Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.
Next up in our series of Incognito Cast Encounters, we are delighted to introduce you to Amelia Lowdell
Amelia, can you tell us whatIncognito is about?
Incognito is about the nature of self, memory and identity. It explores what it is that makes you, you.
What were your thoughts the first time you read the script?
I was just thinking, I need to take some notes! I need to read this again. How on earth are they going to stage this ?
Can you tell us a bit about the character(s!) you play?
I play Martha who is a neuropsychologist set in the present day. She is at a point in her life where the things that had previously cemented her identity such as family, job and relationships are fragmenting. She’s a woman struggling with the big questions of all of our lives … Who am I? Why am I here? Her world view is shifting.
Then, there are five other characters that I also play. Elouise Harvey, wife of Thomas Harvey (the man who took Albert Einstein’s brain for scientific research). Evelyn Einstein, who is Albert Einstein’s granddaughter, Anna Vann (a stoner) and finally, Brenda…who meets a tragic end.
If any, what are the challenges of performing in a play like Incognito?
Initially, it was the approach to building the scenes. Having minimal set, props and costume to help us tell the stories made it was a very different process to creating a conventional play. It became clear we had to focus on exactly what each character is trying to do to the others in the scene. There were moments of ‘schizophrenia’ in rehearsals – in playing so many characters at such a pace and in one play… ‘Which character comes next? Who are you in this scene?’
What do you most enjoy about being in the play?
It is very enjoyable to have access to such different characters in one play and to embrace that very openly with the audience. There is something very liberating about offering yourself up as completely different characters yet with no costume changes and asking the audience to buy into that.
What have audience reactions been like to Incognito so far?
They’ve been very exciting. It is a dynamic, extraordinary piece that asks a lot from its audience. But if they fully engage and follow the pieces of the puzzle that Nick’s given them there is a very satisfying emotional pay off.
What are you looking forward to about Incognito’s run at the Bush?
Nick has such a strong following so I’m excited to bring this innovative play to a London audience. The Bush has always been on my list of places I would like to work so it will be lovely to perform there.
