Character Development Lesson Plans
A library of lesson plans to help you effectively plan your workshops and classes.
Session 2: Show and Tell Characterization
by Lindsay Price
Students will use “Show and Tell” to create a detailed background for their contentless scene character and improvise a personal interview with that character.
Session 2: Show and Tell Characterization
Session 3: Script Analysis - Scoring
by Lindsay Price
The last script analysis step is scoring. To score a scene means to divide the dialogue into beats and then add action words for each beat. Scoring gives students a roadmap for staging.
Session 3: Script Analysis - Scoring
Session 3: Thou Shalts of Virtual Staging and Performance
by Lindsay Price
Students will participate in a demonstration to explore the rules of virtual staging and performance and why they are important. They will perform a Bad Idea/Good Idea skit for the class to demonstrate their understanding of the concept.
Session 3: Thou Shalts of Virtual Staging and Performance
Session 4: Environmental and Personal Conflict
by Lindsay Price
Students will play a drama game and participate in an exercise to explore how conflict affects their active tactics. Students apply conflict to a scene for performance.
Session 4: Environmental and Personal Conflict
Session 4: Staging the Scene - Beats and Action Words
by Lindsay Price
Students will take their script analysis work with beats and action words and apply it to their scene. Students will also start to think about how they will have to adapt staging to a virtual environment.
Session 4: Staging the Scene - Beats and Action Words
Session 5: Stage Business
by Lindsay Price
Students will participate in an observation activity and play “What Are You Doing?” to explore how stage business affects performance. In this session, you will coach students through a scene with stage business, then they will apply stage business to their own performances.
Session 5: Stage Business
Session 5: Staging the Scene - Character Physicalization
by Lindsay Price
Students will continue working on staging techniques by exploring character physicality.
Session 5: Staging the Scene - Character Physicalization
Session 6: Contentless Scene - Preview Day
by Lindsay Price
Students review what they have studied in this unit as well as how to give and use constructive feedback. Students will pair up with another scene group, then perform for each other. Students will use the Preview Worksheet to help guide and assess their previews and critiques.
Session 6: Contentless Scene - Preview Day
Session 6: Staging the Scene - Adapting Blocking Notation
by Lindsay Price
Students will solidify blocking notation that can be used in a virtual environment.
Session 6: Staging the Scene - Adapting Blocking Notation
Session 7: Final Performance
by Lindsay Price
Students will perform and be evaluated on the contentless scene that they have prepared during the unit.
Session 7: Final Performance
Session 7: Memorization Techniques
by Lindsay Price
The sooner students memorize their lines, the more fun they are going to be able to have with the scene. It’s hard to become a character, fully realize blocking, and make the scene one’s own with a script in hand. Acting begins when lines are memorized. This session will focus on practicing a variety of memorization techniques. They will be applied to Section 1 of the scene.
Session 7: Memorization Techniques
Session 8: Staging the Scene - Character Physicality (2)
by Lindsay Price
Students will revisit character physicality choices and solidify that they are a part of their staging. Additionally, there are some exercises to further explore character physicality. Encourage students to continue to visualize and practice bringing characters to life as they work on their scene.
Session 8: Staging the Scene - Character Physicality (2)
Session 9: Purposeful Action
by Lindsay Price
Students have been through their scene multiple times with specific blocking choices. They have been working on memorization and character physicality. In their rehearsal today, students will review their blocking choices with a specific objective of making every action in the scene purposeful and theatrical.
Session 9: Purposeful Action
Seven Grandfather Teachings
by Allison Green
This day introduces the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Students engage with the story, create a storyboard, and discuss as a class.
- The Seven Grandfather Teachings Script
- The Seven Grandfather Teachings Video
- How to Make a Storyboard
Seven Grandfather Teachings
Show and Tell Switch
by Anna Porter
Students apply the questions used in a Character Analysis Worksheet to create a character background for themselves.
Students use this to help them understand the importance of details and commitment to character choices by creating a believable Show and Tell presentation with an unknown object.
Show and Tell Switch
Status Monkeys
by Anna Porter
Students will understand how status affects characterization and character actions by participating in the “Status Monkeys” game as well as other status-based interactions.
The lesson begins with a status demonstration using students. It then moves onto an "unknown status" activity where students react to the status of others without knowing their own status. How do you treat a low status character compared to a high status character?
The final activity is an animal imagery exercise where the students are all monkeys in a jungle with an assigned status. They must explore survival tactics available to someone of their particular status.
Status Monkeys
Status Monkeys
by Anna Porter
To learn how status influences characterization and character actions by participating in “Status Monkeys” and other interactions based on status
Status Monkeys
Subtext with Secrets
by Anna Porter
Students will understand how background and subtext can help create a scene with honest emotion and depth by exploring secrets.
Students create a secret to explore their character and apply it to a scene.
Subtext with Secrets
Subtext: Pass the Salt
by Lindsay Price
Subtext is the underlying meaning in a text. What is a character thinking? Learning to apply subtext to a scene is an excellent character development tool. It encourages students to think about “the why” behind a line. “Why does a character say this line? Why do they use a particular inflection? What are they really trying to say?
In this lesson plan, students explore the meaning of subtext, practice applying subtext in dialogue and to create their own scene.
Subtext: Pass the Salt
Superhero Character Creation
by Lindsay Price
Students apply what they learned about physical and vocal qualities in a character. They complete a character profile for an original superhero, then experiment with creating physical and vocal attributes before writing a monologue.
