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From: hxe@rayssd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.theater
Subject: Re: Building a character
Message-ID: <586@rayssd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 12:37:55 EST
Article-I.D.: rayssd.586
Posted: Tue Dec  4 12:37:55 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 03:11:28 EST
References: <233@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Organization: Raytheon Co., Portsmouth RI
Lines: 56

Well, of course there have been several thousand books written on the
subject, but here are my tips on building a character:

1.  Know your character's entire life.  What did he wear the day
    before the play starts?  What did his father do for a living?
    Did his mother work outside the home?  What's his favorite color?
    What vegetables does he hate?  What movies does he like?  What
    little mannerisms does he have (playing with his ear, tapping
    his foot, etc.)?  Why?  You get the idea.  Anyway, flesh him out
    with a past and a non-visible (to the audience) present.
    *Always* know what he did or said immediately before/after any
    entrances/exits.

2.  Say the lines.  Play the subtext.

3.  For imagery: Build a wall at about the 4th row of the audience and
    project your image (what you're describing, what you're seeing in
    your mind's eye) onto that screen as an actual projection.  If you
    don't see it, the audience won't either.

4.  As far as creating the character, that should be a mutual process
    with the actor and the director.  The director is responsible for
    the direction the play takes as a whole (thus, his title).  You as
    the actor are responsible for building a character that is consistent
    with the director's intended effect.  It's like an orchestra; you
    have to know your instrument, but the director conducts the whole
    shebang.  I usually get an idea of the director's interpretation of
    the whole play, then create a character, and count on the director
    to tell me if my character is inconsistent with his image.

5.  For getting myself "up" before a performance, I usually do slow
    breathing to relax, and then something aerobic (but not sweaty!)
    *right* before I make my first entrance.  This gets my adrenaline
    going and gives me the impression that I am bursting onto stage,
    even if it's a slow, controlled entrance.

6.  For keeping repeat performances fresh: again, say the lines, play
    the subtext.  As they say, "Don't act.  React."  No person will
    ever give the exact same performance two nights in a row.  If you
    allow yourself to react to your co-actors' performances, rather
    than rigidly reciting lines and making predetermined gestures,
    you'll have a much more 'real' performance.  This, of course, means
    that you must know the play inside and out.  No struggling for
    lines, no ad-libbing - just subtle reinterpretation of the 'feel'
    of the play.  No matter what happens, remember that some nights
    you're up, some nights you're down.  So it goes.

Good luck!  Keep us posted!
-- 
--Heather Emanuel {allegra, decvax!brunix, linus, ccice5} rayssd!hxe
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