Why I chose the role I chose?

The two plays we have been studying are generally based around similar factors. Both portray the problems that can arise when having to face these problems in real life scenarios. First of all, Pronoun describes the life of being a transgender in the perspective of Dean and how others around are impacted by that. Whereas the play Last Summer is based around Female Genital Mutilation and how a fact about someone can deeply affect the friendship you have had for years. Similarly, both plays are based in modern times and when first approached can be sensitive matters to certain audiences, therefore making this a challenge to convey to youth audiences.

However it can also be said that the moral of both plays is that you can be who you want to be and you can make your own decisions. Although these factors in both plays can be overlooked in real life scenarios, but in the end it is about whom you are and the people who care about you offering support. We live in a world where people can be influenced by others, but the factor should not direct you to hide things to avoid judgement.

Especially in Pronoun, the character of Josh and James Dean got me an interest in the way they were placed in the performance throughout. Josh is seen as an outgoing person with a charismatic personality which impacts his relationships with his fellow mates. Whereas James Dean provides help toward the core factor throughout the whole play – being a transgender. The reason why I had grown a sudden interest whilst these characters were introduced was that I could closely relate to both their personalities with a slight challenge of some altered thoughts of life. For example, James Dean has a very confident side to him, whereas I prefer to stay on the opposite side of the table. In addition, having to put on a slight American accent to be as close to the character as possible is something that may increase my experience in performing a different accent other than my own on stage.

The way I relate to Josh is that being outgoing is something I ought to stress with myself since helping others and being there for others is better, rather than just being a bystander. In addition, the fact that he does not allow himself to break down, he does a lot to influence others in a positive way. In conclusion, I had been chosen to portray James Dean. I think this is because during the script reading, I had attempted to read as if I was James Dean already and that helping people is my primary objective throughout the whole play. My initial interpretation on how to portray this character has to closely inter twine with the actual James Dean where it requires research and understanding to come up with the final character.