1. 500 words
Sophie Arnold
Stepping out
Richard Harris’ ‘Stepping out’ is a play based on various characters that attend a tap dance class. The
play is based in North London and was performed in London, West End and New York, Broadway. I
have decided to take on the role of Mavis; the dance teacher’s monologue. The monologue sums up
Mavis’ persona and the different ways that she reacts to the characters. The play gradually reveals
what is happening in each of the characters’ lives and the reason why each of them attend the class.
The play shows that Mavis and Mrs Fraser have known each other for a long time, outside of the
dance class as Vera points out Mrs Fraser is like a ‘second mother’ to Mavis due to her ‘mother
walking out’, socially this can be quite upsetting for a child and can still have a negative presence on
them in the present day. This could explain Mavis’ previous outburst at the class. This has an effect
on my monologue as it appears that Mavis is quite emotional and short tempered, therefore I should
show signs of her frustration. Historically, the play being written in 1984, women had equal rights to
men; therefore Mavis’ mother leaving was legal politically. Culturally, dancing has always been
popular; the tap dance in particular is still being performed in our modern society. Tap dancing is
what brings the characters to the class and allows them to express themselves, possibly the reason
as to why Mavis is so passionate about what she does. Taking this into consideration, when
performing my monologue I will present Mavis as being passionate about what she is saying.
Mavis’ monologue has subtle hints of humour that are only evident if said correctly, therefore when
speaking, I need to be aware of my vocals; pitch, tone and volume. When saying ‘it's got to be good,
it’s got to have panache, it’s got to have the three T’s’ I gradually speed up and emphasise ‘three T’s’
to show Mavis’ enthusiasm. The beginning of the monologue is quite calm, therefore to get my tone
correct; I imagine that I am speaking to young children as they’re bad dancers that are never going
to achieve a good performance, when I say ‘let’s get on, shall we?’. My voice is calm, pace is slow,
and this is to show that I am trying to get the class ready to follow my instructions.
To conclude, the monologue in general presents Mavis as simply directing a class of dancers.
However, reading the entire play, Mavis’ character shows that the dancers are not good, she is funny
and at points sarcastic, which entertains the audience. The social, historical, cultural and political
aspects develop her character as she doesn’t get along with her husband and her mother left her at
a young age, therefore it is possible that she pretends to put on a smile, which is effective with her
line ‘smile, stick your chest out, look like you’re enjoying it’.