Characters

Sometimes you need a prompt that’s a bit more than just a word or two. “Oddly specific” prompts are great for improv, devising, and playwriting because they instantly spark students’ imaginations and lower performance pressure. For example, if you tell a student “you’re a pirate,” they have to invent everything from scratch. But if you tell them “you’re a pirate who’s allergic to treasure,” the idea is already partially formed. It’s a clear starting point that helps students jump into character without overthinking. Here are 50 gender-neutral, oddly specific character prompts for your students to explore, with 50 more in the giveaway below. 1. A hairstylist with an injured left shoulder. 2. A drama teacher with stage fright. 3. A professional golfer with an extremely bad temper. 4. A sad clown, but they just got a donut from their friend. 5. A math teacher who just dropped their coffee down their front. 6. A computer technician who wishes they were at home with their pet. 7. An executive trying to come up with the newest, coolest trendy toy for children. 8. The person who names different shades of nail polish. 9. A toddler who ate one too many pieces of birthday cake. 10. Your grandparent who thinks they know best (but do they?). 11. The person who has a crush on you... but they just got an upset stomach. 12. The newly appointed royal taste tester… but they just got an upset stomach. 13. A yoga instructor midway through their class… but they just got an upset stomach. 14. A dog-walker who overbooked themselves, again. 15. A TikTok influencer who can't stop advertising things, even offline. 16. A younger sibling on their way to annoy their older sibling. 17. An older sibling whose younger sibling is literally stuck to their leg. 18. A massage therapist who is secretly a germaphobe. 19. A writer with an URGENT deadline. 20. A personal trainer who chose the wrong shorts to wear to the gym today. 21. A student who is trying very hard to learn a new instrument. It's not going well. 22. A young child who is trying very hard to be patient while waiting to open their birthday presents. 23. A dog that is trying very hard to be patient while waiting to be taken for a walk. 24. A parent who is trying very hard to listen to their child who is going on and on about their current obsession. 25. A preschool teacher with a very bad headache. 26. A tiny mouse with a tiny, delicious bowl of soup. 27. A video game hero who wants to try being the bad guy for a while. 28. A vampire who faints when they see blood. 29. A children’s book author who is looking to branch into different genres. 30. A playwright whose characters keep coming to life and commenting on the playwright’s choices. 31. A baker or chef who mistakes random items (books, pencils, backpacks, etc.) for ingredients. 32. A store manager who is unwilling to bend the return policy, no matter what. 33. A garden gnome with aspirations of being a gardener. 34. A child’s stuffed animal that is feeling “hugged out.” 35. A therapist for horror movie villains. 36. A horror movie villain who feels misunderstood. 37. A parent who’s gotten caught red-handed eating their child’s Halloween candy. 38. A person who’s pretending to be a pair of twins. 39. A talk show host who is trying to hide the fact that they know nothing about their special guest. 40. An ASMRtist who can’t stop tapping on things, even when they aren’t filming a video. 41. An office worker who keeps sneakily stealing office supplies. 42. An office manager who can’t figure out why the office supplies keep disappearing. 43. A professional ear cleaner who is ready to help everyone. 44. A bird that has just discovered that running into a window hurts, a lot. 45. A sea creature that has just discovered “human stuff.” 46. A professional mover who has gotten stuck behind a large piece of furniture. 47. A scientist who has accidentally rendered themself invisible. 48. A student wizard whose wand turns everything into glitter. 49. A professional pillow tester who is really good at their job. 50. A student named Kristin, but everyone keeps calling them Kristina.

It’s fascinating how many people can observe the same moment and have wildly different experiences, thoughts, opinions, and memories about what happened. In this exercise, students will write four different monologues featuring four different characters all talking about the same moment, but from their unique perspectives. Students will create a brief scenario featuring two characters getting into a short disagreement. Start by describing the scenario as simply as possible, boiling it down to the main points. For example: “Sundeep had an ice cream cone. Mary took Sundeep’s ice cream and dropped it on the ground. Sundeep cried. Mary ran away.” Select four different characters to write monologues for. Take a piece of paper and fold it into quarters. Open the paper and write each character’s name and relationship to the people involved in the disagreement in one of the quarters. Here are some ideas for characters who might be involved: • First character • Second character • First character’s friend • Second character’s friend • A character’s significant other (or ex) • Bystander • School gossip • Secondhand news from an authority figure (principal, parent, boss, etc.) • A newspaper or social media story Using the example above, one student may choose to write from the perspectives of Sundeep, Mary, Mary’s best friend Tate, and their classmate Jacqueline, who watched the event happen. Another student might choose to write from the perspectives of Sundeep and Mary’s teacher Ms. Dieter, a student named Chris who happened to be walking nearby, Sundeep’s baseball teammate Michael, and Sundeep’s sister Priya. On each quarter of the paper under the character’s name, write down some notes about the person and their thoughts and reactions to the incident, as well as any relevant details. Some things students should consider when they’re writing include: • Did the character experience the scenario firsthand, observe it, or hear about it from someone else? How much information do they know? • How does the character feel about the incident? How do they feel about the people involved? • What was the character doing during the incident? What are they doing as they speak their monologue? • Who is the character talking to? Are they talking to someone else, or are they expressing their thoughts to themselves? Or, is the monologue being presented through the lens of writing or social media (a letter, blog post, video blog, social media post)? • When does the monologue take place in relation to the incident? Is it in the moment, after the fact? How much later — the same day, weeks later, years later? • What are the character’s biases or alliances? A character’s best friend, significant other, or parent would likely be more invested in the situation than a random bystander or someone reading a news article aloud. • Each character should have a unique voice; it shouldn’t sound like the same person is speaking in each monologue. Consider things like tone, word choice, use of contractions/slang, and emotional arc. Once students have mapped out their plans and details, they can write their monologues. Each monologue should be approximately half a page at minimum. Allow time for students to exchange monologues with a partner and read them aloud, then make revisions as necessary. Hearing a monologue spoken aloud can help students to hear if it flows well, if something is missing, or if something sounds weird, unnatural, or out of character. Once students have completed their writing, they will submit all four monologues, plus their planning work, for evaluation.

As March takes centre stage, we're stepping into a world full of iconic characters from well-known stories. Each play in this month's lineup includes beloved characters, ready to leap off the page and onto your stage or classroom. So, grab your popcorn, settle in, and immerse yourself in our March Reading List. These plays promise to take you on unforgettable adventures alongside some of literature's most memorable characters. It's time for an adventure like no other!

The following exercise challenges students to explore character movement by focusing on the speed of movements. This exercise is mental and physical — students will brainstorm a list of characters that move fast and a list of characters that move slow. Then, students will get up as a group and act out the different characters. 1. In small groups, students will write out a list of characters that move slowly, for example, an elderly person, a baby who is just learning to walk, a person with a foot or leg injury, a snail, or tortoise. Each group must come up with at least 10 ideas. 2. Next, students will brainstorm a list of characters that move quickly, for example, an Olympic sprinter, a horror movie victim being chased by a villain, a cheetah, a busy personal assistant, or a superhero with super speed. Again, come up with at least 10 ideas per group. 3. Collect all the idea lists. 4. Have students stand up in the middle of the playing space. Using the brainstormed character lists, the teacher will call out one of the fast or slow characters. Students will move around the room like that character, using different postures, gestures, and facial expressions to enhance their characters. Encourage students to really work with varying speeds — make slow characters very slow and fast characters very fast. With fast characters, students need to ensure they are aware of their surroundings (not bumping into each other) and that their movements are clear enough that an audience member would understand what they’re doing. 5. Repeat with at least three fast characters and three slow characters. 6. Now we do some switching up. This requires some quick thinking on the part of the teacher. Call out a fast or slow character, and at some point while the students are moving around the room as the character, add a prompt that causes a fast character to move slowly or a slow character to move quickly. For example, an elderly person trying to catch a bus, a sprinter with an ankle injury, a cheetah stalking a newly discovered prey, or a snail on a skateboard. How does this affect how the students portray the character? 7. For an additional challenge, have students try entering and exiting the playing space in character, or doing a mini scene change by moving an item such as a rehearsal box, chair, or bench while in character. 8. At the end of the class, have students respond to the exit slip question (found below in the giveaway). Related Articles: • Thinking of Your Character as an Animal • 3 Fun, Physical Warm-Ups to Get Your Students Moving • Elephant Walk

In this article, we’re focusing on responsible decision making, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article for a basic overview: Social and Emotional Learning in the Drama Classroom: What Is It?. Decisions are often what drive the action in plays. Alice decides to follow the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. Romeo decides to gatecrash the Capulets’ feast with Benvolio and Mercutio. Wednesday Addams decides to invite her new (and normal!) boyfriend and his parents to meet her creepy, kooky family. One major decision may affect a number of characters and situations within the play, and a really intriguing decision will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, waiting to know what the fallout will be. But what if the character makes a different choice than what happens within the text? The following exercise challenges students to first identify and analyze a big decision made within the text by a character, and then to think creatively about what the characters might have done differently. Have students respond to the following questions, either in class as a discussion, or as a written assignment. Students may work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You may assign a particular scene or moment for students to analyze, or have students select their own play and choose the moment they are going to analyze. 1. What was the incident that occurred in the script that caused the decision? When did the incident occur? What characters were involved? 2. What were the options that the character had to consider? How many options were there? Use specific quotes from the text. 3. What were the known pros and cons of this choice, if any? 4. What did the character ultimately choose to do? Write down the choice as it appears in the text, or your best approximation. 5. Was it their choice to make? Did another character or situation influence their choice? Was the character forced into the choice, or did they make it on their own? 6. Was the choice the character made an ethical one? Why or why not? 7. What were some options that weren’t in the text that they could have considered instead? 8. What would have happened had the character made a different choice? Would the show have been the same, or would it have ended differently? You can even go further with this exercise and have students create and perform their own scenes in which the characters make a different choice than what appears in the text. It’s fascinating to see where your students’ imaginations take them!

An assumption is when someone accepts something as true about a person, place, thing, or idea without proof. People do this all the time, often without thinking. We assume all sorts of things about others: That student has a designer bag, so they must be rich and snobby. That student answered that easy question wrong, so they must be pretty stupid. The teacher gave me a bad grade on my project, so they must hate me. By making assumptions, we open ourselves up to all sorts of negativity: feelings of jealousy, resentment, frustration, self-pity. We also risk causing conflict, particularly if the person we make assumptions about finds out and disagrees with our assumption. In plays and musicals, assumptions frequently create conflict and drive the plot of the story. In Shrek: The Musical, Shrek overhears a conversation and assumes that Princess Fiona thinks he is an “ugly beast” (she is actually describing her feelings about herself, being cursed to turn into an ogre at night), which causes him to storm off in anger and treat Fiona badly the next day. In Legally Blonde, Warner breaks up with Elle, assuming she is just a silly sorority girl who isn’t serious about anything, until she proves him wrong by getting into Harvard Law School. In The Lion King, Simba runs away after his father Mufasa is killed, as he assumes he will be blamed for Mufasa’s death. This is further complicated when Scar tells the rest of the pride that Simba was also killed and the other lions believe him. In all three situations, the characters believed that what they were experiencing was true, without looking for proof otherwise. This creates conflict, which makes for an interesting story, as the audience waits to see if and how the conflict will be solved. Assumptions, in this case, can be a useful tool when creating a new theatrical piece. If your students are feeling stuck when working on a playwriting assignment or when attempting to devise a scene, have them try this assumption exercise to get their ideas flowing. Start by having students consider the following: • Think about a time when someone made an assumption about you, OR Think about a time when you made an assumption about someone else. • Did the assumption turn out to be correct or incorrect? • How did it make you feel? • How did it make the other person feel? • Did the assumption lead to conflict? • Were there any consequences or fallout from the result of the assumption? From there, divide the class into groups of three. Using the ideas they brainstormed, groups will select one idea to use in creating a brief, one-minute scene where one student plays a character that makes an assumption about another character, played by the second student. This assumption creates a conflict of some sort. The third student can be used in any way that helps the scene progress. Perhaps they are a character who tells the second character that the assumption was made, perhaps they are a mediator who helps solve the conflict, or perhaps they are a friend to the first character who makes the conflict even worse by adding another assumption to the mix. Give students about ten minutes to plan their scene, and then have them present to the rest of the class. After each group presents, have the rest of the class discuss the following questions: • What was the assumption that was presented in the scene? • How did it create conflict between the characters? • How did it make the first and second characters feel? • How was the third character used? • Did the third character improve the situation or make it worse? • How could the presented scene possibly be developed further into a new or larger piece? What could it be used for?

Sometimes we get caught up in all the bells and whistles of a theatrical production. Sumptuous sets, elaborate costumes, piles of props, mountains of furniture – they’re all wonderful, but shows can be equally great without them. Many shows achieve success with the actors only using one significant costume, prop item, or signature piece of furniture each, to show their character. The decision to put on a stripped-down production may be because of a tight budget or it may be a stylistic choice, but students and teachers shouldn’t feel limited – selecting the perfect item for your character can open up a world of possibilities for the actor and the show itself. Here’s an exercise you can do with your class – or cast and crew of your show – to explore the challenges and possibilities of using only one item specifically chosen for each character. This can be a theoretical exercise or a practical exercise – instructions are included here for both options. Theoretical1. Each student will select a theatrical piece that they would like to work on; the piece must have at least 10 characters. 2. Read the script and copy out the dramatis personae (list of characters). 3. Assume that all the actors will be dressed the same: black pants, black shoes, and black shirt. For each character, select one costume item, prop, or piece of furniture that best complements that character. 4. For each item: • Describe the item. • Include a sketch/clipping or swatch/photograph/image of the item. • List two-three points per character that explain WHY you chose this item and how the character would use the item. Practical1. Students sort themselves into groups of three to four. Each group will select a theatrical piece they would like to work on, read the script, and select a scene from the play that they would like to present. Make sure that there are the same number of students in the group as characters in the scene. 2. Students will cast the scene amongst themselves, block the scene, and memorize their lines to present to the class. 3. Each student will each select and acquire/make one costume item, prop, or piece of furniture to use in the scene that best complements their character. 4. Each group will present their scene to the rest of the class. For the presentation, students will wear black pants, black shoes, and a black shirt. They will each use the costume, prop, or furniture piece they selected for their character and no other item of props, costumes, or furniture. 5. Upon completing the presentation, students will each submit an individual Reflection.

One thing that often comes up in student writing is that characters only seem to exist from the first page to the last page. Students don’t think of their characters as having lives outside the world of the play, or before/after the action of the play. This can result in flat, surfacey characters who only act to move the story forward, rather than being dropped into a situation and reacting as a human being. If we want students to write three-dimensional characters, then they have to do some character development work that might not make it into the actual play. The more they know about a character, the more they can determine how that character is going to react in a situation. Read this quote to students and discuss its meaning. “A character is never a whole person, but just those parts of him that fit the story or the piece of writing. So, the act of selection is the writer’s first step in delineating character. From what does he select? From a whole mass of what Bernard DeVoto used to call, somewhat clinically, “placental material.” He must know an enormous amount more about each of his characters than he will ever use directly—childhood, family background, religion, schooling, health, wealth, sexuality, reading, tastes, hobbies—an endless questionnaire for the writer to fill out. For example, the writer knows that people speak, and therefore his characters will describe themselves indirectly when they talk. Clothing is a means of characterization. In short, each character has a style of his own in everything he does. These need not all be listed, but the writer should have a sure grasp of them. If he has, his characters will, within the book, read like people.” WILLIAM SLOANE Discussion Questions1. What does the phrase “A Character Is Not a Whole Person” mean? 2. Do you keep parts of yourself separate? Is there a way you act at school that you don’t act at home? 3. How is it useful to create details that don’t occur in the play? 4. How can learning about the whole person help you as a playwright? Exercise1. Character Unknowns: • Choose a character in a play that you have studied or are familiar with. • Give that character a character detail that doesn’t currently exist in the play. (Eg: In Hamlet, write down Hamlet’s favourite band, his favourite food, a food that he hates but his mom used to make him eat, his biggest pet peeve, the fact that he’s afraid of snakes, etc.) • Write a monologue for this character that identifies this unknown character detail. You still have to keep the character in the world of the play (Hamlet hates his stepdad, is friends with Horatio, etc.) but ask what can you learn about the character by writing about these new details. • Read the monologues out in small groups. What details did other students come up with? 2. Complete the same exercise with the play you’re writing. Create a character detail that is currently unknown in the world of the play. Write a monologue for your character that focuses on that detail.

Are your students feeling stuck or frustrated with their playwriting assignments? This exercise will help get them unstuck by challenging them to explore alternative situations for their scenes and characters. You can do this exercise in three different ways: • Students changing a scene written by themselves, OR • Students pairing up, trading scenes, and changing a scene written by their partner, OR • By adapting a scene from an existing script. First, students will take their scene (either previously self-written, written by a partner, or a scene from an existing play) and read it through carefully. Then, they will answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper, brainstorming 3-5 suggestions for each question. Suggestions could be comedic, dramatic, tragic, or ridiculous – the point is for students to generate lots of ideas and alternatives. 1. What might happen if one of the characters didn’t appear in the scene, or a different character appeared instead? (For example, in Hamlet, what if Ophelia or Rosencrantz was hidden behind the tapestry instead of Polonius?) 2. What might happen if one of the characters reacted in a completely different way than they did in the scene before? (For example, in Macbeth, what if Macbeth and Macduff start breakdancing instead of swordfighting?) 3. What might happen if one of the characters makes a completely different decision than they did in the scene before? (For example, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, what if Oberon decides to kill Puck as a punishment when Puck places the potion on Lysander instead of Demetrius?) From this brainstorm session, have students choose one of their suggestions and use it to rewrite their existing scene into something new. The only rule is that the scene cannot just cut off and end abruptly with the change (as in, “He dies. The end.”). How does the change affect the rest of the scene, the characters, and the overall story? What happens now that the change has occurred? How do the characters react to the changes? Have students explore these thoughts during their rewrite. Optional: Once the scenes are rewritten, have students do staged readings of the new material. If students are working with scenes that they have written themselves, this exercise will be especially useful as they develop their scripts. It’s so easy to get stuck with clichéd scenarios and stock characters – this exercise helps students to push their limits and realize that anything is possible in the world of playwriting!

One approach to character development is to identify the difference between what characters want and what they need. Sometimes students get the two mixed up. Which is more important? Do plays always identify both for a character? Make sure you get the downloadable PDF with the discussion questions, activity list, and exit slip. What is a need?A need is something that a person must have in order to thrive. Without it, that person will suffer either physically or mentally. Ask students: What do you need in your life to thrive? What do you need to be happy? What do you need to be physically healthy? What do you need to be mentally healthy? If any of these things were missing, what would happen to you? Some examples of needs are: Physical needs: air, water, food, warmth, rest, health Safety needs: shelter, security Self needs: confidence, independence, respect, education, control over one’s choices Relationship needs: friends, family, love, community Purpose needs: personal growth, mental growth, spiritual growth, place in the world What is a want?A want is a choice. A desire which a person may or may not be able to get. Life will continue if a person doesn’t get what they want. Wants are also individual. Every human being may have some of the same needs, but every human being will not have the same wants. Wants depend on a person’s environment, upbringing, background, and viewpoint. For example, we all need to eat. We need to eat in order to live. But the choice of what to eat leans toward want. We can want pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We can want to eat only fruits and veggies. We can want to eat caviar and expensive steak. Life will go on though, if we don’t get that. Another example would be to look at relationships. We need caring relationships in order to thrive. We may want a certain type of personality or physique in a partner. But if we don’t get the 6ft body builder, life will go on. Ask students: What is one thing you want right now? What is one thing you want this year? What will happen to you if you don’t get these things? Want vs Need in a Theatrical ContextWe almost always ask students to identify a character’s want. What does your character want? How do they strive to get what they want? What tactics do they use? Conflict is often described as the obstacle that impedes a character from getting what they want. Another way to analyze a character is to examine want vs need. Generally, a want is something that a character expresses at the beginning of a story. It’s the catalyst. They think that what they want is the only goal. In fact, it’s when the character understands their need that they realize what will bring health, happiness, or well being. At the beginning of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wants out of Kansas. She wants to be in a more exciting place. By the end, she realizes that she needs to be surrounded by her family and friends. At the beginning of Star Wars Episode IV, Luke wants adventure and something external. By the end, he realizes that what he needs is trust (in himself, others, and the force), which is something internal. This change between want and need gives characters their journey. There is a difference between where they start and where they end. This change also gives an actor a rich palate to play with in terms of character development. Activities • Take a fairy tale and identify the main character’s want and need. • Look at the first and last appearances of a main character in a play. • What are they doing in the first scene? Can you determine the character’s want? • What are they doing in the last scene? Has the character changed? Have they identified their need? If so, what do they need? If not, why not? • Have students write their own scenes that explore want vs need. This will help them solidify the difference between the two. One suggestion is to explore relationships as that’s a good place to start. For example: • A teen wants the approval of her mother. She needs to realize that mom is selfish and doesn’t have her daughter’s best interest at heart. • A teen wants the approval of a group. She needs to find self-confidence. • A girl wants a boy to like her. She needs to realize that the boy is using her because she has a car and he doesn’t. • A boy wants on the basketball team because his brother was on the basketball team. He needs to find his own path and not follow in his brother’s footsteps. • Divide students into groups and have each group brainstorm character wants/needs from a variety of source material. Look at movies they’ve seen, stories, plays they are studying in class, etc. • Take a character with a defined want at the beginning of a story and a defined need at the end. Have students tableaux the want and the need. How do these two elements look visually? What changes? • Can you identify a character who misuses the word need? Is there a character who is in denial about what they need? Think of a story in which a character is unable to recognize what they need, and thus, the story ends tragically.

Characters come to life in the small details, the little things like personal preference, food, or music choices. These two exercises can help student actors discover those details and really get to know their characters. You can download a PDF of both exercises at the end of this post! Day In The LifeThere is no better way to identify the small details for a character than to portray a day in their life. Use this exercise during rehearsal, or if you have students working on a scenes in class, use it as a warm up exercise. Run through this exercise first by having students think about their own day. Start students lying on the floor and ask them to visualize “a day in their life.” What do they do first thing in the morning? How do they interact with their family? Once you verbally walk through the exercise, tell students “go!” and have them physicalize a day in their lives: When I say “go” you’re going to start this exercise. On your own time and in your own space, go through a day in your life. You’re going to mime each individual step. Don’t look at other people or watch what others are doing. Just focus on your “day in the life.” Note – the PDF includes a sample script for this exercise. During the exercise, side coach students to take each individual step slowly, especially if they seem to be jumping ahead (i.e. miming breakfast and then skipping to right to after school). Encourage them to be specific with their actions. Remind them not to watch other people but to be in their own space and do their own actions. At the end of their “day,” have students lie back down and close their eyes to signal that the day has ended. After everyone has completed the exercise, discuss the experience. What was it like to think about their daily lives in detail instead of just living it? Did they like how they spent a typical day? Were they surprised by anything? What did they learn about themselves? Did they do anything unique that no one else did? Character Day In The LifeJust as we come to life in the small details, so do our characters. Have students do the same exercise, but instead of thinking about themselves they are going to become their character. How would their character wake up in the morning? What is their first action? Do they have a family to interact with? Do they skip breakfast? Do they listen to music when they go somewhere? Are they introverted or extroverted? Does a time period or historical era affect their actions? What would happen in their typical day? Remind students that a typical day for their character probably won’t be one that happens in the play. Plays explore extraordinary days and events. Tell students to focus on a typical day for their character and to make choices which reflect that type of day. Start the exercise the exact same way, with students lying on the floor. Spend a minute asking students to visual their character, to think about what they look like, how they sound, perhaps ask them their first line in the play. This will help ground students in their character before the exercise begins. As they go through the exercise, side coach students to take their time instead of jumping ahead. You also want to make sure students think about their character physically. Encourage students to move and mime their actions as their character would. After everyone has completed this exercise, discuss the experience. What was it like to do the exercise as someone else? What did their character do differently? Were they able to distinguish between their own day in the life and their character’s day in the life? Did they like how their character spent a typical day? Were they surprised by anything? What did they learn about their character? How was it to take on ordinary activities while physicalizing their character? How do I use this exercise? This exercise gives you a practical application of a character profile. The character profile exercise challenges students to come up with details for their character like favourite foods, pet peeves, and family descriptions. In this exercise, they have to apply many details of the character profile because a day in the life involves those elements: interacting with the family, deciding on breakfast, etc. The exercise also gives students the opportunity to physicalize their character without having to think about their lines. The BedroomStart the exercise with a discussion about bedrooms. How do you keep your bedroom? Is it a specific colour? Is it a little messy or does it look like a tornado went through it? Is it a hideaway or an oasis? Is there something hidden in the closet? Under the bed? You can tell a lot about a person about how they live – how they keep their room or their things. Everyone has a public and a private persona; the bedroom is often the visualization of our private persona. Describe your character’s bedroom. How would your character keep this most private space? How is it a visual representation of your character? To make the exercise even more specific, use the five senses. What does this space smell like? Perfume or gym clothes? What does this place sound like? Can you hear the city just outside the window or an air conditioner that is always running? Does loud music play to drown out the fighting on the other side of the wall, or does soft calming music play to create an atmosphere? And when you get to taste, think outside the box. Dust has a taste. Perfume has a taste. Candy on the bedside table. Hidden pizza under the bed. There’s always something to include for taste. How do I use this exercise? If your students know their characters, they will be able to see them outside the world of the play. It will help students to see their character as three-dimensional and human. Ask students what personality traits come to light by the way they’ve described the bedroom. Do they come across as protective? As a show off? Are there any hidden talents? Any secrets? Then ask when and where they can portray these traits in the play.

Student actors tend to keep their limbs close to the body. When we think about creating physical pictures on stage, one of the easiest ways to present depth is through extension. How can we encourage students to extend away from the body? Here is a physical extension exercise that explores the three states of being bound, of punching out, and of floating up.Start out with your favourite physical warm up to get students up and moving. After the warm up, instruct students to begin walking around the room in neutral when you say so. Neutral means they walk as a steady pace (no shuffling) with their arms at their sides (not in their pockets). They must keep quiet and keep their heads up. They are to focus on moving around the room and filling up any empty space they see. They can’t walk with friends or follow anyone, but must focus only on their movement. This should keep students from banging into one another. Also establish that they will be given instructions as they walk. They should just focus on their movement and listen to the instructions as they keep moving. Once you have established neutral movement, instruct students to move as if their arms and legs are sewn to the body. Imagine that your arms and legs are bound to your body. What is it like to move this way? How does that affect movement? What do you have to do to get around the room? Ask students to think about what kind of character would walk like this? Give a name to this character. Think of a voice for this character. Introduce yourself to someone as you walk around the room. Instruct students: If I tap you on the shoulder, that cuts the ties that keep your limbs close to the body. Your arms are floating away from your body. Your legs are light and they glide away from your body. Keep that image of floating at the forefront of your mind. Keep your arms floating away from your body. Think like a dancer. Legs gliding as you walk, with arms floating and everything away from the body. Think about what kind of character moves like this. Give a name to this character. Think of a voice for this character. Introduce yourself to someone as you walk around the room. At this point, some students will be floating and other students will be bound. Instruct students: If I tap you on the shoulder, that cuts the ties that keep your limbs close to your body. You are going to sharply punch out with your limbs, like a hero or a military man. Elbows out, hands on hips, straight legs wide whenever you stand. Think like moving with a punch. Punch out as you move with your limbs, keep them away from your torso. Think of the type of character who would move this way. Give them a name and a voice. Introduce yourself to someone as you walk around the room. Have students switch their physicality. If you are bound and tightly confined to your body, either float or punch your limbs away and take on this character. If you are a character who punches, now either float or become bound. If you are a character who floats, become bound or punch out. How does your character’s personality change when you take on this physicality? Discuss the three physicalities afterward (bound, punch, float). What was it like to force yourself to move your limbs away from the body? What is the difference between floating with the body and punching with the body? Why might it be important to give a character an extended physical body? How can you use this exercise in your future work?

“Body language accounts for 60% of our understanding of emotions, our reception of subliminal messages and our grasp of relationships.” - Ron Cameron-Lewis, Acting Skills for Life Student actors often spend a lot of time developing the nonphysical part of a character: character profiles, reflection, analyzing the text. Sometimes the physicality piece is left until the last minute or it’s not addressed at all. The result is that the character ends up standing, moving, sitting, and gesturing exactly like the student actor. How do I encourage students to physicalize their characters?• Have the actors play the scene you’re working on without dialogue. They have to communicate their lines nonverbally. What do they do to replace what they say? Remind students to stay in character as they try to communicate. Is this character patient or impatient as they physicalize their lines? Do they make small or large gestures? • Before every blocking move, have the actor say “I am moving because I am….” They can only move if they can come up with a character-driven reason to move. This will eliminate the problem of actors who move only because a director told them to. • Do a scene with just the blocking and no dialogue. Have actors say their lines in their heads and do any blocking they’ve been given. Discuss the experience afterward. What does it feel like to focus on the movement? Did you ever feel like you were in one place for a really long time? Do you feel your blocking is character-driven? • Create a character zero for each character. Character zero is used in commedia dell’arte. It is the defining pose that a character presents every time they enter or stand still in the space. If you’re doing a realistic piece, it won’t be practical to have a character pose every time they enter a room, but it is something you can play with during rehearsal. You can also pick and choose your character zero moments. Character zero also helps your actors identify what makes their character physically distinct from them. That is what is most important. • To encourage levels in a scene, do the “sit, stand, kneel” improv game. If you have only two actors, then do “sit, stand.” If you have more, you can do “sit, stand, kneel, lie down, stand on a chair.” As actors perform the scene, have only one person be in one physical state at a time. For example, two actors can’t stand at the same time. If someone is sitting, then have everyone else be in one of the other states. Actors are allowed to stay in one state for only five seconds. • Have actors come up with an action for each line in a scene. It could be moving from sitting to standing. It could be moving a pillow from a chair to the couch, or clearing the table. The aim is to experiment with possible actions for a scene. Certainly you don’t want your actors moving constantly during a performance, but too often actors sit down and never move. They become motionless, talking heads. This exercise will help actors identify what they are doing in a scene. What if the character is trying to share a secret while cleaning a table at the same time? Or folding laundry? How does the action complement or contrast with the text? • Videotape a scene. When you watch the scene back, focus on the actor-driven movement. When do the actors shuffle from foot to foot? When do they brush their hair from their face or adjust their clothes? When do they raise a hand and plop it down on their thigh? These are all nervous gestures that actors do, not characters. It takes the audience out of the world of the play. Identify these moments and work to remove them from the action of the scene. • Have actors play the scene with a specific body lead. What if a character leads through the nose? Or through the belly? Or through the knees? How does the character change with this physicality? It might work or it might not, but it’s important to try. It’s another fun thing to play with during rehearsals. • Have actors play the scene with a specific foot plant. First do the scene with everyone walking normally: a “heel, toe” foot placement. Next, do the scene with everyone walking with a “toe, heel” foot placement. Be specific and careful, focusing on each step being “toe, heel.” The third time, do the scene with everyone walking on the inside edges of their feet. The fourth time, have everyone walk on the outside edges of their feet. All of these foot placements will change the personality as well as the physicality of the character. If actors get frustrated, tell them to let their frustration out through their characters!

This is a great classroom exercise to not only have fun with Shakespeare but to also see how well students can re-frame which ever Shakespeare play they are studying. Take a character from one genre (a Shakespearean play) and re-frame that character by way of a second genre (e.g. Science Fiction movie) through the medium of poster design. Both genres should be clear on the poster. Follow the template of the below example for your project. • Choose a Shakespearean character. (Macbeth) • Choose a Science Fiction movie. What sci-fi movie could your Shakespearean character star in? (The Terminator) • Re-frame the title of the Science Fiction movie so that it fits your character. (The Kinginator) • Create a visual that incorporates elements from both the Shakespeare character and the sci-fi movie. (The character looks like the Terminator but wears a king’s crown.) • Create a tagline for this new movie that helps describe who the Shakespearean character is and what they do in the play. (He’s going to be King. Or else.)

Commedia dell’arte is an improvised comedic theatre form that flourished in Italy in the 1500s. The exact origins of commedia are fuzzy and hard to pin down; there is not much documented previous to the 16th century. The term itself wasn’t commonly used until the 18th century. It is generally acknowledged that the form solidified in Italy in the 1550s and reached its peak in the 1650s. But despite an opaque history, the elements that define commedia are quite clear: • Improvised performances based on scenarios: Actors worked off a base outline and made up their lines. • Stock characters: The characters were always the same; only the situations changed. • Limited themes: Love, money, or food were the base of almost every scenario. • Use of mask: The mask defined the characters. • Use of lazzi: Short comedic physical bits within the story. • Use of mime, acrobatics, and music. So why should you include a commedia unit in your curriculum? It builds strong physical acting skills.Commedia dell'arte is highly physical and expressive. Because the style relies on stock characters and masks, actors must communicate emotions through posture and movement rather than facial expressions. Students learn an exaggerated style of character physicalization, clear body language, spatial awareness, and comedic timing — all great skills for a well-rounded actor. It strengthens improvisation.Commedia performances were built around loose story outlines (called scenarios), not full scripts. Commedia scenarios actually provide a pretty safe improv experience for students: Actors play characters who never change and have very set behaviours, wants, and physical movements. Students will always have a clear picture of how their character will respond in any improv moment. Commedia will give students the opportunity to practice foundational acting skills like thinking on their feet, listening, and reacting. It teaches character archetypes.Commedia characters don’t change. There’s no character arch or subtext. In every scenario or story they’re in, the characters remain the same. They have the same attitude, same look, same drive, same physical action. They never learn from their mistakes! These characters are called “stock characters,” also known as character archetypes. They are a type of character (e.g., the clever servant, the lover) rather than realistic or three-dimensional. The chance to play an archetype offers a unique experience for students as each character has a defined stance, walk, behaviour, and mask. Also, once students recognize the traits of the different characters, they’ll be able to look for these patterns in modern TV, film, and theatre. Many modern comedic characters can trace their roots back to commedia. It connects to theatre history.Commedia dell’arte began in 16th-century Italy as a response to the tight controls of the Catholic Church. It’s interesting how the characters in commedia who we would think have all the power (the Masters: Pantelone, Dottore, Capitano) are the most foolish and those who we would think to be powerless (the Servants: Arlecchino, Columbina) are the most clever. Status is a huge concept in the relationships in commedia. Learning theatre history helps students see how historical performance styles shape contemporary theatre. It’s fun and accessible!Commedia is bold, playful, and exaggerated. It’s not just an old theatre form, it's the foundation of modern performance. And you may even engage your shy students by using masks to commit fully to a character.

It happens all the time in young or beginning actors. You’re sitting in the audience and out of the corner of your eye you catch it – an actor starts to shift back and forth on their feet. Their hands drift up and down for no reason. Wanderitis. It becomes the sole focus of your attention. All you can see is the shift, shift, shift. It’s impossible to pay attention to the action on stage. Wanderitis is often an unconscious movement. Actors don’t even know they’re doing it. They think they’re doing great – they’ve learned their lines, they’re emoting, they’re acting. Creative work becomes compromised when a student has wanderitis.When an actor has wanderitis that means they’re not fully focused on their actions. They’re distracted. They haven’t thought fully about their character from head to toe. Wanderitis is rarely a character driven movement. When an actor is in character, they made choices as to how to stand, how to move, how to gesture. They can describe their character’s physical presence. They can demonstrate character without ever saying a word – it’s all in the body. Ask your students these questions to get them thinking about the physicality of their character: • What are three words that describe your character’s physicality? • Is your character heavy or light? How does this affect their stance? Their posture? • Is your character bound or loose? How does this affect their stance? The way they move? • Is your character fast or slow? How does this affect their body? The way they move? Get your students used to standing and moving in character. Make it part of any character development they do when working on a monologue or scene. Have your students create silent movement moments for their character where they have to enter, complete an action and then exit. Are the movements defined? Are the movements character driven? Is every gesture specifically chosen? Share this videowith your students on what wanderitis is, and an exercise you can do to try and stop it. You can also download and print the “ Don’t let your feet drag you down ” poster below for your classroom – including tips for curing Wanderitis.

Fear is such a wonderful motivator for characters – with both positive and negative connotations. How many of us know someone who won’t do something because of fear? Who won’t get on stage, or get on an airplane? Who won’t make life changes because they fear the outcome? And on the other side, how many of us know someone who works to counter a fear – a fear of turning out like their parents? Or a fear of becoming poor? These are the traits that make characters three-dimensional and interesting. And what about that climactic moment when a character decides to stand up and face their fear? What an exciting moment! When they stand up to their overbearing boss, or jump off the cliff, or walk out the door. The possibilities are endless. You take a fear, be it emotional or physical (e.g. failure, losing one’s looks, animals, being buried alive) _answer questions about the origin of the fear _(is this fear real or irrational?) and then start writing. What else could you use fear for in the drama classroom? Be sure to check out the Character Fear list available to download at the end of this article. Use the grid in the following exercises: Doctor, Doctor: A scene for two actors: A student picks a fear without telling anyone. Another student acts as a “doctor” and has to interview the first student about their fear. The aim of the game is for the doctor to guess the fear. First Date: A scene for three actors. Two students pick a fear. They don’t share their fear with each other, but they do with the third actor. They then improv a first date at a restaurant, with the third student playing the waiter. The goal for the couple is never to reveal their fear. The goal of the third actor is to do whatever he/she can to make it impossible for the couple not to reveal their fear. _For example, if the fear is fear of flying, the waiter would initiate a conversation about a horrible plane crash. _ Fear Club: A scene for six actors. Everyone picks a fear without revealing it. They are all at a meeting of Fear Club. For the sixth actor it’s his first meeting. His job is to guess everyone else’s fear. Everyone else must act out their fear, but they’re not allowed to directly say their fear. (For example, if someone is afraid of failure, they can’t say the words – “I’m afraid of failure.” They have to come up with lines that suggest the fear.) *This exercise is based on and shared from an original article on The How To Write Shop_. _

One of the keys to Classroom Management is getting students to work well together. Group work is tricky if students don’t know one another. Why should I share something with this guy who doesn’t say two words in class? Over the next four weeks the Saturday Exercises will act as building blocks toward a more cohesive group through activities that will help your students learn about each other. Sometimes the simplest way for a class to get to know each other starts with a name. Names are such an identifying marker. Do you like your name? Why did your parents choose it? Does it have a family/historical significance? ExerciseThis is a pairs activity. Each pair shares their names (first and middle) with each other as well as the reason the name was chosen. If a student doesn’t know the reason, they should speculate. They should also discuss what they like and/or don’t like about their names. Adding on: If your class has Internet access, each pair researches the origin and meaning of their name. Each pair presents their partner’s name to the class. What did they learn about the name in their time together? Exercise: Creating Character NamesThe same principle can be applied to creating character names. Character names should come from somewhere and mean something. • Divide students into groups. • Hand out a Creating Character Names Sheet to each group. Each sheet has descriptions of four different characters. • Each group reads the descriptions and then unanimously come up with a character name based on the description. • Give a time limit for this exercise. Encourage students to work quickly and emphasize that their decision has to be unanimous. • Have the groups contrast and compare their name choices. Which groups came up with similar names? What was the reasoning behind each group’s choices?

Birthdays are wonderful character development material because every human being has an immediate emotional reaction to their birthday. It could be that the character hates getting older or isn’t getting older fast enough. Or that the character is alone on their birthday. Or that they have the best birthday party ever but it isn’t enough. You could write on the concept of birthdays – why do we celebrate getting older? What do cake and candles have to do with birthdays anyway? What if everyone forgot my birthday. The possibilities are endless. Here are 15 birthday prompts to kickstart the writing process! 1. Write a monologue in which a character prepares to take a potion on her birthday so she’ll never get older. 2. Write a monologue in which a character is on the eve of an important birthday. What is their emotional state and why? What does this specific birthday mean? 3. Write a scene in which two parents try to convince their son to come out of his room for his birthday party. Why has the son locked himself in his room? What do the parents do to convince the son? Who wins in the end? 4. Write the monologue of the son in the above scenario, as he sits in his room. 5. Write a scene between a teen and her parents in which the parents seem to have forgotten the teens birthday. Re-write this scene in which it’s clear the parents are only messing with the teen. 6. Write a monologue in which a girl reacts to the truly horrible present her boyfriend has just given her. Indicate what the present does, looks like, maybe even smells like without coming out and saying what the gift is. 7. Write a monologue in which a boy freaks out over getting the exact right present for his girlfriend’s birthday. 8. Write a monologue in which a twin prepares to do something drastic so they don’t have to share a birthday. 9. Write a monologue in which a child expresses how much he hates his birthday because it’s the day he gets a cheap, lame card from his absentee dad. 10. Write a scene in which three teens work on remembering their fake names and birthdays on their fake ids. 11. Write a scene in which two best friends complain about not being invited to the “birthday party of the year.” Why weren’t they invited? 12. Write a scene in which one friend is invited to the “birthday part of the year” and the other isn’t. 13. Write a scene in which a girl actually gets a pony for her birthday and she has no idea what to do with it. 14. Write a monologue in which a boy lies about his age so he can enlist. 15. Write a scene between a pregnant woman in labour and her husband. They both want the baby to be born on January First. The baby has another agenda.

If you’ve ever watched Inside the Actors Studio, or flipped to the back page of Vanity Fair you’re familiar in some form with The Proust Questionnaire. Marcel Proust did not create the questionnaire, but he did fill two different ones out – once when he was 13 and once when he was 20. The answers clearly reflected him at each age. The Questionnaire can be used in two ways as a playwright. First, you can answer the questions yourself. Knowing who you are, what you believe, who you identify with, admire, what you treasure, these are all important self-reflection elements. If you know the specifics about yourself, you can give them to a character. You can give a character an opposing trait. By answering these questions about yourself, you’ll know where your interests lie. A great starting point for a play. *Secondly you can answer the questions for a character. * How well would you know the main character in your play is you answered all these questions? It would be impossible not to create a three dimensional human being. If you are stuck in a rut with your play, turn to this exercise. The Proust Questionnaire1. What is your greatest fear? 2. What is your current state of mind? 3. What is your favorite occupation? 4. What historical figure do you most identify with? 5. Which living person do you most admire? 6. Who is your favorite fictional hero? 7. Who are you real-life heroes? 8. What is your most treasured possession? 9. When and where were you happiest? 10. What is your most obvious characteristic? 11. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? 12. What is the trait you most deplore in others? 13. What is your greatest extravagance? 14. What is your favorite journey? 15. What do you most dislike about your appearance? 16. What do you consider the most over-rated virtue? 17. On what occasion do you lie? 18. Which words or phrases do you most over-use? 19. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 20. What do you consider your greatest achievement? 21. Where would you like to live? 22. What is the quality you most admire in a man? 23. What is the quality you most admire in a woman? 24. What is it you most dislike? 25. What do you value most in you friends? 26. How would you like to die? 27. If you were to die and come back as a person or an animal, what do you think it would be? 28. If you could choose an object to come back as, what would you choose? 29. What is your motto, the words you live by or that mean a lot to you? 30. Who has been the greatest influence on you?