Reducing the cast

37 characters is OTT. A lot appear in only one or two scenes each, as a result of the vignette-style in which Wedekind writes. But I felt conventional doubling would be confusing since the turnover of characters is quite so high - this affords the actor little chance to establish the assorted roles.

Apart from the parents, all the adults who appear in the play are grotesque caricatures as they appear through the eyes of the children. This gave me the idea that the adults could be doubled by the children in character. That is to say, the adults are caricatured not by the actors, but by the children portrayed by the actors. In short, the children will appear to be taking the mickey out of their elders and betters.

Crucially, the parents, who are not caricatures but perhaps the real victims in the play (cue another post) are played as themselves.

This process of doubling and the visible transformation between adults and children that necessarily occurs in the burial scene is still being explored in rehearsal. It seems to highlight the polar reactions of the two groups. It is also adding a surreal quality to the burial.