An Actor's Perspective on Playwriting
At our May 1999 meeting, Lois Grandi, Artistic Director of Playhouse West, shared her perspective as an acting teacher on how an actor approaches a script.

As actors review a character, they must ask these five questions. These collectively are known as "the given circumstances."

1. What do I (my character) want? What is my objective?
2. Why do I want it? What is at stake?
3. What is my relationship to the other characters? What does he or she mean to me?
4. When does the play take place? Graduation day, my father's funeral, the day I'm getting out of jail?
5. Where does it take place? The essence of a beach is very different than the essence of a library.