...Hotseating

We are often asked how we create our characters and a big part of that is a technique called 'hotseating'. Having never acted before, when Gerald first suggested we 'hotseat' our characters it sounded like some form of torture. But it's more like an interrogation actually. Let me explain...

So, as the actor we get sent out of the room to return as our character, and we are invited to take a seat in front of the rest of the Company. The actor must stay in character for the duration of the hotseating which is usually around 10 minutes. The Company members will then ask the charatcer any questions about themselves or their situation (pertinent to the storyline) which they feel need clarification, explanation or exploration. Once over, the character leaves the room and returns as the actor to the rest of the Company completely unscathed from the experience!

As a Company we always work hard to build a solid backstory for our characters which never gets seen by the audience. We get to know them intimately, and hotseating really helps that process. We often hotseat each character 2 or 3 times as the piece progresses to really bed in their personality, as well as their feelings towards other characters and how they interact. The questioning will usually start with the basics, eg 'how old are you, do you have any family' etc but eventually it turns very deep as we bore into their very soul for answers. It can be very intense! But we always get to the bottom of what makes them tick, what their intentions are, where their weaknesses are and ultimately 'why' they are. 

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The process can be a lot of fun, but it can also be quite distressing. This obviously depends on the storyline and the background of the character that we are building. It's an organic process for the individual actor and they are always in control. As a Director, Gerald always gives us the freedom to create the character and he very much runs with what we give him, whilst gently shaping it to fit whatever narrative we are working with. We often use our own life experiences as a base for characters whilst also being aware of where our boundaries are to keep ourselves safe. 

Once the actor has returned to the room we have a debrief. There are 2 reasons for this, firstly to discuss what we have learned about that character and how to move forward in the piece with the new knowledge, and secondly ( and most importantly) so that the actor can decompress and return to themselves in the safety of the group. ​