#83: Dear Julie… believable character?
Wednesday 10/23/24
DEAR JULIE: What techniques do you use to create a believable character?
Oh this is a fun one! I could talk about this all day but I’m going to STOP MYSELF. I love this because it implies that you, as a human, are not believable!
ACTING = YOU + GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES
We’ve been through this, but for the new people… This is the equation. You are acting if you align the given circumstances of the show/character with who YOU are - your life experiences, what you ate, the wins you’ve had, the struggles. ALLLLL of that PLUS the circumstances of the show = acting.
Given Circumstances: the specific details about a character's environment, situation, and backstory that are provided by the playwright, which inform the character's actions, motivations, and overall performance; essentially, the "who, what, when, where, and why" of a character within a play, helping actors understand the context of their role and build a believable persona. The term is credited to acting theorist Konstantin Stanislavski, who emphasized the importance of understanding a character's given circumstances to create a realistic performance.
What it includes:
Social context: Character's social class, occupation, family dynamics
Historical context: Time period, location, political climate
Personal details: Character's past experiences, relationships, motivations
Why it's important: By analyzing the given circumstances, actors can make informed choices about their character's behavior, emotions, and overall portrayal.
Given Circumstances can also include exploring UTA HAGEN’S 9 QUESTIONS:
Who am I? Answer as many details about your character as you can including name, age, address, relatives, likes, dislikes, hobbies, career, physical traits, opinion, beliefs, religion, education, origin, enemies, loved ones etc.
What time is it? Answer these questions for every scene. Century, season, year, day, hour, minute. Discover the significance of time for your characters. How does the time of day influence your mood?
Where am I? Country, city, neighborhood, home, room, area within a room. Is it your home? Your enemy's kitchen?
What surrounds me? Discover all the animate and inanimate objects around you. Be specific. How does the presence of a knife change the scene?
What are the given circumstances of the past, present, and potential future? As an actor your research needs to be specific so that your performance isn’t generalized. Detail the past, present and potential future so you can play in the moment.
What are my relationships in the scene? Define for yourself your relationship to the events, other characters, and objects in each scene.
What do I want? This one is really closely related to actions/objectives. Be specific about your characters needs, immediate and longer term.
What is in my way? Self explanatory! But what is in your way emotionally and physically.
What do I do to get what I want? This is what rehearsals are for. Try different tactics to try and achieve your character’s objectives. Test which tactics work. Find a few options and play in the moment. Stay reactive.
Then there is YOU. You are a part of the equation. Live a full life. Say yes. Build your relationships. Go have experiences. Go to therapy. Explore your views, your morality, your empathy, your views on politics. It all plays a part in the creation of a believable character.
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie