2012 The Bedbug by Vladimir Mayakovsky from Caitlin Hill on Vimeo.
2012, Caitlin Hill with the First Year Adv. Dip. of Arts (Acting) Students of Southbank Institute of Technology/Brisbane TAFE for The Bedbug by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
The Bedbug is a huge challenge for any actor. How do you take such dated language or jokes of another culture that can't hide behind a labels like Shakespearean, Restoration, or Moliere?
The issues of The Bedbug are still hot, it's also important to reflect on capitalism and communism and the dire faults of each theory. However, when it is wrapped up in very specific jokes that were even hard to digest in 1920s Russia, how do you make it work for modern audiences? I DON'T KNOW. I tried. Zoya goes from being a young woman to being an old woman within a few scenes. I tried to capture the essence of being elderly without relying on makeup, costumes or a stereotypical old person voice. It was very difficult. Sometimes I watch this and I can see what I was aiming for and other times it is an utter failure, but I don't regret it because I learned so much during this process.
The issues of The Bedbug are still hot, it's also important to reflect on capitalism and communism and the dire faults of each theory. However, when it is wrapped up in very specific jokes that were even hard to digest in 1920s Russia, how do you make it work for modern audiences? I DON'T KNOW. I tried. Zoya goes from being a young woman to being an old woman within a few scenes. I tried to capture the essence of being elderly without relying on makeup, costumes or a stereotypical old person voice. It was very difficult. Sometimes I watch this and I can see what I was aiming for and other times it is an utter failure, but I don't regret it because I learned so much during this process.
This production is part of our First Year assessment.
