Stanislavski's Acting Techniques: 1- Who Are They

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The character I have chosen to create in Fraulein Kost. She is one Fraulein Schneider's tenants, and earns her living by prostituting herself, primarily to sailors. Frl. Kost, immediately comes across as flirtatious, but strong-willed. She is often seen having spats with Frl. Schneider, particularly about the sailors she brings home. Frl. Schneider does not hesitate to threaten to call the police and have her arrested. Frl. Kost, however, is not intimidated in any way, and responds with her own threats to move out of the house and leave Frl. Schneider down on rent. She comes across as quite a feisty character, but also quite real. She does not live in the sort of dream world that Sally Bowles lives in. Instead she faces her realities and makes the most out of her opportunities. However, she is slightly ashamed of the life she has to lead, as we see in Act One- Scene Three, when she first meets Cliff Bradshaw. One of her sailors runs into the room they are in, looking for her, and she hastily introduces him to Cliff as her nephew, despite the fact that everyone is completely aware of what's going on. 
Frl. Kost has been described as "a blond florid girl with large silly blue eyes", and "plump but has a good figure". Frl. Kost is older than Sally, and is estimated to be in her thirties. the "large silly blue eyes", and her flirtatious nature give her image quite a youthful feel however, so it would be quite easy to picture someone much younger, if it weren't for her feisty, sentient view of the world. 
She could also be seen as a metaphor for what was going on in Germany during the 1930's. At the time, the country was facing huge rates of inflation, and there was high levels of unemployment. A lot of people were forced into illegal or immoral ways of making money, whether it was prostitution, or smuggling goods in and out of the country. It became a way of life and people were very real about it and faced up to the fact that that was just how it had to be, much like Frl. Kost.


With the description of Frl. Kost being "plump but has a good figure", I picture her being quite a sensual woman. In the 1930's, curvier women were considered sexier than really thin women, so I imagine her being very sensual, confident and, as described in the script, flirtatious. 
Much like Sally Bowles, Fraulein Kost lives her life through the night, thus leaving little time for sleep, food and proper grooming. I therefore imagine her face to be quite gaunt, but made up to cover it. Her hair is also styled, but turning to frizz from lack of nutrition and care. The life she leads, forces her into a survivor mentality, and I would like this to show up in her makeup. Her application is deliberate and she has a goal in mind.

1 http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/90/7d/26/907d2612cb615cfced7a4f7079701e6d.jpg Viewed 17/10/2014
2 http://www.goldonomic.com/weimar%20fire.gif  Online image [Viewed 17/10/2014]