Character+Work+-+Deepening+our+Understanding


 * __Developing the Character Lesson__**

Motivation and Conflict: In real life people often do and say things for no apparent reason. A character in a play, however, needs a specific reason, or **motivation,** for doing or saying anything. Motivation determines your character’s __objectives__. Whatever is standing in the way of your character’s objectives is an **obstacle**. This is the essence of **conflict,** which in turn is the basis of drama. The outcome of a conflict is the result of the steps the character takes to overcome their obstacles. What the character may gain or lose as a result of the outcome are the **stakes**. The higher the stakes are in the play, the greater the character’s motivation; the more powerful the conflict, the more important the outcome.

__The Character Inside and Out__

To find your way into the mind and body of the character, you must know the role inside and out. That means you must understand both the character’s internal and external traits. To determine a character’s **internal traits**, challenge yourself to discover what he or she is like inside. Find out the character’s background – that is his or her family circumstances, environment, occupation, level of education, hobbies, and so on – and his or her emotional reactions to all of these circumstances. You can break internal traits into three basic categories: 1. **Mental Characteristics:** Is the character intelligent, clever, dull, slow, or average? 2. **Spiritual Qualities:** What are the character’s ideals, ethical code, and beliefs? What is his of her attitude towards other people and towards life in general? 3. **Emotional Characteristics:** Is the character confident, outgoing, and happy or sullen, confused, nervous, cynical and timid? What are his of her likes and dislikes? How does he or she respond to others? (One good technique when analyzing emotional characteristics is to ask yourself how a character’s temperament is similar to and different from your own.)

Answering all these questions should give you a good idea of your character’s personality. Now it’s time to get even more specific. You will have to determine your character’s motivating desires withint the play or scene. In other words, what does your character //want//? You may have to do the additional work of imagining the circumstances that led to the events of the play or scene. A character’s **external traits** have to do with outward appearance and what that appearance says about him or her. Here are from external traits to think about:
 * 1) **Posture**: Does the way the character sits and stands suggest confidence, timidity, awkwardness, or grace?
 * 2) **Movement and Gestures:** Does the character’s movement and gait reveal poise, nervousness, weakness, or strength? What does the character’s movement reveal about his or her age, health or general attitude?
 * 3) **Mannerism:** Does the character have any tics or little habits that provide keys to his or her personality? Examples might be nail biting, gum chewing, head scratching, or table tapping.
 * 4) **Voice:** Does the character have a specific regional dialect or any vocal mannerisms?
 * 5) **Mode of dress:** Is the character’s appearance neat, casual, prim, or sloppy? Are the clothes clean or dirty? Are the in good taste?

__Here is a list of other activities the students can use to deepen the understanding of their characters__:


 * Creating the basic info: name, age, gender, birthday, location, parents, favourites, dislikes etc
 * I am from…
 * Walking (practices different styles of holding your body and walking. What kinds of things affect the way you walk? i.e age, emotional state, physical shape)
 * Creating (in your mind) your character’s “Safe space” what does it look like, how does it make you feel? (this could be important for grounding yourself later)
 * Improv work between characters. The created characters will be thrown into situations and expected to react off one another, allowing the students to come up with new sides of their character they might not have previously considered.
 * Conflict: what does your character want and what is getting in their way?
 * Relationships: who is your characters favourite/least favourite person? Who do they need in their daily lives and who do they avoid?
 * Using Michael Shurtleff’s guideposts answer questions about your character, speaking as your character.