DEVELOPING A CHARACTER HISTORY

by Ron Parker, Appleton North High School, Appleton, Wisconsin

Using the following questions will enable your student actors to more easily grasp their characters from the inside out:

1. What is your character's full name? Is there any significance to that name?

2. What kind of childhood did your character have?

3. What was your character doing the day before his first entrance in the play?

4. What is your character thinking immediately before he enters?

5. How has your character changed during his life prior to, during, and after the play ends? What has caused these changes?

6. What are your character's major wants, desires, and motivation?

7. How is your character viewed by others around him?

8. How does your character view himself?

9. what is your character’s most positive and most negative trait?

10. What rhythm do you associate with your character?

11. What color do you associate with your character?

12. What texture do you associate with your character?

13. What sound do you associate with your character?

14. What animal do you associate with your character?

15. What music do you associate with your character?

16. Was your character ever in a romantic relationship? Describe it.

17. Where does your character live? What is it like?

18. What secret(s) does your character have?

19. How is your character similar/different from you?

20. What is your character's physical appearance? (Including face, body type, hair, costume, make-up, posture...)

21. How does your character move?

22. Describe your character's voice (including pitch, rate, pronunciation, tone...)

23. How old is your character?

24. Who are your character's friends and enemies?

25. What is the leading gesture of your character?

26. What is your character's primary sense?

27. What is your character's leading center?(head, heart, stomach, groin...)

28. What is your character's favorite food?

29. What famous person (real or fictitious) is your character most like?

30. What primary emotion(s) possess your character?

31. Does your character have a sense of humor?

32. What epitaph should be written on your character's headstone?

33. What does your character regret about his/her life? What about his/her life does he/she feel good about?

34. What kind of parent is your character or would he/she have been?

35. What ONE word best describes your character?