Rowan Brunt

TERM 1
ACTING
Characterisation Checklist
The Story of the Miracles at Cookies Table by Wesley Enoch.
Read the Play and Research Playwright
Cookies Table written by Wesley Enoch was conceived in conunction with
Gri!!in Theatre Co"#any and $ot$ouse Theatre% &ri'inally #er!or"ed in
())*+ Cookies Table is a co"bination o! three stories !ro" three di!!erent
'enerations in an Abori'inal !a"ily and the con!licts around the !a"ily table%
,aith the devout+ strict !i'urehead+ Annie the rebellious worldly "other and
Nathan the #ro!essional reserved son% The story deals with "any issues as
Nathan and Annie try to !i'ure out their relationshi# while battlin' their own
de"ons alon' the way%
Wesley Enoch is an Australian -laywri'ht and Artistic .irector% &ri'inally
Wesley studied a Bachelor o! Arts /.ra"a0 at 1ueensland 2niversity o!
technolo'y+ where he both acted and directed in "any #roductions% $e has
worked with co"#anies such as 1ueensland Theatre Co"#any+ 3ydney
Theatre Co+ Co"#any B Belvoir 3t+ as well as "any Indi'enous Co"#anies
around 1ueensland%
Wesley4s work e5#lores Australian Abori'inal and Islander culture and o!ten
can re!lect #olitical and social issues% Many well known #lays and #roductions
include6 7Black Medea4+ 7* 3ta'es o! Grievin'4+ 7Cookies Table4+ 7The
3a##hires4+ 73tolen4 and 7 Black .i''ers4% Wesley continues to work with
1ueensland Theatre Co"#any as Artistic .irector%
Demonstrates a written understanding of characterization
Nathan sees hi"sel! as the ideal youn' #ro!essional% $e built a li!e !or hi"sel!
with only the !uture in "ind% This was all in!luenced by ,aiths want !or hi" to
create a new and better li!e !or hi"sel!% This was her way o! correctin' Annie
7!ailure4 that ,aith !eels res#onsible !ore% Annie in turn stru''les to acce#t
Nathan as her own "other had a stron'er connection to hi" then her% Nathan
needs Annie !or sel!ish reasons% $e has sha#ed his !uture career and
#hysically but he is still "issin' his roots+ this is why he needs Annie% 3he is
the key to understandin' where he needs to 'o%
Nathan has a constant tone o! stern to'etherness% This is #artially to the
Christian u#brin'in' and the #olitical world in which he works% $e is !urther
reserved and #uts a !a8ade as to not let his #ersonal interru#ts his career
#ath%
Demonstrates a written awareness of given circumstance
Who: Nathan+ Abori'inal Male+ 9:
What: Nathan and Annie are havin' a conversation re'ardin' the "en on the
island and Nathan tryin' to sway Annie to s#eak about his !ather% They are
s#eakin' over a cu# o! tea at Cookies Table%
When: It is late Wednesday a!ternoon around ;#"+ Nathan le!t the wake and
has been waitin' !or late co"er Annie a!ter a 1)a" !uneral% It is around
,ebruary<March when it4s war" and wet in ())*%
Rowan Brunt
TERM 1
ACTING
Where: The kitchen o! ,aiths ho"e+ sittin' around Cookies table% The table is
located in the "iddle o! the kitchen+ like a island%
Why: Nathan and Annie have ust attended ,aiths !uneral% Nathan has co"e
ho"e to take the table !ro" ,aiths ho"e as he wants it as a re"inder o! his
#ast and 'ive hi" direction !or his !uture% $is direction throu'h the scene is to
under"ine Annie and !ind out "ore !ro" Annie
Knowledge and awareness of characters prime obective within the
scene
Nathan4s #ri"e obective is to 'et in!or"ation o! Annie re'ardin' his !ather
and !a"ily li!e% This is also shaded by his obective to not reveal to "uch o!
his own #ersonal li!e to Annie%
Knowledge and awareness of characters super obective within the play
Nathan4s su#er obective is to !ind out about his !ather+ as to !ill the hole ,aith
has le!t in his herita'e% This is also su##le"ented by the #hysical sy"bol o!
the table+ which he believes is a indicator o! his #ast and !uture%
Knowledge and awareness of characters actions in achieving their
prime obective
within the scene
Nathan is constantly #rovokin' Annie throu'h the scene to achieve his
obective% This scene is #redo"inately driven by Nathan4s obective which he
does with ease with his back'round in #olitics% $ere are so"e e5a"#les o!
actions that Nathan does that hel# with his #lay o! #ower within the scene6
Nathan #uts down Annie4s cu# on the table instead o! takin' it to her
as away to draw her back to hi"%
Nathan takin' the seat creatin' a 7seat o! #ower4% $e is lookin' u# at
her in a condescendin' way+ his co"#osure hi'hli'hts her !rantic and
erratic #ersonality% 3ittin' he can4t 'ive to "uch away with his body
lan'ua'e%
The use o! the 7=7 a!ter 7Get over it4 is a way o! Nathan shi!tin' the
conversation in his intended direction% $e is usin' Annie4s lashin' out+
at his lack o! res#ect+ as a way to re !ocus%
Nathan brin's u# !a"ily "e"bers in the ho#e that it will lead to a
conversation re'ardin' his !ather%
(
nd
sound o! thunder Nathan and Annie share in the oke o! ,aiths
#ower at the to# o! !a"ily% $e uses this shared "o"ent to drive Annie
into the story tellin' about the "en o! the island% As a child would
"other would sarcastically encoura'e a child+ Nathan lets Annie think
she is su#erior%
When Annie suddenly 'ains the u##er hand Nathan shi!ts to short
s#eech as to see" dis"issive% This is his intentions but Annie is
enoyin' seein' hi" s>uir"% Nathan walks away !ro" Annie as this
ha##ens as he can see that she is cottonin' on to his secret and
doesn4t want to reveal anythin'%
&nce his se5uality is revealed Nathan chan'es his ar'u"ent to the
o!!ensive% $e tries to #lay at Annie4s 'a"e by re"indin' her that she in
Rowan Brunt
TERM 1
ACTING
!acts 7doesn4t know hi"4% &nce the o!!ensive doesn4t work either he
beco"es >uite dry and even sli'htly sarcastic+
Demonstrates an understanding of their characters relationship with
others
characters within the play status
Nathan and Annie are constantly stru''lin' !or #ower throu'hout their scene%
In the traditional sense as Nathan is Annie4s child he would be o! lower status+
but due to his education and u#brin'in' he acts as thou'h he is always in the
seat o! #ower%
Display and understanding of what is e!pected of the character
kinaesthetically
This is a breakdown o! Nathan6
A very strai'ht #osture% 3houlders #ulled back% Tension held in
shoulders and neck which would be !ro" constant work at a co"#uter
and starin' at a co"#uter screen%
Elbows held sli'htly away !ro" sides% This would be !ro" workin' out
and with a !ocus on his bice#s% Also shows a stron'er !a8ade+
con!idence needed !or a career in #olitics%
Chin sli'htly raised at all ti"es% Nathan believes that in so"e ways he
is better then Annie+ he only lowers when he is tryin' coa5 answers out
o! Annie% As i! to indicate he is brin' hi"sel! to her level%
Tension held in aw+ as i! he is bitin' his ton'ue when Annie s#eaks out
o! turn%
Constant !id'et o! hands+ thou'ht this is usually underneath the table
out o! si'ht% This can usually be #layin' with his #hone or rubbin'
!in'ers to'ether%
?ower body !ro" hi#s down are >uite disen'a'ed% $is !eet are always
s>uarely #laced in line with his hi#s+ >uite neutral% Thou'h he does ta#
his !eet as a bad habit when he is tryin' to distract hi"sel!%
Nathan uses his hands to articulate his s#eech% This also acts that his
hands co"e to his !ace o!ten%
Candidate can e!plicitly describe the atmosphere of the scene
The scene could be described as a constant battle !or #ower% Nathan acts as
he is better then Annie because o! his education where Annie clai"s #ower
!ro" li!e e5#erience% The !ollowin' words describe the at"os#here o! the
scene and how it chan'es !ro" Nathans #ers#ective6
Nathan enters 7 I haven4t heard that one46 re"iniscent with
undertones o! sarcas"
7I4" thirty !ive4 7Annie@A Bou ever thou'ht46 tension raises as Annie
de!ends and Nathan atte"#ts to convince
7Bes+ son4 7$e4s never been a "an46 Annie vents and Nathan #rods
at answers% It4s a released !eelin'%
Rowan Brunt
TERM 1
ACTING
7&h Cesus Christ4 Sound of thunder: Annie "ocks Nathan !or his
bad lan'ua'e+ very siblin' tauntin'%
7 Where did they 'o4 7,ucken !ather !i'ure46 Annie recalls as Nathan
'uides Annie in the director he wants% This is !irst ti"e in the scene
they bond%
7What was he like4 7My sons a >ueero46 Nathan is retreatin' as Annie
#rods at his #ersonal li!e% To Nathan this is very con!rontin' and tense%
7Could you sto# that4 7Annie@4A Annie has won the ar'u"ent and
holds #ower in the re"ainder o! the scene% Nathan !eelin' beaten trys
to take short shots at Annie with no success%
"dentifies the key aspects of theatrical conventions
The scene has the ( chairs and the one table% There is also use o! ( "u's o!
tea that Nathan enters the scene with% In Nathans #ocket there is a "obile
#hone which he uses within the scene%