Character Development & Analysis

Please read the script a minimum of three times with three different intentions; first
enjoyment and over all understanding, second for specific factual information; third for
understanding of your character and his/her relationships.

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES
1. What do I say about myself? Gather all of the quotes in which you talk about
yourself. Statements about appearance, behavior, past events, opinions, thought
processes, etc. are all significant. Don't concern yourself, at this point, with figuring
out what each quote means, or even if they are true or false. Just gather quotes.

2. What do other characters say about me? Again, just gather the quotes. Find
everything which other characters say about your behavior, history, mental state,
appearance, etc.

3. What does the playwright/author say about me? Examine character descriptions and
stage directions (if there is any) to discover the additional information which the
playwright gives. Information may be there which doesn't seem relevant at first
glance, but look deeply. If, for example, the scene takes place in your apartment,
which is described as "filthy and disorganized," that is information about you from the
playwright

CONTEXT
4. What is the previous action? A) Before the play? B) In the time span of the play, but
before your scenes. Look deeply; there is almost always a lot of information about
the past in casual statements. For example, if your character says she is an orphan,
then her parents' deaths are part of the previous action.

5. What is the geographical Location? Find everything that the script tells you about the
location. Include any descriptions of the location of the musical (in stage directions or
dialogue). Pay special attention to your scenes. Does the musical specify which city,
or suggest what kind of city, in which it takes place? Does it describe the room or
park in any detail? Is the climate referred to? Etc.

6. When does the play take place? Find all references in stage directions and dialogue
about when the play takes place. Day of the week, date, weather, season, and time
of day are all important. If there is a range of times for different scenes in the
musical, note that range, but focus on your scenes in great detail. Often there will be
little clarity on date, but sometimes hints are in the dialogue. Occasionally, there is
no information except how much time passes between scenes. If the musical says
that it takes place, "Now," or "In the present," etc. find the copyright date or the date
of the first production.

7. Think about changing your physicality three fold. First, how does your character walk (tempo,
what body part leads, etc) second how does your character generally hold themselves (proudly,
slouched, etc), third, how does your character gesture or do they at all (find pattern that you can
repeat to signify your character).
8. Think about changing your vocal quality three fold. First how loud does your character talk,
second, how fast or slow does your character talk, is there a lot of vocal variety and pitches or is
it all high pitched or all low pitched.

9. Theres a theory that says there are at least 100 different ways to say each of your lines.
Sometimes just saying them different ways, with different emotions behind them or different
inflections help you figure out the meaning of the lines and your character better. And sometimes
the 54th time you said it is the best way to say it. If this helps you, do it!

PLAYING ACTIONS
10. ACTION VERBS! Action verbs are the best help for saying lines. For each one of your lines
there needs to be intention and motivation behind what you are saying. In this line Im convincing.
In this line Im manipulating. In this line Im protecting. In this line Im encouraging, etc. Think about
giving each line a feeling behind it and it will become more successful, believable, and interesting.

LABAN MOVEMENT EFFORTS

11. Figuring out a general effort of movement for your character will be beneficial to your
character development. Answer these three:
Does your character move through space directly (with purpose) or indirectly?
Is your character strong (heavy quality) or light?
Does your character move with sudden movements or sustained movements?
Float (I, L, Sus), Punch (D, S, Sud), Glide (D, L, Sus), Slash (I, S, Sud),
Dab (D, L, Sud), Wring (I, S, Sus), Flick (I, L, Sud), Press (D, S, Sus)

12. Finally you should absolutely research and come up with backstory even if we never see it or
hear it. It makes you a stronger actor and absolutely comes through on stage. Also, remember
that when you play a character on stage, at the end of the day you are still you on stage. Acting
is all about finding that other character within you and using what you have to bring out that
characters features and persona. It is a lengthy process and it should take all 10 weeks to fully
get there!

In addition to these steps, you should start to dive into a day in the life of you as your
character. Start keeping a character journal, as you are learning your role(s). Journal
about what you do on a daily basis. Have fun with this. Don't think about this as an assignment,
think of it as a way to use your imagination to get into your character.
Typing the first half (Steps above) is ideal and as for the journaling, you may want to free hand it
like you are actually journaling.

If you have questions or want to talk about any of this you can absolutely feel free to talk to us
about anything! I would love to hear your confusions, struggles, feelings, lightbulb going off
moments, what you are discovering/playing with for your characters!