margaret, you know, the real question is, yes, I have my own thing, but also, how do I relate to everything that my family is going through? Because as the mother, you are always kind of, you know, you're watching out for your kids, you're watching out for your partner, making sure the family stays together. You're worried about everybody's stuff. Whereas, you know, people might be in their own little worlds, worried about their own things. You know, mama's got it all. So, yeah, it's really been a journey of figuring out how I feel about the other characters and how I'm invested in them and. But that's the beauty of doing this work, right? You get to flesh that out, play with it until you have something that's really full, which I think we really have accomplished.