Thoughts on Building a Character

Whether you are cast in a community theatre production or a multi-million dollar movie, building a character is an actor's job. Sounds simple, right? Well, in my experience as an actor, director, and playwright, I have found that building a character that is unique in its own ways can be a very big challenge. Below are some of my thoughts on what an actor can do as “homework” to start giving their characters a life of their own, thereby facilitating a richer experience not only for the audience, but for themselves as well.

• Read the script. And then re-read it. As you do, pay close attention to how your character helps tell the overall story. What is your role in getting the overall picture across?
• What does your character want? It is important as an actor to ask yourself what your character's objectives are. Most likely, they have a grand objective for the show, but they also have objectives for every scene they are in (sometimes even from moment to moment). Really think about what your character wants whenever they are onstage--- after all, why else would they be there.
• How do you get what you want? Your character's ACTIONS informs how your character is played. Actions are what a character does to get what they want. For example, does your character flirt, deceive, or threaten to get what they want? Or do they coax, plead, or promise to get what they want? There are many, many verbs to create many, many actions. And have fun figuring it out! Play!
• Create an Autobiography! This can be a wonderful exercise to be creative about your character. Write out your character's life story. It needn't be an epic, but give them a back story: where are they from, what were there parents like, what major events have shaped who they are within the world of the play? Write this story in first person, i.e., “I was born in the Bedford Falls hospital at...” etc. For those with larger roles, there may be a lot of clues in the script. For those who have less clues in the script, here's a chance to create a great identity for your character. Every “townsperson” is more than just a “townsperson”! They are a human being! Give them a story that influences their reactions every time they're on stage. Give them a name, and give them a purpose! Have fun and be creative, but be sure to stay within the “world” of the play and within the playwright's intentions (for example, in “It's a Wonderful Life”, it probably wouldn't be wise to give your character a backstory that includes being a super villain on a distant planet who fell to Earth on a meteorite).
• The movie poster: This is an exercise I use with my casts a great deal to help the process of creating a physicality for their character. Imagine that your character, no matter how big or small it might be in the play, as the star of their own movie about them. What do they look like on the movie poster? Do they stand tall, chest out, shoulders back? Do they hunch? Do their eyes shift to the sides, or look straight on? Are they smiling? Are they angry? Really close your eyes and picture this movie poster, and then begin to bring the physicality in your body. Mimic the posture, and see if it feels right. In time, try walking about and seeing how the character's posture translates into a walk. What feels right? What part of the body leads your character? Where is your energy located? Imagine what your character looks like, and remember: they don't have to look like YOU. Eventually, you will have to try to look like THEM.
• Voice: What does your character sound like? Look for hints in the script. Do they speak haltingly? (“I'd like...a...uh... glass of...water?”). Figure out a cadence that seems right to you.
• Relationships: How does your character feel about everyone they interact with? Many may find clues in the script, but if there are no clues to be found, then determine on your own. In “It's a Wonderful Life” especially, it is important that everyone have thoughts about others in the town. It is a small town story, with small town gossip. Everyone knows everyone. You all will have opinions on Mr. Potter for example. You may have gossiped about who Violet is dating now.

All of this character building work is vital when building working inner lives and motivations for every character on stage. This is what makes a production tight and believable. The more you know your individual character, the more you are doing your part to help tell the story of the play.

And when you know your character, you can let go and really begin LOOKING and LISTENING and REACTING to your scene partners.

Thank you for reading this post.  In case you can't tell,   I am in the midst of directing a production of "It's a Wonderful Life".  Yay!

Until next time, please remember--- theater is a sport.

HOW TO WRITE A PLAY or HOW TO ENJOY REPEATEDLY BANGING YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL, Lesson 2: Let's Write a Monologue!

Greetings, my theater friends!  Welcome to Theater is a Sport.  It's Tuesday, so you know what that means... it's playwriting tutorial day!  Or, as I like to call it:  How To Write a Play or How to Enjoy Repeatedly Banging Your Head Against the Wall.  Again, it's not really as bad as all that.  In fact, beating your head against the wall over and over again can be a beautiful thing!  

Today we are going to focus on writing a monologue.  I'm going to assume that you all read some plays over the week since our first lesson, and have also been checking out the structure of your favorite TV shows.  And while we will be discussing dramatic structure a great deal on this blog, we are going to focus today on how it all comes together in the creation of a monologue.

First off--- what is a monologue?  A monologue is a long speech given by a character in a play, sometimes to other characters onstage, sometimes directly to the audience.  A soliloquy is another example of a long speech, though usually given by an actor alone onstage.

For the purpose of our exercise, we are going to be writing monologues for a single character, and our monologues are going to be complete pieces in of themselves, with a beginning, middle, and end.  Yes, a monologue can be a play all by itself. 

How do we write a monologue?  Well, first, you need to remember that all drama is about conflict.  When you have a single character, the conflict is within the character herself, or perhaps the character and some external limitation. 

Let's look at an example, shall we?   And if we're going to look at an example of a great monologue, let's look at a great example from one of my playwrights, Anton Chekhov.   Here is a link where you can read his monologue (which is its own play) called "On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco":  http://method.vtheatre.net/doc/tobacco.html

(Note:  This piece is in the public domain, and this is the only place I could find the full text online.  Aside from a few spelling errors, it is pretty close to the versions I'm familiar with.)

Now, I'm not expecting you to read this first and then come back and read the rest of my blog, but, if you do not, you will have to be ready for some spoilers coming. 

The reason I like to use this monologue as an example for writing monologues is, other than being quite funny, it is an excellent example of conflict.  Our character, Nykhin, informs us he is going to give us a lecture on the harmful effects of tobacco.  However, the monologue is not about tobacco at all, is it?  We learn quickly that our lecturer is prone to digressions, and the very digressions are what make up the bulk of the monologue.  Hence, we have some conflict already:  we are told we are going to hear a lecture on tobacco, but what we really hear is our lecturer share his comically sad existence with us, ultimately purging himself, until the very end, when he entreats us to tell his wife he gave a very fine lecture on tobacco. 

Certainly, one does not need to mimic Chekhov in tone or subject when writing a monologue.  But there are lessons one can take from this piece when writing their own.  Here are some examples:

1.  Character:  right away from the first stage directions ("worn-out flock coat", "bows majestically to the audience"), we as an audience get an idea of who this guy is.   The spoken text that follows takes us on a journey with him.

2.  The Dramatic Arc:  Nyukhin tells us he is going to lecture on the harmfulness of tobacco even though "I myself smoke, but my wife told me to lecture on the harmful effects of tobacco, so what's to be done?"  In that small line in the beginning, we get the first indication that our lecturer might possibly be a bit hen-pecked.  As he continues with his lecture, and things seem to be moving in the right direction... "When I lecture I blink my right eye.  Take no notice.  It is simple nervousness.  I am a nervous man".  This digression gives the author permission to go into WHY he is a nervous man, and thus, the rest of the story builds... the boarding home, his daughters, his wife's nest egg, etc.  So this action continues to rise, with the character purging himself, until, near the end, we learn he is a broken man with broken dreams, who longs only for "peace".  Of course, Chekhov ends the piece with the Lecturer becoming aware his wife is looking at him from backstage, so he hastily concludes with a last remark about the harmful effects of tobacco.
This trajectory is very effective for a monologue.  We meet a character, get an initial first impression, the character reveals more about themselves and their life, the focus changes, grows to a climax and then... we are back  to the beginning, knowing our character will never change. 

3.  Stakes:  stakes are tremendously important in any dramatic writing, especially a monologue.  In order for us to remain engaged by one person talking to us from stage, the stakes to rise and rise and rise.... (if you don't like the word "stakes", you can also think of it as "complications"). 

So, what I would like to give you for an assignment is this:  read through the Chekhov monologue, noticing some of the things I have talked about.  Then, I would like you to try writing your own monologue.  Make sure it is about something that is interesting to you.  It's fine to draw things from your own life, but I would suggest that as a jumping off point, and then letting you creativity take the stakes higher.  Your first monologue needn't be as long as the example I've given you:  you can have a good monologue with a beginning, middle and end in one or one and a half pages, even.  And think about this as your write:

1.  The character should reveal something about themselves that perhaps they are not even aware of themselves, and
2.  A goo way to create conflict is to have a character start out believing one thing, but by the end realize they have shifted to the exact opposite belief. 

If you would like to share your monologue with me (I can't promise an immediate response, but I will try to read them as quickly as possible), you can e-mail them to me at theater.is.a.sport@gmail.com 

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If you would like to read a sample of a monologue I wrote called "Falling (And Not Getting Up)", click here:  http://www.brookpub.com/default.aspx?pg=sd&st=FALLING+(AND+NOT+GETTING+UP)

Thank you for joining me today at Theater is a Sport.  I hope you enjoyed your second playwriting lesson!

To go directly to LESSON 3, simply click HERE

Until tomorrow, please remember:  theater is a sport (and, banging your head against the wall CAN be enjoyable)