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  • 1.  Advice for Disney's Hunchback

    Posted 10-01-2018 10:04
    Hello all,

    Looking for advice from those who have directed The Hunchback of Notre Dame on coaching the actor playing Quasimodo in his physicality and voice.  What strategies worked for you and your actors?  Are there resources/examples that you can point me to?  (Other than, of course, recordings of the show itself.)  

    Thanks for any help you can give.


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    Ryan Moore
    Theatre Teacher and Forensics Coach
    Royal Oak MI
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  • 2.  RE: Advice for Disney's Hunchback

    Posted 10-01-2018 12:51
    While I haven't directed Hunchback (what fun, though!) I have done Richard III with high school students.  It really depends on what kind of foundation you teach in terms of physicalizing characters, but we used the general work we did with all the cast members (looking a the nouns, verbs, and adjectives used in the text to describe the character) and built from "bottled spider" <g class="gr_ gr_353 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="353" data-gr-id="353">ect</g>.  Shakespeare's animal imagery really helped him invest in the wild aggression and sneaky deceit of the character.

    We, the actor and myself, settled on two "deformities" that wouldn't be harmful <g class="gr_ gr_3491 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="3491" data-gr-id="3491">for</g> him to hold in rehearsal and performance and wouldn't impede the other physical demands of the role (getting enough breath to deliver the verse, sword fights, and other violence and general agility).  He rehearsed with one of those aerobic weights on one ankle to alter his gait and help him drag his "clubbed" foot,  plus holding one arm and forearm curved in towards his body. It is also important that the costume does a lot of the work, so we padded the shirt under his jacket way more than we initially thought necessary to really emphasize his hump and make it very visible to the audience.  

    Overall, less is more when it comes to what the actor has to actually physicalize in performance and more is more when it comes to how the production elements can help exaggerate the deformity.

    I hope that is helpful!

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    Elana Kepner
    Theatre Instructor
    The Oakwood School
    Greenville NC
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Advice for Disney's Hunchback

    Posted 10-01-2018 14:24
    I should have added that one thing that causes me trepidation is that we have a hearing actor playing a hard of hearing character, which, I know, is a sensitive topic with ever-growing awareness of representation in casting.  But this is the actor we have, so I want to guide him responsibly.

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    Ryan Moore
    Theatre Teacher and Forensics Coach
    Royal Oak MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Advice for Disney's Hunchback

    Posted 10-02-2018 08:02
    While I've not directed it, our local theatre just did a production last spring - and I was so impressed by the actor who portrayed Quasimodo.  One choice that he made was to use his regular voice delivery when his lines were internal thoughts - and only used the altered pronunciation when he was speaking to others. (As you said, to show that he is hard-of-hearing.) . He also used his physicality in both his posture, as well as his facial expressions and moved in and out of "character" when he was singing/speaking to humans vs himself/the gargoyles/statues.

    I also saw the production at Thespian Festival two years ago - and finding ways to differentiate the portrayal of each character within their relationships is key.  The gypsies act differently amongst themselves than when in the presence of authority... same with Frollo, depending on to whom he is speaking.

    Such a wonderful show!



    Original Message


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