Does anyone know how to play a stroke victim?

Question

I'm currently in a play where I'm a stroke victim with a really bad speech problem. So bad that there is a translation book in the back of the script. It doesn't say anything about any other defects from the stroke but I was wondering if I should come up with anything else. I tried the frozen arm thing but it didn't work with the stage movement and the lines. Now, I'm dragging one leg across the floor when walking but that's it so far.

Answer 1

Prior advise given was good. I'd also see if you can somehow visit a rehab center and speak with a stroke victim or walk with a physical therapist about how they work with a stroke victim. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Method acting means getting inside a person's body, not just pretending to portray a person. You must understand and feel that person's body.

Gneralized idea : draw the arm upwards - fingers slightly in claw, droop side of mouth. Think of that side as "dead" - very heavy and difficult to move. Often a stroke victim will hold weak arm to support it. Head will also lean.

It will be exhausting playing this character. Good luck!

Answer 2

There are strokes, and there are strokes. I'm sure that there's a whole RANGE of possible physical manifestations.

If I were in your position, I would start calling around to local doctors. See if you can find one (or even a few) who would be willing to answer some questions about what sorts of physical complications are normal in the aftermath of a stroke.

Don't rely on your imagination for this. Get on the internet and do some research, and then try to talk to doctors about it. Or physical therapists, who must be very familiar with the sorts of limitations that stroke victims have to deal with.

Answer 3

The answer about the pathology of the stroke is entirely correct. To address the second part of your question, yes, perserverance can play a big part in many patients' recovery. However, there are times when the size and site of the stroke in the brain are too severe for a patient to recover from in spite the perserverance involved. There were patients who fooled me and recovered far better than the initial prognosis suggested they would. Some people are tough beyond belief. I also saw lots of patients who threw in the towel despite the fact they had a relatively good prognosis. So much depends on the personality, and as I said, the size and site of the damage.

Answer 4

Ok this is paramount. if the stroke victim has speach problems, then it is the right side of there body that will be paralysed. Also stroke victims legs extend. and there arms contract.. that way they can still walk and carry things.. funny it worked out that way. good luck.. break a leg