Joseph Lindoe on playing Jack

Joseph Lindoe joins the Found cast for the Hope run, playing the enigmatic, mysterious Jack. He talks to us about how he's finding it.

Tell us a little bit about Jack

Joseph Lindoe plays Jack

Jack’s a bit of a mystery really, the play starts with him being washed up on a beach and found by Mark. He’s taken in but is clearly suffering from Amnesia and Trauma, he doesn’t speak to other characters but throughout the play he gradually regains confidence and we are given more and more of an insight into who he is and what happened to him.

What are the challenges of playing a character that never speaks?

Initially you’d think having a role where you have no lines to learn would be a walk in the park. Actually trying to create a well rounded and active portrayal without any vocal impetus is very tricky. There are very few clues in the text about how he’s feeling and what state he’s in, we never hear his side of the story in its entirety which means rather than basing development on facts there are a certain number of assumptions that have to be made. Obviously you want to make the characters journey clear and engaging but with only being able to come across physically there’s a very real danger of “demonstrating” and coming across as kind of surface.

How did you prepare for the role?

Initially I had a look at Amnesia and the different ways it can manifest. In terms of script work I started by going through and getting an idea about what Jack might say/how he might interact if he was able to speak. As well as the direct effects of memory loss his lack of knowledge makes him very unsure of himself and leads to a very nervous and introverted disposition so I had a look at various social anxiety disorders.

How is Jack different to other roles you’ve played?

Well for starters, most characters I’ve played have had dialog! Because of the way he progresses and develops he really is a completely different character at the beginning to how he is at the end. I’ve never really had to show such a huge over-arching change in demeanour like this before, it’s like playing the same character throughout his life as he re-develops.

Are there any similarities between Jack and Yourself? Are there any differences?

Well I talk, A LOT, I’m constantly jabbering on about some nonsense. In terms of similarities with any character you bring characteristics of yourself and we both have this sort of lost puppy quality about ourselves, particularly in his weakest state he feels a lot more comfortable in periods of piece and quiet, something I can absolutely relate to, particularly with our use of loud club music to underline periods of distress.

Anything you’d like to add?

All I can say really is that you will probably never get a chance to see a character that spends 95% of the play on stage and never interacts, it’s a very unique character, one that I’ve had tremendous fun exploring and you should absolutely take the opportunity to see him yourself.

Found runs at The Hope Theatre, Islington from the 24th March - 11th April. Tickets available from www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/found