Sneak Peek: Joy Jones Podcast

Joy Jones: My experience with August Wilson has been a bit like doing Shakespeare. There are August Wilson monologue contests, and I know young actors who use some of the speeches that I do in this play for auditions, etcetera, and I also saw the archival taping of Viola Davis' Vera from the original Broadway production, so there were times when I would rehearse a speech or rehearse a scene, and I would hear a sort of echo of the Veras before, and it's reminded me of what some actors who've tackled the Hamlet or Othello you sort of hear those words and they're familiar, but they haven't necessarily become yours yet, so it's sort of like an echo in your head, and then you sort of have to pause and say, okay, I know because this play has been produced that it works on a level, so then what is my experience with this director, with these actors, what do I bring as a person, and so then you settle into what does my character want, how is she feeling, what time of day is it, what do I need from this person, and then you get into the practicalities and can become much more grounded in your specific experience.