Gertrude

A flash banner.

In the Globe Theatre Company's production of Hamlet, Gertrude was played by Joanna McCallum.

About Joanna McCallum

Joanna has appeared in productions for Her Majesty's Theatre, the Young Vic and the Greenwich Theatre. She has also spent a season with the RSC.

Click on the numbered links to follow Joanna's journey as she creates and plays the character of Gertrude in the Globe Theatre.

Joanna McCallum - Introduction

The rehearsals take place in rehearsal rooms about 5 minutes walk from the Globe theatre itself. Each rehearsal room is very large and has an outline of the Globe stage marked out in tape on the floor. This helps the actors to prepare for working on the Globe stage. The actors will have very few rehearsals on the Globe stage before production week.

Each day your actor will receive his/her 'call' which is the time s/he is expected to report for rehearsal. During the rehearsal period, an actor's day will vary considerably. Your actor may rehearse scenes, attend a class (voice and/or movement) or have a costume fitting with the wardrobe department. A typical day might begin at 10.00am and finish at 6.30pm - sometimes there are also evening calls.

During the rehearsal period (particularly at the beginning) your actor will research his/her character. To help the actors, the assistant director will find relevant books, pictures, etc. and bring these to rehearsal. Extracts from books and pictures are often stuck onto the rehearsal room walls. Actors will also experiment with using props in rehearsal; these will be rough versions of the final prop and will help the actors to build the prop into the scene. Similarly, some form of rehearsal costume will be worn e.g. long skirts for the women, this will help actors to get used to moving, sitting, etc. in their costume. In particular, actors will use the actual shoes they will wear in performance during rehearsal. This is to wear the shoes 'in', as they are made using Elizabethan techniques and most pairs have no specified 'left' and 'right' foot. Many actors also feel that wearing the correct shoes helps them to 'get into' character.

The companies have 5 weeks of rehearsal before the technical and dress rehearsals. Generally, the beginning of this period is spent improvising around the text and in development of character; towards the end of these 5 weeks, actors will rehearse scenes in detail and run parts of the play. The exact method of working in rehearsal is established and shaped by the director.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 1

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process-they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

I haven't worked in the Globe theatre before but I have worked outdoors in Regent's Park. My first week here involved getting to know the space and the people I'll be working with.

My first week was a wonderful experience because I felt an immediate empathy with Tim (Woodward, who plays Claudius). We'd never met before, but the first time he saw me, he walked towards me and said, 'My wife!' I thought that was a lovely start. It took away any feelings of embarrassment I might have had.

Jenny (Tiramani, associate costume designer at the Globe) talked to us about costume. She was inspiring. She spoke about the history involved in the costume design.

I grew up in Australia, and although I knew that James I was also King of Scotland and a Roman Catholic who converted to Protestantism, I didn't know that he married a Danish woman. She was tremendously sophisticated and beautiful, and they had a big wedding in Norway. Hamlet is not just an English play set in Denmark. It's about Denmark, Norway, Poland-it's about the whole of Europe.

For me, one of the reasons Hamlet is such a great play is because it involves the succession of Kings and the power Kings have. That idea is diminished when the actors wear modern dress. A man walking around in a suit doesn't seem to have as much power as a man dressed fantastically and walking around in a crown. I was thrilled to hear that we were going to perform the play in Elizabethan costume. l think I will find it easier to play Gertrude in period dress.

Mark Rylance (the Globe's Artistic Director, who is also playing Hamlet) explained the history of life at Elsinore. From the source material for the play he suggested that Gertrude came from an aristocratic family, from Dusseldörf or Copenhagen. One source said she was given as a present to old King Hamlet. It is clear that her marriage to King Hamlet was an arranged marriage.

I see Claudius as a wonderful diplomat, a charming man, who may have run the country while King Hamlet was away. I don't know if Claudius is a murderer. I don't think Gertrude is in any way complicit in the murder-but she and Claudius may have been involved in an adulterous affair.

If this is true, I don't know how long this affair has been going on. At the beginning of the play, when the audience first sees Gertrude I feel she radiates in an almost inappropriate way. Her husband has died but she is with the man she absolutely adores. She loves her son very deeply, but her love for Claudius has taken over her life.

Personally, I've seen a lot of productions of Hamlet but I've tried to discount how I've seen other people play it. I want to bring my own talents to the role of Gertrude. I relate to the people I am working with-watching Mark (Rylance as Hamlet) and Tim (Woodward as Claudius). Mark has said much of what happens in the play is caused by Gertrude's behaviour-maybe her adultery but certainly her incest. (At the time the play was written it was considered incestuous for a widow to marry her dead husband's brother. We are going inch by inch through the play and discussing it. This is so we have a common idea of each scene. For example, we have discussed details such as the weather conditions in Elsinore during each scene.

Activities for Students

You might like to think about some of the questions and issues that have been occupying Joanna during the first week of rehearsal. Because the company has been reading the play during this first week, the activities this time are mostly theoretical in nature.

1. Do you think Gertrude knows about old King Hamlet's murder?

2. Do you think Claudius and Gertrude were involved in an adulterous affair before old King Hamlet's death?

3. How do you think such an affair might effect our understanding of why Claudius kills Hamlet and our view of him as a character?

4. Look at the first two scenes of Hamlet. What time of day is it? What season is it? What is the weather? You might like to improvise these scenes, imagining you are performing on the Globe stage, without lighting effects. How can you convey this information to the audience?

Give reasons for all of your answers. Try to find evidence in the text to 'back up' your ideas.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 2

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process-they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

At the moment we are still talking in detail about the text. We are making sure that we all absolutely understand everything that happens, and we are also approving all the cuts that have been made. This is very important as sometimes a line cut from someone else's speech can effect your character. This process also makes sure that everybody has the same ideas about the text - from what each character feels about each other - down to all agreeing on what the weather is like.

I am also seeing how different it feels to have the audience all around you. It gives you a tremendous feeling of richness and sense of empowerment as an actor. I just wonder what it will be like when all the faces are looking up at you whether it will be more powerful or terrifying. It will be very different. I'm used to being on stage looking into the blackness of a dark theatre in which only the stage is lit.

A group of people who live their lives as Tudors came to talk to the company, which was very helpful. They talked to us about the different ideas of royalty during the Elizabethan and Jacobean period, and about details such as what kind of make up Gertrude might use. During the period women would whiten their faces.

I have just been down to wardrobe today for the first time, which was fun. Jenny (Tiramani, designer) and I have decided to go for quite bold statements for Gertrude. We've been looking at flame colours that mirror the traditional Danish royal family. The change in Gertrude after the closet scene is going to be mirrored by the clothing, at first we thought about black, but then decided that that would be too obvious. Costume is very important in creating a character. At the Globe we have input, unlike many other theatres. The colours you wear say a lot about your character.

We have also begun working on the voice. We talked about persona, and finding a 'centre' for the voice. This isn't easy for everyone. It has to come from total relaxation. You need to find your central note, which is normally the most comfortable one. Under stress, the voice becomes higher and tighter. I want to concentrate on the lower notes, but still keep to the natural ones - I'm concerned not to strain my voice.

There are so many ways to play Gertrude that at the moment I am still deciding which way will work best. This afternoon we're going to talk about the family relationship, but soon we will spend more time 'on our feet' exploring the text and how we will play each scene. I am really looking forward to this because as a performer that is what you are desperate to do. There is only so much that you can do academically. Once we begin to perform, how to play Gertrude will become more obvious.

Activities for Students

Costume

Joanna has been meeting with the costume designer Jenny Tiramani to discuss Gertrude's costume. Look again at Joanna's notes where she discusses this meeting. Do you agree with the choice of flame or red for Gertrude? What do you think this choice of colour might suggest about her character? What colour should her costume change to after Act 3 Scene 4 and why?
Discussion Vs Action

The company has spent a lot of time talking through each scene, discussing key points. Joanna is pleased that now the company is putting each scene 'on its feet' i.e. acting out the scene, exploring where and how the characters move and how they interact with one another. Look at Act 1 Scene 2 - Gertrude's first scene. Discuss the section from king: "How is it that the clouds still hang on you" to Hamlet: "These but the trappings and the suits of woe." After you have discussed these lines try to put them "on their feet". What do you find out from a) your discussion of the lines and b) from your experiments acting the scene? Send your findings to Joanna.

Give reasons for all of your answers. Try to find evidence in the text to 'back up' your ideas.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 3

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process-they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

Last week we were looking at the play in a purely academic way, but now we’re putting it on its feet. We’ve moved into a bigger rehearsal room that can accommodate the entire size of the stage. The only down side is that it doesn’t have any windows, so we’re using a lot of artificial light, which changes the atmosphere. This is my favourite part of the rehearsal process because this is when you start to relate to your fellow actors. The academic part is good to have in the back of the mind, but now you are looking into each other’s eyes, taking things from each other, and noticing exactly who is on the stage with you. I love working on instinct, with spontaneity and in contact with others, and this is what this part of the rehearsal process allows me to do. Sometimes I find that all the talk can get rather stultifying, and the energy seeps out.

This part of rehearsal is known as blocking. It is very tentative at the moment so that things can always be changed. It gives you a rough idea of how you are going to make use of the stage. We have now blocked up to the beginning of the play scene, which we will begin to work on this afternoon. This should be very exciting, as there are so many challenges in this scene. There are many questions about the dumb show, for example. Is it a prelude to the play? Is it something that everyone expects? Is it just as upsetting to Gertrude and Claudius as a play with the spoken word? Do they notice? Today will be about answering all these questions.

We have been trying out some improvisation around the scenes this week, which I find extremely helpful, especially because we were in our rehearsal costumes which makes it all a little more real. We improvised a dumb show around the preparations for old Hamlet’s funeral. This is a scene that would have taken place before the play starts, so all the character relationships are very different. Through this improvisation I discovered that I believe that Gertrude sheds real tears, whilst also having passion for Claudius. I believe that she is in love with them both at the same time. At the funeral her thoughts would have been with old Hamlet and she would make sure that she wasn’t conspicuously near Claudius. Sometimes in these improvisations though, things happen that are not right. For example, in the improvisation Hamlet did not comfort his mother. He kept well away. However, I think this is incorrect. Nothing has happened yet to make Hamlet think any less of Gertrude. After the improvisation, we sat back and said ‘wait, that’s not right’, but it was only through this process that we can begin to discover these things.

I’ve also had another costume fitting this week. I was extremely excited to try on the corset that has been hand made for me. It’s a shame that no one will see it as it is underneath the costume.

All in all, the most rewarding and memorable part of this week has been the improvisation. Other than that we have begun to work on the jig. This isn’t just going to be a silly dance. It’s sexy, with a hint of death. At this point we are no longer in character, but are working as a company. I am extremely excited about the next week or so, when, hopefully, we will be able to finish blocking.

Activities for Students

The Dumb Show

Joanna says that there are many questions to be answered about the dumb show. She asks

Is it a prelude to the play? Is it something that everyone expects? Is it just as upsetting to Gertrude and Claudius as a play with the spoken word? Do they notice?’ What do you think are the answers to these questions? You might like to discuss them or try acting out the dumb show for yourself. Send your ideas in to Joanna.

Improvisation

Joanna has found improvisation very helpful. Look again at her description of the improvisation of old Hamlet’s funeral. Try this for yourself in small groups. In particular, think about the relationships between Gertrude and Claudius and Gertrude and Hamlet. How would these be shown to the audience?

Give reasons for all your answers. Try to find evidence in the text to support your ideas.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 4

These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process-they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

We went away to Otley for a rehearsal weekend, which was extremely valuable. We improvised all the scenes that you don’t see in the play – Old Hamlets murder, finding his body, the election of Claudius, Hamlet asking Gertrude why she backed Claudius for king and not him, telling Hamlet that Gertrude is to marry his uncle. We did all this in real time and it gave me a wonderful sense of really being Gertrude. With many of these scenes I didn’t know what was going to happen. Mark (Rylance) would just turn up at my bedroom door and begin a scene. This made it feel very realistic. I didn’t know that Hamlet was going to arrive, and therefore wasn’t prepared speak to him at that moment. It just happened. One scene just progressed into the next. It was tremendously useful. I’m not sure how much of it will translate onto the stage. A lot of it will just be used in our own ‘mind’s eye’. It was great fun though. We didn’t just improvise, we also rehearsed they play. I found that having been informed by the improvisations, I felt very differently about things. By the time we got to Opheilia’s death, I found that I had discovered that I didn’t want to stand next to Claudius. I think that I learnt that Gertrude goes through a huge circle and ends up, like she began, feeling close to her son. The last thing she does in life is to wipe Hamlet’s face.

We have begun to rehearse on the stage. We had tours coming in, which was great because it gave us an audience to work with. We also began to get a better idea of the dimensions of the globe stage. It is vast and you have to learn how to really fill it. We have spent all of our rehearsals inside and there is a very different feel to doing the indoor scenes, outside. We need to try and create the same sort of the feeling of closeness that we had inside and make that happen outside.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 5

These comments are the actor’s thoughts and ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.

We are now halfway through performances of Hamlet. I am finding that no two performances are ever the same. The weather is often a deciding factor in the atmosphere of a show. We have had extremely variable weather. Because The globe is outdoors, an actor is required to adjust their vocal quality depending on whether it is raining or not. You need to speak louder and more clearly during wet weather in order to be heard above the sound of the rain falling on the waterproof jackets that the groundlings are wearing. The hardest moment on stage as an actor at The Globe is the moment when the rain begins to fall and the groundlings begin to put on their waterproofs. The rustling makes it impossible for an actor to be heard.

I find that I am enjoying playing Gertrude at the Globe more and more with each performance. I am fascinated by the involvement of the audience. They are so focused. I never feel alone when I am on stage because I feel that the audience is with me every step of the way. It is almost reminiscent of telling a story around a campfire. You can feel the concentration of your audience as they look at you. I have never known audiences to concentrate with such intensity in conventional theatres. At a performance last week I could hear people crying when Gertrude died.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 6

These comments are the actor's thoughts and ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal and performance process - they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the process progresses.

It was lovely to see you all over here last month. I enjoyed talking to you and I hope that you had a good safe journey home.

We are currently in our last ten days of rehearsal The Antipodes by Richard Brome. I have been really enjoying myself but am looking forward to starting rehearsals on The Globe stage as we have been rehearsing in a rather airless, artificially lit room for too long. The atmosphere outside in The Globe will transform the energy of the play. The Antipodes is a comedy that could even be described as a light farce. Working in such a stuffy space has been somewhat deconstructive. The Globe is outdoors, which I find very liberating.

The Antipodes is not an easy play to perform, as it is very inconsistent. It was only performed once in the 1630's. I am playing a character called Babs Blaze. She is a fairly liberated woman for her time. Babs thrives on helping people with their problems. She is a bit of a 'busybody' but very likeable. We are treating the play in a very light, frivolous manner.

The rehearsal process for The Antipodes has been very different from the way we rehearsed Hamlet. Hamlet is a very complex play with lots of subtext. The Antipodes is fairly simple - it's just a story. This means that you can't approach the plays in the same way. You can't spend a lot of time over analysing Babs as you won't find anything deep about her in the text. The most important part of working with The Antipodes is to make sure that you are telling the story clearly. It can be a very confusing play. It is vital that the actors make sure that the audience can follow what is happening. The director, Gerry Freedman, has managed to make The Antipodes come across as being very logical and clear, which I think is worthy of high praise. I think that Hamlet is an extraordinary play, with lots of subtext and levels that you can delve into and discover. The Antipodes just isn't like that. Different plays require different approaches. It is important to understand the play you are in. It is only then that you can discover the best way to approach it.

There will be days when we will perform The Antipodes in the afternoon and Hamlet in the evening. I have worked in repertoire before, at the RSC where I had to perform Twelfth Night in the afternoon and Henry V in the evening. I found this very enjoyable as the two plays complemented each other. I think that The Antipodes and Hamlet will compliment each other in the same way. The energies you use to perform each of them are completely different and I think that they will 'feed' each other and inject a spark and freshness into our performances. Two performances of Hamlet in the same day is very tiring, both physically and emotionally. I think a comedy and a tragedy will be a good balance.

Back to top

Joanna McCallum - Character Notes 7

These comments are the actor's thoughts and ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal and performance process - they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the process progresses.

Audiences seem to love The Antipodes, as it is such a fun show. The press has been saying what a wonderful find the play has been. What they don’t know is that Jerry Freedman (Master of Play for The Antipodes) has spent months trying to sort it out because the original text was rather a mess and the verse was infuriating to work with. Jerry has presented a very clear coherent play out of something that was far more confusing.

In The Antipodes I have to talk to the audience which I find very scary. In Hamlet I only say four lines to them and the rest of the time I am absorbed in the story. In The Antipodes I have to talk to them very personally. This afternoon I was picking out individuals to direct lines to and to my horror saw somebody that I know but haven’t seen in three years. He winked at me and all I could think about was trying to remember his full name as I could only remember his first name. That preoccupied me for the rest of my speech. I find talking to the audience at the Globe frightening. I have to grit my teeth and just do it. I have to be brave. I have spoken to the audience in other Shakespeare productions, but normally in conventional theatres where you can only see a few people and the rest is all a black mass. Here you can see every individual and you have to look them in the eye. I am getting braver.

I love having two such different roles to play in Hamlet and The Antipodes. I find that truly joyous. It is also lovely because we don’t have to rehearse anymore and suddenly I have found that I have free time again which is absolute bliss. It is a shame that it is only that way for a month.

Often you find when working in repertoire, that one play will inform the other. This has not been the case with Hamlet and The Antipodes. The only thing I do find is that working on the stage so often allows me to be more familiar with the space and its boundaries. That information is relevant to both plays.

My costume for The Antipodes is much lighter than my Gertrude costumes. This is because of the difference in period of the play. The Antipodes is also a lighter play both physically and mentally. Gertrude has a huge emotional journey to go on through the play. The Antipodes is not like that. It’s just very happy go lucky. This means that I can relax and enjoy it.

Back to top