Can you help me with portraying my Shakespeare character?

Question:Every year my school puts on a Shakespeare Festival. This year I'm playing Nick Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream. The scene is the play within a play: Pyramus and Thisbe. I know he's supposed to be WAY over dramatic, but I'm having trouble expressing that. Any tips?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Every year my school puts on a Shakespeare Festival. This year I'm playing Nick Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream. The scene is the play within a play: Pyramus and Thisbe. I know he's supposed to be WAY over dramatic, but I'm having trouble expressing that. Any tips?

I absolutely love the play Midsummer Night's Dream! Nick Bottom is an especially challenging but fun role, because you have to be good at acting bad. :)

The role of Bottom is very fun to play. Yes, he is like you said, very over dramatic. He thinks he is this amazing actor, but that's the humor of the role because he's so bad at what he does.

What I find very funny is how well his name fits him. Basically, what Shakespeare is trying to say is that Nick Bottom is (pardon my language) an as-s. Plus he gets turned into a donkey! How clever is that? :)

My advice to you is to practice the dramatic side of the character, and really get good at portraying such a bad actor. During the play Pyramus and Thisby, he's constantly turning to the audience to explain what's happening which is always really funny. Practice acting like an as-s hole (again, please excuse my language!) because that's what Bottom is. Try reading the lines poorly on purpose, and do them really over the top with tons of voice inflection and hand gestures.

Good luck and practice, practice, practice!

Pretend you're overtly gay

I wonder if, instead of trying to play Bottom, that you imagine some one in a Hollywood film who you can see is like the Bottom character.

I am trying to remember what Bottom is like....is he a country bumpkin - what about playing him as Adam Sandler?

Or is he - in your face - what about the black actor who is the voice of Donkey in Shrek (can't remember his name)

That way you could picture your chosen actor - rather than try to create Bottom from scratch

Just an idea.

who does Bottom play, Pyramus? \Yes, well, play him as an extroverted child might play him. Purposely read the lines badly with upspeak and the emphasis in the wrong places. Have a great time, it is the fun of all fun to do.