Question: Character Help!!?
There are three directors for my schools theatre night!. One is in charge of one 15 minute play, one is in charge of the other, and I am specifically in charge of "character development"!. I am having a tough time thinking of activties to keep my peers focused but still allow them to dive deep into their characters!. I have the basic things, such as thinking of their characters pasts, autobiographies, and basic questionnaires/character sketches!. Does anyone know of any other great ideas I could use with my actors!? Or websites!? I feel like the other 2 directors have their work cut out for them but I have very few ideas about how to use my time productively to better my actors!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Get your people to act out thier character in differing scenarios!. For example say you are performing the Wizard of Oz and you have the character of Dorothy!. Ask the person performing this role to act out how Dorothy would respond to:
1!. getting a bad report card
2!. being offered drugs
3!. being hit on by the lion
etc,etc
Another way to get people to delve deep into the characters is to get them to write/act how other characters in the play view them, so using the same W of Oz example!. Get the person who plays Dorothy to take on the role of the Lion to do a speech on what they think of Dorothy!. Follow the same principle with all characters so matter how small!.
Along the lines of the questionnaires/autobiography you can also get them to write diary entries for days during the scenes of the play and beyond, do family/friend trees and one of those 'who am I' circles, where they outline what they value in thier lives in character!.
Hope this helpsWww@QuestionHome@Com
make them be the characterWww@QuestionHome@Com