Character Biography (Nesmith)

Name: Brianna Bernard

Requirements before completing this analysis:
1. Read the libretto/script.
2. Listen to the full score if doing a song from a musical.
Character analysis is developed through an indepth study of the given circumstances in the te!t. "n ans#ering
the follo#ing questions about your character$ see% to use the facts presented in the te!t$ your o#n interpretation
of subte!t$ and the use of your imagination #here specific facts are not provided.
Answer all of the questions as your character would by using the personal pronoun I.
1. &his is a story about the reality of mental illness$ embracing yourself as a #hole$ and finding strength #here
you least e!pect it.
2. 'hat is your (character)s* name+ Natalie ,oodman
-. .iscuss your heredity. 'hat physical and mental attributes #ere you born #ith+
")m /01 "rish$ 20 1 3nglish. " have bro#n #avy hair and green eyes. " inherited both from my father. "
really loo% nothing li%e my mother$ apart from my height. 'e)re both tall. .ad)s a shorty. " have high
an!iety and possibly other mental illnesses " could inherit from my mother. 4he suffers from bipolar and
manic depression. " #as born #ith my dad)s stubbornness.
2. 'hat is your temperament/ (personality$ disposition$ personal habits*+
Beginning: 5n!ious$ over#helmed$ perfectionist. " focus very directly on one thing at a time. " put all
my energy into school and piano. " mess #ith my hairline #hen " get nervous$ #hich is most of the time.
")m very closed off and " don)t trust people easily. 6iano is really the only thing " open up to.
7iddle: ")m #ild and uncontrollable. 5s soon as " feel nervous$ " pop a handful of my mom)s pills and
thro# bac% a fe# drin%s to forget about it. ")ve started snea%ing into clubs and lying about my age.
3nd: " still live #ith my an!iety$ but ")ve learned to control it. " care deeply for my father$ 8enry$ and
")m starting to learn ho# to love myself. " love the piano. ")m stronger$ calmer$ and can face reality
much more easily.
9. 'hat is the state of your health+
Beginning: " have asthma and use an inhaler. :ther than that$ ")m used to ta%ing care of myself$ feeding
myself$ etc. ")ve tried to be a vegetarian$ li%e$ four times$ but " li%e cheese too much. " still eat #ell$ but
")ll probably end up #ith arthritis in my hands sooner or later. ")m also al#ays #orried about my mental
health. " try to %eep it together$ but my an!iety gets to me and " don)t #ant to lose it and end up on tons
of pills li%e my mom. 8enry)s as%ed me to try pot a fe# times$ " didn)t really care for it.
7iddle: " started smo%ing pot a lot more often. "t #asn)t enough. ")m much more short of breath than
")m used to be. ")ve pic%ed up smo%ing cigarettes regularly as #ell as pot$ drin%ing$ and am starting to
get hoo%ed on my moms pills. 5lso the high " get off of cough syrup. " hardly sleep anymore and " rarely
have an appetite.
3nd: ")ve ditched everything. ;old tur%ey. " don)t #ant anything to cloud my <udgment. :%ay$ " smo%e
occasionally #ith 8enry$ B=& it)s not often. ")ve started doing yoga to try to help my an!iety. 5lso$
%ic%bo!ing is a#esome. "f ")m ever upset " <ust %ic%bo! the angry until it)s gone. " stay hydrated$ " don)t
smo%e$ and ")ll #ait until ")m 21 to try anything alcoholic again. >ust not rum and co%e. Neeeeever
again.
/. 'hat is your age/ (describe both your actual age and apparent age$ if different*.
")m si!teen$ but sometimes " feel li%e " have to act li%e ")m #ell into my -0s. Li%e ")m supposed to be an
adult. ")ve learned to rely on myself and gro# up fast. 4ometimes though " feel li%e " <ust need my mom.
:r my dad. :r someone.
?. 3ndo#ments (endo# each #ith the specific traits and/or ad<ectives that fully define
their importance to you*. .efine #ith a metaphorical relationship title:
a. 'ho is the most important person in your life+
8enry$ #ho is 7@ 4&R:N,8:L. #hen the storm hits.
b. 'hat is the most important possession in your life+
7y piano$ #hich is 7@ ,3&5'5@ from #hen life gets too heavy.
A. 3nvironment (e!ternal forces #hich affect the character)s behavior and psychological
state*:
a. 'here are you+ 7y parent)s house$ 4uburbia$ =45
'hat is the specific placeB #hat surrounds you in this place+
a. 7y room. ")ve got sheet music on sheet music piled in folders$ bursting from boo%shelves.
"t)s all very organiCed$ though. " <ust have a lot. 7y bed is small$ and made$ " al#ays ma%e it.
")ve <ust got my nightstand and a light and a des% and tons of boo%s. 5ll %inds of boo%s.
b. 'hat is the day$ date$ and time+
a. &hursday$ 4eptember 12
th
$ 2010$ A:00 57. ,etting ready for another day.
D. @our character)s #orld vie#:
c. 'hat is your occupation+
8onor student. 6ianist. EuiC bo#l captain. 4#im team captain.
d. 'hat is your social status #ithin your community+
")m good at a lot of things$ people let me be in charge$ but no one really tal%s to me other than that. 4o.
7y social status is pretty close to none!istent. "t)s the same case #ith my familyB the attention is never
focused on me. " feel li%e they try to pretend everything is perfect but something is al#ays #rong #ith
my mom and #e all Fcome togetherG for her$ but ")m al#ays alone.
e. 'hat is your political orientation+
!eminism.
f. 'hat is your religious orientation+
"s 7oCart)s Piano Sonata in C Major K. 545 a religion+
g. 'hat do you do for fun+
6lay piano. Read. 4tudy. &hin% about going to @ale. 6lay more piano. 4tudy more. .o practice 45&
tests. 6lay piano.
h. .efine your speech and movement style. "nclude a discussion of your
personal tempo rhythm$ posture$ quality of gesture$ distinctive #ord choices$
slang$ use of repetition of #ords$ etc. 8o# have environmental factors shaped
your speech and/or movement+
7y speech style isH short. 5s in " don)t spea% a lot. 5lthough$ at home$ ")ve started cursing more often
#hen ")m frustrated. " go bet#een giving my parents the silent treatment and having full on screaming
matches #ith them. &hey go bet#een fighting a lot and <ust s#eeping everything under the rug$ so "
learned my fighting tactics from them.
5t school$ " ans#er questions #hen as%ed$ but " #ould prefer to read rather than spea%$ honestly. :r
")ll let my music do the tal%ing. 6eople #ould rather listen to that any#ay. ")ll spea% to my professors a
bit " suppose$ and #hen " do " try to be as articulate as possible. 7y favorite #ord is FpetrichorG$ but that
doesn)t usually come up much in conversation. @ou never %no# #hen you)ll need a reference letter.
7y movement style is also minimal. " ta%e small steps$ but " #al% fast. " have #onderful posture
(than%s$ piano*. " really don)t feel seen most of the time any#ay. 8o#ever$ #hen ")m upset " thro# my
#hole body into it and use large gestures. ")m very much all or nothing.
10. 'hat do others say about you (including your temperament$ physical appearance$
behavior$ etc.*+
"f anyone notices$ they say ")m smart$ a good piano player$ and quiet. 5nd that)s e!actly #hat " am.
8onestly though$ " don)t thin% ")m much of a topic of conversation.
11. 'ho are you singing/spea%ing to in this scene/song+ ("#$%&)
a. 'hat is your relationship to the person(s* you are tal%ing to+ 'hat is their name+
.iana ,oodman$ my mother.
.an ,oodman$ my father.
8enry :liver$ my boyfriend.
8o# do you feel about him/her+ .iscuss your history together.
.iana ,oodman: Beginning: " #ill al#ays love my mother but " can)t trust her at all. 8er illness is
becoming more and more of her. 4he al#ays pretends that everything is fine$ and she doesn)t thin% " see
through it$ but " %no# a lot of #hat she tries to hide. 8er mental illness has gotten in the #ay of my
childhood and our relationship. 'e <ust %ind of e!ist together. 4ometimes " #orry ")m more li%e her than "
%no#.
3nd: " still love my mother. " still don)t trust my mother. But " understand more of #hat she needs. 4he
made a choice. 4he)s doing #hat she needs. " need to do #hat " need. " need to stop being perfect and ta%e
care of #hat " need. 5nd " can. 4omeho#$ distantly$ she helped me realiCe that.
.an ,oodman: Beginning: " resent him almost as much as my mother. 7aybe more. 8e gives her
everything she needs and he)s never %no#n #hat " need.
3nd: ")m #hat my dad has no#. 'e)re #or%ing on our relationship$ but it)s something " can fi!. 'e can help
each other. 'e can ta%e care of each other. " love him$ and " %no# " can be strong for him and myself.
8enry :liver: Beginning: 8e)s this creepy (B=& 4=63R ;=&3* stoner %id that #atches me play piano.
5nd #ho comes over and hangs out #ith me sometimes. 5aand #e ma%e out. 5nd #e might be dating. 5nd
" might really li%e him. " have no idea.
7iddle: 8e)s a clingy stoner #ho drags me do#n and gets in my #ay. @eah$ o%ay$ he)s there to ma%e sure "
get home but " could do it alone. 8e #on)t leave after " tell him ")m fine. 8e)s holding onto something that)s
<ust going to fall apart and " don)t #ant anything to do #ith him.
3nd: 8e)s here for me. " care for him. Ior no#$ #e have one another$ and #e)re happy$ and he ma%es my
days better. 8e)s someone " %no# " #ant around and #ho)ll be there for me.
b. List four or five traits of the person(s* you are tal%ing to. &hese traits may be
physical$ emotional$ behavioral$ etc.
.iana ,oodman: 7anic$ childli%e$ absent$ unpredictable$ medicated
.an ,oodman: Business$ focused$ pretender$ hastoplaythehero$ loving
8enry :liver: ;onstant$ #allflo#er$ herbalenthusiast$ creator$ reallyreallyreallygood%isser
c. 'hat do you #ant from this person right no#+
.iana ,oodman: " #ant her to honestly tell me ho# she feels about me.
.an ,oodman: " #ant him to pay attention to me and come to my recital #hen he says he #ill.
8enry :liver: " #ant him to be there to hang out after school and listen to me #hen " need someone. " #ant
him to be my bestfriend.