CHARACTER WORK

1
CHARACTER WORK

• Understand your character,
• Create the role on stage,
• Be able to keep good notes to use in writing
  effective coursework.

2
Given Circumstances

• These are the facts about the play, its action
  and the characters.
• You will need to find out which facts apply to
  the whole cast and which ones just apply to your
  character.

3
Given Circumstances

• How old are you?
• What are you wearing?
• Where are you?
• What is the weather like right now?
• Who is near you?
• Are you in love?
• These are some of your given circumstances right
  now.

4
Given Circumstances

• Stage directions often give you a lot of
  information about given circumstances. Dont
  ignore them. Playwrights put them there for a
  definite purpose.

5
Given Circumstances

• Check through the text and make a note of all the
  Given Circumstances for the settings of the play
  time, place, social relations, customs, physical
  conditions, etc.

6
Given Circumstances

• Check through the text and make a note of all the
  facts you can find out which are unique to your
  character age, sex, family and social
  background, status in society, health, etc.

7
Given Circumstances

• Congratulations! You have now completed your
  notes on Given Circumstances!

8
Objectives

• Every character has objectives
• These are what they want out of a given scene
• Sometimes a character will have more than one
  objective in a scene.

9
Objectives

• A character with no objectives is unable to act.
• No playwright would waste time creating such a
  thing.
• No audience would pay to watch it.

10
Objectives

• Be aware that in Realistic Drama characters
  seldom actually tell you what their objectives
  are.
• It is an actors job to show us what they are
  through their actions.

11
Objectives

• As you read through each scene ask yourself what
  is it exactly that my character wants to achieve
  in this scene. It may be something very obvious
  and simple. It may be deep and complex.

12
Objectives

• Sometimes you will need to try out several
  different objectives in rehearsal to find the one
  that feels right. Keep a note of what works and
  how you recognise it.

13
Objectives

• Whenever your character has achieved an objective
  you will find that they start another one.
• Make a list of all your characters objectives
  throughout the play.
• Is there a pattern?
• Do they all point in the same direction?

14
Objectives

• If your characters objectives all point in the
  same direction Congratulations!-You have just
  found what we call your characters
  Super-Objective.

15
Means

• The ways a character sets out to achieve an
  objective are called means.
• If a character is blocked from achieving this
  objective by one means she/he will try another.
• We recognise someones character by the means
  they often use.

16
Means

• Think of a friend.
• Imagine that they are going to ask a big favour
  of you.
• How do you recognise what they are going to do
  before they ask you?
• Do they compliment you?
• Do they remind you of a favour you owe them?
• Do they act embarrassed?

17
Means

• What you have just thought about are the means
  your friend uses to gain that particular
  objective.
• What would happen if you were to say No to your
  friend?
• What would they do to persuade you?
• Would they change tack?
• Try harder?
• Lose their temper?

18
Means

• These are examples of how people change their
  means whenever one particular path to an
  objective is blocked.
• And how about you?
• How would you change the ways you try to say no?

19
Means

• Would you start off apologetic?
• Then become more factual and prove to them just
  why you cant help them?
• Would you end up just telling them to back off?
• What would all this say about the relationship
  between you?

20
Means

• This is why means are important.
• They can show us how characters change over time
  and with different people.
• They can help us focus on the qualities of
  different relationships.
• Monologues are short, longer plays have to focus
  on relationships between characters.

21
Means

• Recognising when, how and why a character changes
  means is a great help to you as an actor.
• When a character changes means he or she will
  usually show this through a change in physical
  action.

22
Physical Actions

• Remember, an audience cannot see what you think.
• Once you have found out all about your
  characters Given Circumstances, Objectives and
  Means you must find a way of showing them to an
  audience.
• You do this through physical action.

23
Physical Actions

• Physical actions come in two main categories.
• Kinesic and
• Proxemic.

24
Physical Actions

• Kinesics refers to the way you as an actor use
  your body and voice to demonstrate your
  characters Given Circumstances and means.
• Voice? Yes, because on stage speech is an action.

25
Physical Actions

• The four main areas of control you need, as an
  actor, to develop are
• Posture,
• Gesture,
• Facial expression and
• Tone of voice.

26
Physical Actions

• The controls you develop in each of these areas
  are
• Weight (heavy or light)
• Space (direct or indirect) and
• Time (sudden or sustained).

27
Physical Actions

• Each control will create different tensions in
  your body,
• Different energies and
• Different rhythms.
• Try a range and choose the ones which seem to you
  reveal the most about your character in the
  chosen situation.

28
Physical Actions

• Once you have sorted out your kinesics you will
  need to show how they either blend or contrast
  with those of the other characters in the scene
  to show her/his relationships clearly to an
  audience.
• This is what we mean by Proxemics.

29
Physical Actions

• Proxemics refers to the physical relationships
  between actors in role on stage.
• How are they grouped?
• How close are they?
• Who is closer to whom?
• Who backs off?
• Who approaches?
• When, how and why do these groupings change?

30
Physical Actions

• Who else can see what is happening?
• Who cannot see?
• How do they move in response to what else is
  happening?
• Do they act as individuals or a mob?

31
Physical Actions

• Remember that Physical Actions (and speech is a
  physical act) are all that an audience have to go
  on to understand your character and his or her
  role in the action of the play.
• Telepathy just doesnt work in the Theatre!

32
Character Work

• You have just been given an introduction to the
  ideas of the great Russian Theatre Practitioner,
  Constantin Stanislavski.
• He had a great deal more to say, and more advice
  to help actors create believable roles on stage.

33
Character Work

• Some other techniques you might like to check out
  and use are
• The Magic If,
• Sense Memory and
• Emotion Memory.
• Thank you and good luck with your role.