Uta Hagen’s Nine Questions
My name is Margot Marion Wendice. I am Tony Wendice’s wife. I am a woman of small stature, with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. I was born in London, England and I still live there now, in Maida Vale. I adore this neighborhood. I think it is the best area that London has to offer.
I’m in love with my best friend, Maxine Hadley, who was living in London for about three years, but now resides in Greenwich Village, New York City. We broke things off several months ago, but she is back in town. In contrast to Maxine, who is semi-bohemian and an artist, writer, and poetess, I am classy, polished, and pristine.
I am wealthy. I inherited a rather large fortune, just over two million pounds (which in today’s economy would translate to over 73 million pounds) from my aunt who passed away prior to the events of this play. She was a crucial figure in my life. I had parents growing up, but we always relied financially on my aunt. I always looked up to her and wanted her life of fineries, class, and status for myself. I find value in the valuable. I’ve come to believe in the years following my aunt’s passing that she was a woman like me, who prefers other women. I think that is why she never married. But she advised me, when Tony came along, to marry him and build, what she called, “a proper life.” And so I married him. She died soon afterwards and left me her entire inheritance.
Tony and I have been married for several years. We are high status individuals in London society. We live in a gorgeous flat in Maida Vale, just across from the park. I love to walk through my private garden, listen to the bells of the church toll, and look across my window to the street and behind that, the park. To fill my days, I keep house and volunteer all around London while Tony works in public relations at a publishing house, the same company now promoting Maxine’s newest novel. I adore her thrillers. I love when she tells stories. It is the thing that she is best at and the thing that originally drew me to both Tony and Maxine. I love those who consider themselves to be creatives. I am drawn to the air of confidence that that requires. I wish that I possessed that trait myself.
Who Am I?
In act one it is September, 1952. In act two, scene two a few months have passed in which my trial has occurred. My, meaning Emmy’s, estimate is two or three months so that would put act two, scene two in November 1952. I feel a necessity for it to only be such a short amount of time, one because I do not think Margot could survive for much longer in prison. Secondly, I do not think that the events of this play correspond with the events of the great smog! Perhaps they could, if we believe that the traffic that the police car gets stuck in has something to do with lack of vision and/or overcrowding, but I do not see deliberate reason to believe that. Homosexual activity at this time, (in London) is illegal for gay men. Whilst technically legal for lesbian women, there are obvious social, economic, and status type repercussions for being caught/discovered/known. Which is why my relationship with Maxine had to end. I broke things off after a fight I had with Tony where he accused me of being distant. I suspected he knew, not about Maxine but that something was afoot/wrong. I didn’t want him to know the rest and so I decided to break it off with Max before he could discover anything more serious had been happening. I miss her terribly. It feels as if a part of my soul has been separated from me. I miss her touch and the way her eyes actually look into mine. Tony and I just don’t have that. No one has ever cared so much for me with nothing but a simple look. But I don’t know what I would do if he knew. I don’t know who that discovery would make me become in his eyes. I also wouldn’t want to get a divorce or an annulment and lose my standing in society. Divorce trials at this time are public and as is my trial. They are embarrassing and long endeavors that air out all of one’s dirty laundry, a shameful and embarrassing time.
What Time Is It?
I’m in my flat. I adore my home. It is crucial to me that everything is always spick and span, neat as a pin. I think that everything is decorated just so and that “our” belongings go perfectly in our home. A great deal of my day is spent making sure everything in our flat is perfectly immaculate and always beautiful. We have a pristine sofa, a chair with an accompanying foot stool that Tony rests his feet on far too often. Whatever happened to sitting up like an adult? There’s also a writing desk where I sit to write all my correspondence. Tony uses it when he brings home work from his office. In the drawers there are pens, stacks of paper, stationery, a few of Tony’s bobbles and knick knacks, and an extra pair of scissors.
The room has a large fireplace. Next to it is my record player. I love listening to Sinatra and the soundtrack to Singin’ In The Rain. My favorite song is from that soundtrack, “You Were Meant for Me” is the song that reminds me most of Maxine. I listen to it when Tony leaves the flat in the morning while I drink my tea. It helps me feel a bit better. I try not to think about dancing and reading with her. My mending basket always ends up in this room because I am never quite done with my work by the time I remember that I should probably be doing something else. I tolerate mending. I enjoy it sometimes but I refuse to wear thimbles. I think they are unnecessary and time consuming. But I hate to think of myself as one of those people who fall into money and become wasteful idiots. So I fix what needs fixing and if I cannot make it better than it was before it incurred its injury, I take it to my dressmaker or buy something new.
Where Am I?
I am surrounded by the furniture and objects that inhabit my flat, as well as the people who come into it. I am most often accompanied by either Maxine or Tony. I love resting on my sofa. Upon occasion I have even drifted off while sitting there. I enjoy my apartment. I enjoy my beautiful and very British garden. I think Maida Vale is lovely and I enjoy looking at it from the doors to the garden and also from the garden itself. Our flat is filled with luxurious windows. They are the reason I chose this flat to begin with. I love looking outside and feeling the rare but exhilarating London sun on my face. It makes me very happy to listen to my records and look out the window at the cars and pedestrians that pass me by. There is art all around my home. Minimal pieces that aren’t too distracting but are equally fun loving. Tony does the majority of the “picking out” . I always want him to feel as if he is contributing and is part of the big decisions!
What Surrounds Me?
What Are My Given Circumstances?
Past
I married Tony because my aunt persuaded me to. She wanted a life for me and he was the way to do that. Get a husband. Have a family. Be influential. When she passed away soon after our wedding I knew that I had to keep up this lifestyle, to honor her in a way and make her proud of the woman that I was becoming.
I met Maxine through Tony. I used to attend writers events, short readings at colleges, and dinners at nice, London restaurants with Tony. But I never enjoyed them. Showing my face was just what I was supposed to do. However, at some writing events this scary and lovely woman started showing up. I was immediately drawn to her. She wrote murder mysteries and was a woman trying to create a career for herself. I admired that. She was so different from me and everything that I thought being a woman was supposed to be. Maxine made me feel alive, awake, and present in myself before we were even really together. I started to care for her. Eventually she kissed me and our affair began. That went on for some time. Tony was always away at his events, tours, colleges. He always messed around and I never cared much. I knew that I wasn’t the wife I should be. He had them and I had Maxine. I loved her with everything in me. But she wanted more than what I could give. She wanted a life together. I knew that was impossible.
About a year ago, I broke things off with Maxine one night at her flat. We were making spaghetti for dinner. I told her that Tony was beginning to act suspicious. I told her I was afraid. She said I was a coward. I know she didn’t mean it but it hurt me very much. I cried. I left.
Afterwards, I came home and I fell asleep while crying on our sofa. When Tony got home he told me that he wanted to be a better husband to me. Maxine moved back to New York soon after the dinner. She had been living here in London for three years at that point. I had known her for at least two and half years. I missed her terribly. She wrote me many love letters from her apartment in Greenwich. I waited for them to arrive every Thursday morning. I made sure Tony never saw them. I felt terrible keeping this secret, but I knew that he could never find out about Maxine or her letters. So, I burned them, each magnificent, important, beautiful letter. Something about them just started to drive me insane. Something about writers. I kept only one. The most special one, full of love and longing and passion. I kept it on me at all times. I transferred it from handbag to handbag.
Then one day I set my bag down at Victoria station. We were going to see Peggy’s new boat, a massive fifty-five foot yacht. What Peggy wanted to do with such a vessel made absolutely no sense to me. I set my bag down to pay for our train tickets. Tony was standing behind me. I turned back and my handbag was gone! It had been stolen. Thievery had been up in London, but isn’t it always? Tony and I got into a bit of a row. I had asked him to keep an eye on it and he had gotten distracted. He told me he was watching me instead. I was so angry with him. But how could he know how important losing that handbag, and moreover that letter could be? If it ever got out into the public eye that I… I don’t know what would become of me or what I would do.
I did everything I could to find the bag. I checked the lost and found at Victoria Station each day. I checked with the police station closest to the train station. I checked the surrounding stations as well. A week later the bag showed up in the lost and found at Victoria but my letter was missing. I began to go insane over it. Soon after I got back the bag, I received a blackmail note. I paid the blackmailer five thousand pounds to give back my prized possession. Whoever it was never sent me back the note or the money that I had paid. I was scammed.
Max wrote to me soon after saying that she was coming back to London to promote her new book. I had stopped replying to her letters long ago, but she knew where to find me. Tony and her had planned for us all to meet at the theatre. I planned on telling her about the letters and the blackmail there. I figured I would pull her away during intermission. The men would take a break to smoke and I would have a moment alone with her in the bathroom. But she showed up at my flat before Tony even arrived home.
Present
I am trying to understand what happened to the letter! Maxine is back in London. She is at my flat in Maida Vale. She was never supposed to be here. On one hand, it really bothers me that she is here, in my home. At the same time, I missed her terribly and seeing her without Tony is what I needed. But what if she’s behind all this? What if she’s getting back at me for breaking things off? When will Tony get here? She’s so beautiful. I kind of forgot. She only wears dresses like this at the publishing house’s events. Would it kill her to wear a petticoat? Why does everything have to be so tight? I’m happy to see her but I can’t wait for Tony to get home. Being alone with her might drive me insane.
I want to understand the blackmail situation. I need to know where my letter is. I need Max to finish her press release and go back home. I need my life in Maida Vale to continue. I am enjoying my volunteer work as much as I can. I enjoy keeping my house tidy and organized. I enjoy my life. I think it is polished and beautiful, just like me. Tony is enjoying his job at the publishing house. Everything is fine without her. I’m okay telling myself that. I need everything to go back to normal and it will when I get back that letter!
Future
The inspector arrests Tony. I feel tears streaming down my face. Maxine fixes my hair and helps me to wash my face and take a shower. I look around my flat that I worked so hard to maintain for so many years. I look out of my window at the street and watch the cars pass by. No one is looking at me, except for Maxine, who follows me around the flat, trying to help me and hold me. The police arrive to question Maxine and I. I am scared. But they let me stay here in what was my home. Maxine spends the night on our sofa. She kisses my forehead and touches my hair. She sits beside me until I fall asleep. Then she goes to sleep in the other room.
A few months pass and my flat is sold. Tony is in prison. Maxine follows his trial and helps the inspector. We decide to leave London behind. I can’t stay there anymore. It’s time to start over. Maxine and I move to Greenwich Village. We live in her tiny flat for two months. Then I get the apartment next to hers. We have both, but we only use one. We use my money to travel. I see the Grand Canyon with her. I look out at all the space that the world holds. Eventually my smile comes back and I’m not scared of doorbells ringing or church bell chimes. I stop drinking and smoking. I start painting. I open our windows and let the sunshine into the apartment.
I love living in New York and working at charities that actually help the people who live here. I work part time at an orphanage. I grow old with my best friend. She gets more beautiful every day. I love waking up with her and dancing with her to new Sam Cooke and Beatles records. I become so happy. I almost forget everything that happened, the look in that man’s eyes when he fell to the floor. Sometimes I have nightmares about it, about Lesgate, or about waking up to Tony looking down at me. I feel like I missed so much. How could I be so stupid? Maxine tells me that it’s not my fault. She holds me until I fall back asleep. I feel loved. Seen. Happy. I’ll be okay. I have her. It always could have worked.
What Are My Relationships?
Tony Wendice
My husband of two years. He is a friend and a supporter. I met him about five years ago. I was at a dinner with a friend and there he was. I came home to tell my family about him. My aunt was beyond pleased. She had been waiting for me to find a suitable man. Even though deep inside she knows that’s not what I want. We are alike in that way.
What I enjoy most about Tony is that he is sharp. So many men are beyond dull and are not quick to understand, make jokes, or put things together, but not Tony. I enjoy that he is playful and enjoys having a solid drink. It is easy to understand him. He used to want to be a writer, but he currently works at a publishing house. I am very proud of him for utilizing his talents in this new way. I know it is disappointing for him to not be a writer. I know he misses his tours and speeches. But I am proud of him for growing up, in a way and wanting to be a “better husband” to me. I appreciate the sentiment very much!
Maxine Hadley
The woman I am in love with. She has dark brown eyes and brown curly hair. She is unlike any person I have ever met. She is a writer from New York. She is a jewish American, two things I have very little experience with. She is intelligent as opposed to wise. She is witty and fun and always wants to make me laugh.
She wrote me love letters after we broke things off. They arrive every Thursday morning like clockwork. It makes my heart unbelievably happy and yet confused and lonesome. She includes pictures, receipts, flyers from her events and parties, nightclubs she visits, cigarette labels. She includes these visions of her life because she wants me to miss her. And she’s more than right about that, I do miss her, every day. When she returns to Maida Vale I am not shocked but rather, surprised. I thought I would meet her outside of my home, where we were so often together. It’s difficult to see her here knowing that it’s my fault she’s hurting. It’s my fault that she’s upset. But at the same time, these letters have been driving me insane! Has she played a part in this?
Lesgate
The man standing in my house, ready to kill me. He actually says this to me. I cannot believe he is there. He is tall and much larger than me. I cannot outrun him. I cannot out muscle him. I have no chance of escape. I could buy him off, but he says he’s already been paid! And with my money? I am at a loss. He confuses me and fills my heart with fear. I just want to survive and get away safely! I want to see Maxine and Tony again.
The Inspector
A thin, tall, spikey woman. She is in my apartment. Tony let her in. She is a female policeman. I have never met a female police officer in all my life. I didn’t know women could be in such a role, especially as a detective! She wears a long, ominous skirt. She looks quite drab, boring, not anything like someone who I would like to associate with. There is quite a difference between class and boredom! Her style and manner irritate me from the minute she enters. Why is she already upset with me when she comes into my home? What have I done except answer the police’s questions all night long?
The inspector annoys and irritates me because she already has my story! I have gone through this a million times. I do not understand why she is here at all and furthermore I have no understanding as to why she thinks I committed any sort of crime. It’s as if she wants this all to be my fault. Is she getting something out of this? Is she trying to move up in a way and harassing me is just the way to do that? How is she ok with that? Doesn’t she know I did nothing wrong?
This is a terribly hard question. I want so much. I want Maxine. I want to hold her. She makes everything feel more calm and light hearted. Even the things that I take seriously, the death of my aunt, my life in Maida Vale. She doesn’t make it all seem unimportant, just less serious, or dire. I appreciate that about her. At the same time I do not want her. It makes me insane. I feel terrible about that part of me. She tries to persuade me otherwise and I just don’t understand.
I want a life for myself. My aunt wanted that for me. I want to make her proud. I need a life with Tony where I am content and happy and with someone who supports me in my volunteer work and my home life. I want my life to be a perfect picture with me beside a man. I need to be in a picture where I look like the model of excellence and class. I wish more than anything that I wanted it deeper and from a truer perspective.
I want to throw something, to push someone. Why is everyone in this moment against me? I appreciate Tony. I love Maxine. Do they not appreciate and/or love me? What is happening? I want a way to express how I feel but that is not what I have been brought up to do. My feelings are of little consequence. It annoys me to no end that Maxine thinks otherwise, as if I have a choice in the matter. It’s absurd.
What Do I Want?
Everyone is in my way. Maxine wants a life with me that is impossible. She refuses to talk about anything else. Isn’t she here for a reason? Shouldn’t she be busy with her novel and her interviews and her “interesting” life. Why is she in my home? I told her I didn’t want to see her anymore at the spaghetti dinner! She should not be here! This is my husband’s flat that we (I) paid for. I don’t want her here. It stirs up too much in me. Being around her and seeing her makes me feel like I am a grieving woman again. I want to dig through the back of my closet and get out my black dresses. After she went back to New York I wore some of them. Tony didn’t notice. Tony doesn’t really notice anything.
He is equally in my way. There are so many moments where he just seems aloof. But I know he isn’t stupid. I know that he isn’t lost. I don’t understand why he isn’t helping me in the way that I need him to! The inspector is in my way for the same reasons. For some reason she thinks I am responsible for what happened to me. What kind of woman would think I did this to myself? Does she have no empathy? Is she getting something out of this? How dare she treat me like this. Does she not know who I am? The man in my flat, Lesgate, is my biggest obstacle! I just want to escape, to find a way out. I want to see my love again.
I am equally in my own way. I cannot tell the truth because I am afraid of the repercussions. I am afraid to lose the life that I have worked so hard to perfect and maintain. My image is crucial to who I am as a person. I will not relinquish it. It’s all that I am. The contents of that stolen letter cannot get out.
What Is In My Way?
I hurt the people around me to get what I want. I break up with my lover. I’m a bad wife to Tony. I kill Lesgate. I annoy and reject the inspector. I am a bad person. But I need to maintain this life that my aunt wanted for me. I have got to be the perfect vision of what a woman should be. I need to maintain my status and keep my image up. I have to be perfect all of the time. I need to be the perfect weight, with perfect hair, perfect dresses, pearls, and heels. I have lines on my middle from tying my petticoats too tight. But I love them. Little scars to remind me that I am doing everything right. I pretend for Tony’s sake. I try my best to be happy. I hurt him and I know that. I hurt Maxine and it breaks my heart but I have to. This life that she wants from me isn’t real. I selfishly put myself first. I know it’s wrong but I have to.
What Do I Do To Get What I Want?
Miscellaneous Character Work
Making a Spotify playlist is always one of the first things I begin with in my character work and research! Music is the most transformative thing in the world for me! It really helps me to get into the zone, understand my character, feel one with the era, etc! The first section of this playlist is music that Margot could have believably listened to in the the years preceding and following the play but specifically in 1952! Most of it is inspired by Maxine, American tunes that Max would have loved and showed to her love! I imagine Margot and Maxine dancing to these records in the living room. Dancing has been something that I have been doing backstage throughout our rehearsal process to get Margot’s body energy into my body! Dancing as if I were Margot helps me to carry my shoulders and legs differently! It’s very fun. Margot is such a different person in every sphere of her life. Music really helped me to understand this part of her. It helped me tap into the softer side of her that is so crucial but is only seen in brief moments in the script! The second half of this playlist is more modern music that reminds me of Margot’s story! These ones help me tap into the feelings that live at the base of this play. I love listening to this playlist as a whole or on shuffle during pre show. I spend a lot of time humming and singing backstage and in the greenroom as a part of my warm up. I’m sure everyone who works backstage is tired of hearing “Sixteen Tons” and “September in The Rain”!
Spotify Playlist
Another thing that I love starting my character work with is a pinterest board! I really enjoyed my costume design class here at UMW. It taught me so much about research and creating in a way that makes sense for my brain. I feel like that class helped prepare me most for this project! In both my costume design and scene design courses I found that pinterest boards could be really helpful for me in collecting visuals to help me build a story. When our brains connect the words on the page to images we are better able to create believable stories! Pinterest is a really good starting point for me personally!
A lot of these images focus on the high class and fashionable aspects of Margot’s life. These are things that she is reaching/striving towards. The picture of Julie Andrews is a picture that I saw in the Museum of Broadway over my last spring break. The photo stuck out to me for some reason and I couldn’t quite place why. I simply knew it would be useful to me for one reason or another. As soon as the cast list was released I knew why that picture had called out to me! How lovely is that? There is a lot of fashion inspiration on this board. The style of shoes, the hair, and the dress fashions of the era shape so much of how a character moves, walks, and even talks. It was crucial for me to start getting an idea of what Margot would have been wearing and looking like! It really helped me understand how to move throughout this world! I equally loved the idea of visualizing and romanticizing the letters. It’s crucial for me to remember that at one point these letters were Margot’s favorite thing. She looked forward to getting them on Thursday mornings and when they were late she was always upset. It’s so important to me that Maxine is not seen as Margot’s enemy. When love is lost we, as consumers and audiences, have this need to see that “breakup” as negative and I do not think that is true at all. A loss of love isn’t the beginning of hate or disrespect. The break up was in the vein of self prosperity and survival. I want that to be precise and clear in our story. Some of the images on this board really helped me with that!
Pinterest Board
Rob posed this question to me during one of our tech rehearsals and I was concerned by how quickly I shot this answer back at her! I didn’t even know that I thought about that! But my brain just knew! Rob said that Margot would be a beautiful but sharp hat pin! Erika said a small but aesthetically rich dog, like a corgi or Maltese! I adored those answers, but I think that if Margot were an object she would be a vase of flowers. In my mind this vase is gorgeous. With blooming yellow, purple, and baby pink flowers reaching towards the sky. White roses, yellow yarrow, lilacs, pink lilies, and sprigs of wormwood. The glass vase is full of intricate cuts and divets. The glass work is stunning and unique from close up but from far away it looks pristine but ordinary. The workings of the carved edges are so specific that they have become sharp. It’s untouchable except for the flowers and stems coming out of it, delicate and beautiful. I love the idea of growth and beauty mixed with sharpness and danger. I feel like those conflicting ideas are what makes Margot herself. She is delicate and also pointy. She hangs out with the two weirdest, most brooding, and dark minded people in London, whether she knows it or not!
If Margot Were an Object, What Would She Be?
