Scripts

In Script Analysis for Directors, Part 1: Scanning the Script, we started our pre-rehearsal planning process with a simple scan of the script to get our early thoughts and ideas out on paper. Once the initial scan has been completed, it’s time to go deeper into the meat of the script, get even more specific, and get these ideas into the hands of your eager student designers and crew members. The following tips will help you to get even more organized and feeling good about your pre-production process. In our previous article, we started our initial scan of the script by making basic notes on eight different categories: Lights, Sound, Special Effects, Costumes/Hair/Makeup, Props, Set, Concerns (problems, potentially difficult scenes, aspects to assign to the musical director or choreographer, etc.) and Ideas (notes about creative solutions to problems, concept thoughts, etc.). These are the ideas and thoughts that came up immediately during the first scan of the script. On the second scan of the script, we’re going into detective mode to look for more technical clues and insights that we may have overlooked during the first scan. As mentioned in the previous article, certain technical cues will be clearly indicated within your script, such as Blackout or SFX: train whistle. You’ll need to look harder now for less obvious ones. For example, consider the stage direction Suddenly, a bolt of lightning splinters the ship and throws the humans overboard _(which is one of the first stage directions in the musical Tarzan)._ That one sentence incorporates at least three technical concerns: a lightning effect (Lights), possible thunder sounds as well as the sound of the splintering ship (Sound), and throwing the humans overboard (could be Set, Special Effects, Concerns, or Ideas, depending on your staging plan). Further on in that scene, the humans wash up on the shoreline. How will you stage the transition from the water to the shoreline? Once you have completed your second scan of the script for technical and design ideas, you will want to type up or make copies of certain lists to give directly to your team members. For example, give the Props list to the props head, give the Set list to the set designer, and so on. You’ll also want to send along your initial lighting, sound, and special effects notes to the stage manager and the specific technicians/designers, so they can start their work on the show. Communicating your ideas to your team early means that you’ll have less chance of things getting left until the last minute during rehearsals. For the third pass of the script start looking deeper at themes and character work. Consider the following questions: • Are there any repeated thoughts expressed by the characters or situations that occur at different points throughout the script? These repeated moments should be noted and emphasized. • Do the characters have any catchphrases or stand-out lines that you’d like to highlight? • If your show is particularly well-known or is an adaptation, parody, or homage to a famous “something” (whether that be a song, a character, a situation, or a show), is there a particular part of the show that you want to emphasize? For example, if you are producing The Wedding Singer (which is a musical based on an Adam Sandler movie), where are the specific “Adam Sandler” over-the-top moments within the show? • Conversely, is there a scene or situation that you want to downplay or de-emphasize? For example, if you are doing a production of Alice in Wonderland, do you want to go the Disney route of putting Alice in a blue dress, or do you want to have her wear something different? Will she still be recognizable? • Are there any cuts or adjustments you want to make? (And if so, do you have permission from the playwright or rights holders to do so?) • When reading the script, what feelings, emotions, words, or thoughts pop into your head? Write those down, even if they don’t make any sense to you in the moment. The second and third deeper passes of the script can really help you to peel back the layers of the script and figure out exactly where you want to take this show. It’s great to have your students try these script scans as well. They can practice their observation and note-taking skills. They may even bring forward some concerns or ideas that you hadn’t thought of.

When I’m doing my pre-rehearsal preparations for a new show I’m directing, the first thing I do is an initial scan of the script. This is a useful way to start getting your primary thoughts and plans in order, and it helps you get your ideas organized. You’ll go through your script many times throughout the rehearsal process – this is just the first step. Get ready to start analyzing! What you’ll need:• Your script • A notebook and a pencil (just as we tell our students, write in pencil because you’ll inevitably change a note at some point), or a word processing program on your computer • Various colours of highlighters (if you like to colour-code – I do!) Choose a fresh section in your notebook, or open a new document in your word processing program. (Alternatively, if you have a single-sided script, you may wish to write your notes directly in your script on the appropriate page so you don’t risk losing your notebook or computer document. Do whatever works best for you.) Create eight categories on separate pages:• Lights • Sound • Special Effects • Costumes/Hair/Makeup (these can be two or three separate categories if you wish, but in my initial scan I usually group them together) • Props • Set • Concerns (problems, potentially difficult scenes, aspects to assign to the musical director or choreographer, etc.) • Ideas (notes about creative solutions to problems, concept thoughts, etc.) Start by slowly reading through your script, line by line and page by page, and writing down anything that immediately comes up in relation to each category. If you are making notes in a separate notebook (rather than in the script), be sure to include page numbers, as well as line numbers if you use them, so you can cross-reference your notes with your script later. You will also want to leave a little bit of space between each note so you can make changes or additions later. The first six categories are pretty self-explanatory. Certain technical cues will be clearly indicated within your script, such as Blackout or A train whistle sounds or The Wizard disappears in a puff of smoke. I like to highlight those cues right away (usually lighting in yellow, and sound in pink, but that’s just my preference) so I can easily see them, and have the stage management team start “calling” them right away during the rehearsal process. Look for specific requirements indicated for costumes, props, and set. For example, “A Victorian father and mother cling to each other and their baby for safety” from the musical Tarzan. The Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign, from June 20, 1837, until her death on January 22, 1901. This stage direction gives the director and costume team a clear reference as to what those actors should be wearing (a suit and a dress rather than, say, rubber raincoats or bathing suits). It also gives the overall production a date and time reference. Write it down, as well as any changes in the time period that may affect the appearance of the costumes, props, and set. Where is the prop in the stage direction above? Well, is the baby an actual human baby actor or a doll? Most likely it will be a doll, so onto the props list it goes. This sounds a little silly because most theatrical productions (high school or otherwise) don’t use real babies onstage. But if it is an animal rather than a baby, it becomes more of a concern. Popular shows like Annie and The Wizard of Oz feature canine characters heavily, and you’ll need to decide whether you are using a real dog, a human actor in a dog costume, or a stuffed animal prop in your production. This leads us to the next two categories: Concerns and Ideas. Concerns and Ideas are your more miscellaneous categories – but with a focus. Concerns are items that you’ll need to come back to later, or perhaps address with another member of the team, such as casting issues (for example, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hermia must be shorter than Helena – see Act 3, Scene 2), dance choreography, or intricate transitions. Ideas are just that – brilliant ideas on how you’ll stage something, or an interesting aspect or concept you’d like to include. Continue through the script, making as many notes as you feel are useful. It doesn’t hurt to write it all down, so you will remember your preliminary thoughts. At this point, you aren’t making any absolute final decisions. You’re getting your ideas and concerns mapped out on paper and figuring out what needs to be done. But the more details you have considered in advance, the easier it will be to organize your thoughts when working with your students, artistic team, and design crew. And an organized director is a less stressed director! In our next blog post, we’ll continue script analysis for directors by going a little deeper.

One of the exciting aspects of rehearsal is experimenting with the text of the script and figuring out what the characters are saying and how they should say it. Each approach to the text will differ from student to student, actor to actor, and director to director – and that’s what makes theatre so interesting! Here are three fun exercises that allow students to explore different ways of approaching their lines and thinking about the emotions behind them. These exercises can be used in rehearsal as well as in the drama classroom, for students to try different ways of presenting their characters’ lines. Exercise 1: Emphasis1. Students will select a partner. 2. Select one line from a play, or use one of the sample lines provided (found in the handout). 3. Count how many words there are in the sentence. For example, the line “Can you help me please?” has five words. 4. Write out the line as many times as there are words in the sentence. From our example, students will write the line out five times. 5. For each sentence, underline a different word. - Can you help me please? - Can you help me please? - Can you help me please? - Can you help me please? - Can you help me please? 6. Say the lines out loud one by one, emphasizing the underlined word. 7. How does the emphasis of the different words change the meaning of the line? Note the differences in tone and emotions. Exercise 2: Emotion1. With the same partner, students will brainstorm a list of ten different emotions/feelings (for example: happy, sad, surprised, angry, bored, exhausted, annoyed, ecstatic, disgusted, hopeful). 2. Using the same line (“Can you help me please?”), students will say the line out loud ten times, using the ten different emotions they brainstormed. 3. How does the line meaning change when spoken with a different emotion? Does the line still make sense? (If it doesn’t, can you think of a reason or situation where the line would be said with that feeling?) Make note of these thoughts. Exercise 3: Sliding Scale Variations1. Using the same line, explore different ranges of emotions. For example: • Loud angry (screaming in rage) versus quiet angry (death glare) • Loud sad (sobbing) versus quiet sad (tears and silence) • Loud happy (screaming in delight) versus quiet happy (fainting away) 2. Try interacting with your partner in a scene, each feeling the same emotion but to the opposite extreme (for example, loud angry versus quiet angry). 3. Try a sliding scale of emotions. If “level 1 anger” is a silent death glare and “level 10 anger” is screaming in rage, what is level 3 on the anger scale? Level 5? How about level 8? 4. Use your senses. What do the emotions look and sound like? For example: “loud angry” might involve yelling and screaming, flailing, and pacing, while “quiet angry” might involve death glares, stiff posture, and clenched fists. 5. How do these different approaches to the text affect the meaning of the lines, as well as your performance? Reflect on your explorations. Distance Learning Adaptation All three of these exercises can be practiced and performed using video conferencing programs. The focus will be on rotating volunteer performers (rather than pairing up) and having the rest of the group observe and analyze the performances. Decide whether you wish your students to report their observations verbally in a class discussion, or if you want your students to submit written observations. Exercise 1: EmphasisHave one student say the selected line out loud as many times as there are words in the sentence, emphasizing a different word each time. Observe: • How does the emphasis of the different words change the meaning of the line? • Which emphasized word makes the most effective line? Why? • If the selected line is from a play, compare the line out of context (by itself) to the line when it’s in the context of the scene. Does the same emphasized word work? Why or why not? • If the selected line is not from a play, invent a line to come before and after the line. Does the same emphasized word work? Why or why not? Exercise 2: EmotionAs a group, brainstorm ten different emotions/feelings. Have one student say the selected line out loud ten times, using the ten different emotions that were brainstormed. Observe: • How does the line meaning change when spoken with a different emotion? Does the line still make sense? • If the line does not make sense, think of a reason or situation where the line would be said with that feeling. Exercise 3: Sliding Scale VariationsUsing the selected line, have students explore different ranges of emotions. First, choose two students to try two wide ranges of emotions: loud angry versus quiet angry, loud sad versus quiet sad, loud happy versus quiet happy. Second, choose five students to try ascending the range of emotions: the first student starts with “level 1 anger” and the last student will finish with “level 10 anger.” The three middle students need to figure out how to increase their levels of emotion without going too big or too small. Then, choose five students to try descending the range of emotions, from level 10 to level 1. Observe: • How does the level set by the first student affect the rest of the students when ascending or descending the emotions? • When analyzing a script, how do you determine how big or small your emotions need to be? What factors affect your choices? • What gestures, postures, and facial expressions can help demonstrate the emotion you are trying to portray? • How do these different approaches to the text affect the meaning of the lines? Overall Observations: How does these exercises help you to become a better actor? How can you use these exercises in rehearsal for a show? How do strong emotional choices by actors make a scene or show more interesting to watch?

Choosing a show for your school to produce can be challenging. But once you have selected the show, the hard part is done, right? Well, it’s one thing crossed off your list, but your list is about to get much longer–there is a whole host of other concepts to consider. Here’s a jumping off point for approaching your script, inspired by the ever-useful “5 W’s” – who , what , where , when and why. Please note: First and foremost, always ensure that you have obtained the performance rights and paid the appropriate royalties before you start the production process! What is your vision for the show?The overall look and feel of a show is called the director’s vision or concept. How do you want your show to look, feel, sound, smell? Can you summarize your vision in one sentence? This vision will help you convey your ideas to your cast and crew, as well as your audience. All your artistic choices must advance your vision. Your vision should include both your design concept and your approach to the material. Let’s say you are producing William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. R&J has been done thousands upon thousands of times. To keep things fresh, you will need a specific vision and approach for your production. Will your R&J be edgy and neo-gothic, sprawling and bohemian, traditional Italian, modern and trendy? What style of theatre will you employ? Commedia, puppetry, poor theatre, physical theatre, theatre on skateboards? As an aside, remember that some shows (like those written by William Shakespeare) are in the public domain, but rights-based shows sometimes have playwright’s requirements in the script that could limit your vision. Do not make any changes to a script without the playwright’s permission–to do otherwise is a copyright violation!) Where is the show happening?Consider the “where” both logistically and in terms of your overall vision. Most likely your show will be performed in your school’s auditorium, but perhaps another venue might be available? Think beyond the set as well–consider lighting, sound, special effects, pre-show and post-show atmosphere and decoration. Perhaps you can decorate the hallway leading into the auditorium to get the audience in the mood right away, or create a photobooth where audience members can hang out before the show and during intermission. (Bonus points if they take photos and post them to social media–free publicity!) When will the show happen?The length of the show and difficulty of the material will help you to determine how much rehearsal time you need to adequately mount the production. Will you rehearse twice a week for twelve weeks, or four times a week for six weeks? Will you need more rehearsals closer to showtime? Be sure to have all of this information in place before running auditions, as you will want to make the time commitment clear to your students. It will also help you to plan what scenes will be rehearsed during which rehearsals. Be sure to allow time for choreography and vocal rehearsals if you’re staging a musical. Also, allow for some “TBA” (to be announced) rehearsals in case you get ahead of or behind schedule. Who do you need for this show?Theatre is a team effort, and you need to know how many people will be required to make the show happen. This goes beyond how many actors you’ll need for the show. What crew roles are necessary, and how many students will be needed to ensure everything gets done? You’ll need team members in many different capacities–stage management, props, costumes, set, tech, box office, front of house, publicity, and so on. Will you take on a student assistant director? Can you assign senior students to head up different crew departments? (Delegating to others is absolutely necessary for your own sanity!) Will you require parent volunteers? If so, for what positions? Will any other staff members be part of the production, and in what capacity? Why this show?Why are you passionate about this script? What are you hoping your students will get out of working on this particular show? Does it tie into your class curriculum or any special events going on? (It doesn’t have to, but it’s something to consider) What are you hoping to get out of working on this particular show? Knowing the “whys” of your production will help you to get crystal-clear about your vision and the meaning behind producing this particular piece at this particular time with these particular students.

Do your students know how to annotate a script for analysis? Script analysis gives every actor a foundation to build on for character development. Teach these steps to your students and they’ll begin rehearsals with confidence. Where do we start? Give students a sample text to work with. We’re going to go through five steps any student can use to analyze a text. This activity uses monologues, but you can do the exact same work with dialogue. Then make sure students make any annotations in pencil. Why pencil? Because nothing we do with script analysis should be set in stone. We change our minds, we rethink things over and over as we familiarize ourselves with the material. And once you get into rehearsal you never know how the director’s vision will change your approach to the text once again. Think of this type of script analysis as your starting point. Click below for a lesson plan version of this activity along with annotated examples of two monologues. Step One: Cross out stage directions.Stage directions in a script can come from a variety of places. Sometimes they’re added by the playwright to give you a sense of their intentions, sometimes they’re based on the blocking of the original production, other times they’re added by the publisher/editor to help clarify something for the reader. Don’t ignore them completely, especially if they are connected to a line of dialogue (if a character says “sit down” and the stage direction says “BRENDA sits” then that’s something you probably shouldn’t ignore), but for the purposes of script analysis, tell students to cross them out. They can always restore them later because they’re using pencils, right? Task: Read through your monologue/scene and cross out any stage directions. Step Two: Mark any significant shifts in tone or character development.Tell students that they are going to identify moments where a character changes, either internally or strategically, and use these changes to create a dynamic performance. Use a symbol or mark to identify this change, like a slash (/) or even a double slash for emphasis (//). DARCY: Maybe I’m special, ever think of that? Huh? Maybe he likes me. // Me. These marks go any place in the text where there is a change. For example: • A change in mood or emotion • A change in language • A change in tactic • A change in status • An entrance or exit Look at the following line. Ask students: Where is the change in tone or character development? FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. Why would you do something like that? Frank goes from reflecting on the damage to the car to demanding information. First he’s in disbelief. Now he wants answers. So we identify the change between the two thoughts. FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. // Why would you do something like that? The reason for the change would be explored in rehearsal, but during the analysis stage, have students make choices based on what they read. You may find that students struggle to find the changes or shifts in their dialogue. Have students practice with two random sentences in their text and put the change marks between the two sentences. DARCY: Moving too fast? // You bet I am. Have students ask themselves: What shift does the character make between these two sentences? If they can come up with a clear answer, then the marks stay, if not they go. With the above example, it doesn’t seem like there’s a change. The two sentences reference the same thing (moving too fast) so the marks do not belong. Take them out! Emphasize to students that there is no one right or wrong way to do this kind of work. This isn’t science, it’s art. Two actors preparing for the same role may mark their scripts up completely differently. And they’re both right! They’re both bringing their own interpretation to the role. Task: Read your monologue (or scene) and identify the shifts in mood, emotions, language, tactics, status, and entrances/exits with a specific mark. When your students eventually stage the text, these markings will serve as guideposts. They will help make their character dynamic. They’ll help with line interpretations and blocking choices. They’ll lead students toward an interesting well-rounded performance. Step Three: Mark significant words.Ask students: What are the most important words in a text? What would be the purpose of identifying important words? Highlight that we want to identify the most important words that carry meaning, intention, and energy. Use a symbol to identify significant words in the text, for example a “>” on top of the word.

or, “Dipping the Toe Before Diving in the Deep End” Do you use close reading in the drama classroom?Close Reading is an analysis tool. Students read a text multiple times for in-depth comprehension, striving to understand not only what is being said but how it’s being said and why. Close reading takes a student from story and character to drawing conclusions on author intention. Close reading prompts students to flex their thinking skills: • It teaches students to engage with a text. With each particular read, students have to annotate/make notes. • It teaches students to be selective. We can’t highlight everything in the text, only the most important elements. • It teaches students to make educated decisions. All conclusions and opinions have to be backed up with a text example. Why should you use close reading in the drama classroom?The act of close reading fits hand in hand with script analysis. You want your students to get in the habit of reading scenes and monologues multiple times. You want your students to focus on different aspects of a text – it’s not just about the content, it’s about sentence structure and punctuation. Structure analysis is a helpful tool for character development. Close reading is a text dependent exercise – you don’t use research to support an answer, you use the text. When student actors and directors make decisions about their character or their vision, we want them to support their decisions with examples from their script. How do I prepare my students to close read?Before you even bring a single text into the classroom, use these exercises to prepare your students for the process. The Reader Find out what your students think about the act of reading and then dramatize it. 1. Ask your students: What do you like about reading? What do you hate about reading? How do you feel when you read? How do you feel when you get to the end of a book – satisfied? Frustrated? This can be an oral discussion or written in their journals. 2. Next, students create a character based on their thoughts and feelings about the act of reading. If they personify their thoughts and feelings about reading, what kind of character comes to light? Are they human, animal, monster or alien? What is this character’s primary emotion – to make people feel good about reading or to humiliate? What powers does this character have? How do they move and speak? Do they live alone or do they have a big family? 3. Divide students into groups. They are going to create a scene in which each student will play their Reading Character. So if they’ve created a character who is a blob and speaks in clicks and whirs, that’s what they have to do in the scene. Emphasize that they’ll have to find a way to communicate. The group is going to dramatize a party, meeting or event where all of the different reading characters would be in the same room. Decide on a purpose for coming together. Decide how they would react to each other. Do the monsters get together and bully the others? Do the positive reading characters just treat everything positively? The length of each scene is one minute. 4. Discuss with students afterward – what was it like to see reading as a character or to be their reading character? If they have a negative relationship with reading, what can they do to change that? If they don’t want to change, ask why. Physicalize Annotation Part of the close reading process is to annotate and make notes about what you’re reading. When you’re reading a text multiple times, it’s easy to forget your thoughts from one read to the next. Students need a system to identify the what, the how and the why. Click below for a PDF version of this exercise that includes a annotation handout. The handout suggests four marks students can use when annotating a text. Then try this exercise. 1. Divide students into pairs. Give each pair the Annotation Handout. As a pair, they’re going to annotate a monologue together. I’ve included one to use. 2. Each pair will read the monologue three times (focusing on the what, the how and the why) and with each read annotate accordingly, using the Handout as a guide. 3. Next, each pair will prepare the monologue to present. Partner A will read the monologue dynamically: they have to bring a character to the read, they have to be emotionally and vocally present. At the same time, Partner B will physicalize their annotations as follows: • Underlined text – Partner B lies on the ground in front of Partner A. • Starred text – Partner B presents “jazz hands” behind Partner A. • Questions – Partner B stands beside Partner A and use their shoulders, arms, and hands to shrug in a questioning fashion. • Brackets – Partner B stands behind Partner A and puts their arms around Partner A in an open hug. (Physicalized brackets) Will this look silly? Absolutely. That’s ok. Take any chance you can to have a little fun with this technique. The purpose behind this exercise is to show students what it looks like when a passage is over annotated. If one group has Partner B running from lying on the floor to jazz hands to brackets and back again – this shows you and the class that the pair wasn’t being selective or specific in their annotation choices. Start Small When you begin the close reading process, take baby steps. Start small. Use the process with the title of a play. (Death of A Salesman). Use a single line from the first scene. Find a production photo from the play and analyze it: • What is happening: What details can you see in the photo? What are the relationships? • *How is it happening: * How has the director blocked the moment? Is there a power struggle? Who has the higher status? How are lighting, set and costuming used? • Why is it happening: Why has the director chosen to present the scene in this way? What conclusions can you draw about the play by what you see in the picture? Close reading is a dense, focused process. It can also take your students’ script analysis skills to the next level.

Whether you’re performing your first role or your fortieth, Theatrefolk has a great roundup of guides to help you prepare for your role, to analyze the script from a few different angles, and to really make the most of the part you’ve earned! We start with basic foundations of script analysis, and work through activities to help develop your character, understand their relationships, and fill in the gaps. 5 Steps to Building a Foundation• Script analysis gives you a foundation to build on for character development. Follow this guide and you can begin rehearsal with confidence, ready to take on whatever challenge comes your way. Get familiar with your character, get familiar with the text. It’s time to explore. Exploring Your Script with Action Words• In this guide we’re going to look at exploring your script through action words (“verbs” for you English majors.) The idea is to find the “action” in your dialogue. We’re talking about visualizing action, injecting movement and life into your performance. Try a Relationship Activity• This activity will help you uncover a great amount of detail on your character and their relationship with the other characters in the play. Six Ways to Fill the Gaps• The first few Script Analysis guides focused on finding the information that the playwright has left for you in the script. But sometimes there is little to no information about your character. This when you, as an actor, really get to stretch your creative muscles. This guide provides tools and techniques to fill in the gaps about your character. Each guide comes with a free PDF download for easy reference – or to use in your classroom!

This is part four of Script Analysis. You can get part one here, part two here, and part three here. The first few Script Analysis articles focused on finding the information that the playwright has left for you in the script. But sometimes there is little to no information about your character. Don’t fret! This when you, as an actor, really get to stretch your creative muscles. The world is your oyster and it’s time to design your pearl. Here are a few tools and techniques to fill in the gaps about your character. Create a Dating ProfileImagine your character is looking for their ideal partner. What qualities would they look for? Dating website profiles are great tools for character development. They ask so many questions about you and your dreams/goals for life. On the PDF version of this blog post (download link below) is an example of a dating profile (based on okcupid’s form) that you can use to build your character. I chose this one because the questions delve far beyond the superficial. I also love the six things question. Six things of what? It’s completely open-ended and you can interpret it any way you like. Bonus tip: You could take two approaches to filling out this form. One would be to complete the profile 100% truthfully, and the other would be to complete it as the character would want the world to see them. (Would Richard III be forthcoming about his physical deformity?) Job ApplicationThe dating profile will help you dig deep into the personal relationships your character desires. Completing a job application can tell you about their professional goals. On the PDF version of this blog post (download link below) is a typical job application form. This form is very fact-based. A lot of the questions are closed-ended (i.e. they call for a yes or no answer). Be sure to elaborate as much as you can. For example, “Have you ever been charged with a felony? No. I’ve committed a lot of felonies, but never been caught. I’m amazingly good at covering my tracks.” Bonus tip: As with the dating profile, you could take two approaches to filling out this form. One would be to complete the profile 100% truthfully. The other would be to stretch the truth a bit, answering the questions to give you the best chance of landing the job. (Would Willy Loman complete the questions about his previous job truthfully?) Make a DiaryImagine that your character keeps a diary. Create some diary entries for them where they share their true thoughts. Assume your character is 100% certain that nobody else will read the diary. Write with nothing to hide. Don’t worry about being “creative” or making the entries entertaining. The diary is not being written for anyone else but the character. Just focus on writing honest entries. Here are some events to consider writing diary entries for: • The day before the play starts. • The day after the play ends. • The day(s) your character met every other character in the play. • If your character refers to any event in the past, write the diary entry for that day. • The day they were happiest. • The day of their fondest memory. • The day they were the saddest. • The day they were angriest. • The day they started their first job. • The day they made the hardest decision in their life. • The day they saw their favourite movie for the first time. Make Some ListsEverybody keeps various lists. Lists can give you insight into your character. If you saw a stranger’s grocery list you’d learn not only about their eating habits, but you’d also learn quite a bit about their lifestyle. Here are some ideas for lists your character might keep. Make them up. • Grocery List (what kinds of food does your character eat?) • List of Best Friends (rank them in order) • Frenemy List (which of your character’s friends really aren’t friends?) • List of superpowers they’d like to have. • Gift List for Self – things they hope to receive. • Gift List for Others – possible birthday or Christmas presents they might get for other characters in the play. • Five things they would save in a fire. • List of chores, things that need to get done around the house. • Book List – Books they want to buy/read. Make an AvatarWhat does your character look like? Well, they look like you because you’re playing them afterall. But what do you visualize them looking like? Here are two great websites that will help you put together a “look” for your character. These sites let you choose hair colour, hair style, facial features, skin tone, clothing, facial hair, etc. • Pickaface • Voki When you’re done, print a copy of the image and tape it in your script. Keep it as a reminder that you’re playing a character, and that the character is somebody different from you. You might even use the avatar to co-ordinate with your show’s design team. Use it as a guide for the “look” of your character. How does your character change if you add glasses or facial hair? What would happen if you curled your hair, etc. Make an Social Media PresenceCreate social media profiles for your character. Facebook is ideal for this because it’s so strongly centered on your life and your interactions with others. But Facebook doesn’t allow fake profiles. Instead use a website like Fakebook. Fakebook looks like Facebook but they let you create profiles for imaginary people. It’s perfect for this type of exercise. • Document the events of the play through status updates. • Does your character add any other characters as friends during the play? • Does your character unfriend any other characters as friends during the play? • What social issue pages does your character follow? • What celebrities/politicians/public figures does your character follow?

This is part three of Script Analysis. You can get part one here and part two here. Here’s an activity that will give you a great amount of detail on your character and their relationship with the other characters in the play. It starts with some pretty simple information gathering. Read the play and while doing so, make three lists: • Everything your character says about every other character. • Everything that other characters say about your character. • Everything your character says about themselves. An ExampleBelow is how I would do this exercise for the character of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo has a huge role so there’s a lot of work involved. I just did it for Act One but someone playing Romeo would do it for the entire play. You’ll see that sometimes I’ve used direct quotes, sometimes I’ve paraphrased, sometimes I just recorded an impression. Record the information in whatever format you will find useful to use as you prepare your role. What Romeo Says About OthersRosaline • “Out of her favour where I am in love” Benvolio • Doesn’t laugh at my pain. Rosaline • Romeo loves her. • She is fair. • She does not love him back. • She is remaining chaste. • “She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair” • “She hath forsworn to love” Benvolio • “thou canst not teach me to forget” Rosaline • “the all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun” Mercutio • “You have dancing shoes with nimble soles” • “Thou talk’st of nothing.” Juliet • “I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” • “Is she a Capulet?” What Others Say About RomeoPrologue • star-cross’d lovers take their life • misadventured piteous • with their death bury their parents’ strife • death-mark’d love Lady Montague (mother, according to Benvolio) • He was not at this fray. Benvolio • walking early in the morning Montague (father) • Often walks early in the morning, crying, sighing • When daylight comes he locks himself in his room and blocks out all light • “Black and portentous” • Does not know the cause of Romeo’s problems. • Romeo is “his own affections’ counsellor” • “So secret and close, so far from sounding and discovery” • Would love to help Romeo, but doesn’t know the problem. Benvolio • They are cousins • Your heart is oppressed • I’ll help you or die trying • Romeo loves Rosaline • You only love Rosaline because you haven’t checked out any other women Mercutio • You are a lover • Queen Mab has been with you Tybalt • Romeo sounds like a Montague • slave • antic face • I am going to kill him • villain Capulet • The whole city brags that he’s “virtuous and well-govern’d” • I wouldn’t disparage Romeo for anything Tybalt • I’ll not endure him Juliet • Pilgrim • “You kiss by the book” Nurse • Bachelor Capulet • “Gentlemen” • “honest gentlemen” Juliet • Doesn’t know who Romeo is • Wants to marry Romeo Nurse • He is a Montague, he is the enemy Juliet • “My only love” • “a loathed enemy” What Romeo Says About Himself• In love with Rosaline • I have heard it all (referring to the fight at the beginning of the play) • “This love feel I, that feel no love in this.” • Griefs lie heavy in my breast • “I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.” • “I do love a woman” • “Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Whipp’d and tormented” • “I can read.” • “I am not for this ambling” – referring to the party • “I have a soul of lead” • I fear that going to this party is going to bring about death. What This Tells YouThere’s a wealth of information here. Imagine you know nothing about the story of Romeo and Juliet. You’ll learn quite a bit about what happens in the play just by reading these small snippets – including how it ends! It’s better to write down too much than too little. Write down things that might not seem immediately important. For example, Romeo’s line “I can read” doesn’t seem significant until you study the time period in which the play takes place. Most people were illiterate so knowing Romeo can read gives you information about his education and the fact that he comes from an upper class family. What if there’s little or nothing there?Good question. What if your role is not a lead and there isn’t much to discover doing this exercise? I’ll cover that in the next article when we look at ways to fill in the details the playwright doesn’t give you. Class ExerciseDo the same exercise, but this time do it for Juliet. For Act One of Romeo and Juliet, create the following three lists: • Everything Juliet says about every other character. • Everything that other characters say about Juliet. • Everything Juliet says about herself. Use the worksheets provided in the PDF (download it below) to record everything.

Adding on to our previous post on annotating a script for analysis, the next task for student actors is to explore their text through action words (“verbs” for you English majors). The idea is to have students find the “action” in their dialogue. This isn’t about setting blocking, it’s about visualizing action into a performance. Depending on the text, this activity can be easy, hard, or fun! It can also be pretty boring. Use it for an important moment in the play rather than having your students do it for every single line of dialogue. That will become tedious. When used from time to time in smaller doses, it’s a great tool for speeches where students aren’t sure what’s going on, or if a speech seems dramatically static. How does it work? Let’s look at this small section of text. ““I remember it well. It was 1950. Pa was walking to the well.”” On the surface, it seems like there isn’t much action. But theatre needs action. That’s the actor’s job, to bring the text to life. Have your students look at these three sentences and for each sentence (or fragment for a larger sentence) choose one action word and jot it down next to the line. For example: I remember it well. I insist. It was 1950. I taunt. Pa was walking to the well. I paint. With the addition of three verbs an actor has something to play with when saying those lines. They may not be perfect the first time around. There are no right or wrong action words for the first pass. The choices will have to work for the character and the context, but it’s a place to start with visualizing the action. Choosing Good Action WordsShare with your students: What makes a good action word? The action word should imply what an actor is doing or trying to do to the listener. Who is listening to the character and how are they impacted by the choice of action word? “I cry” is not a good choice because it’s only about the character. “I pretend to cry” is better because it involves the listener. “I lie” is a stronger choice still because it’s about what the character wants from the listener. Who is the listener? It could be another character, it could be the audience. Make sure your students choose a listener. Text is never delivered in a vacuum. This is an especially effective tool if your students are preparing a monologue for competition. Your character may or may not succeed with their intended action. It’s better if they don’t. Drama needs conflict and if everyone gets what they want every time then the performance will be boring. Emphasize to students that they should use verbs that are either a physical action (I kick, I punch) or that bring up a mental picture (I taunt). For example, when thinking about the phrase “I taunt,” visualize holding out an ice cream cone and then snatching it away.