In a dialogue-driven production with no movement, connection with the audience is everything.
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This is the challenge for the cast of the Highlands Theatre Group's latest production Love Letters.
The play follows friends Melissa and Andrew who have corresponded through letters for almost their entire lives.
Two sets of actors will play the roles, with Mark Wallace and Stephen Wheatley playing Andrew and Jacinta Perry and Rebecca Howarth as Melissa.
The cast has finally been able to rehearse over the past few weeks after the COVID pandemic shut everything down earlier in the year.
Mark, who has been previously been in Ladies in Black as well as Anne of Green Gables said this role presented unique challenges.
The casts will be seated facing away from each other throughout the performance and read their letters to each other.
"You need to focus your mind on who the character is, how they relate to each other and what motivates them," Mark said.
"It's a lot of fun but really challenging. We just want to do the best show we possible can."
Stephen, who has been involved in both plays and musicals throughout his life, said the key for this role was in the delivery of the dialogue.
"If you want to make it interesting for the audience, you can't just sit and read the letters. You have to deliver the dialogue as you would if you were walking around in a normal stage show.
"It has to have character."
Another challenge for the cast is to master an American accent and maintain it throughout the show.
"You've got to make it credible and it has to be maintained," Stephen said.
With the play stretching over many years, Stephen said another focus was to "mould the dialogue delivery" to match the age of characters.
"You have to put a bit of youthful animation into the early scenes and then make it a bit more staid [as he gets older]."
Mastering the American accent has been something of a challenge for Jacinta, who will partner with Stephen.
'It's been challenging to speak with an American accent consistently," she said.
But again, one of the main challenges has been working out the best ways to connect with the audience through the script.
"It's very character driven. We've got to really think about how we're going to express everything and how we get colour into our language and using body language," Jacinta said.
"I want to try and get the character to live a little bit for the people who come and see it."
Being on stage is not new for Jacinta either.
As well as backstage work, she has appeared in productions on stage including The Vicar of Dibley, Murder on the Nile and The Odd Couple.
"I've been around the world," she said.
And now the cast is able to rehearse, Jacinta said it had been helpful to work opposite Stephen rather than reading the script alone.
"You can respond to each other's voices and get the mood for the letters."
Rebecca said she had been working on her facial reactions to engage with the audience.
"I have to make sure my reactions are realistic and something the audience can relate to," she said.
"There's no movement. It's definitely dialogue driven so it's really important to understand the text so you can give the character the body it needs."
Rebecca, who has been a part of countless productions in the area, said Love Letters was different to other shows she had been involved in and was looking forward to presenting it later this year.
Opening night will now be September 4 and tickets are on sale.
The play will be held at Gibraltar Park in Bowral.
Performances will be held on September 4, 5, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 at 7.30pm and on September 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 at 2pm.
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