How to get in character
In a way you are always in character, after all, we present different sides of self depending on our social setting. There’s a work-Bob, a family-Bob a bar-Bob, all of which look eerily identical but based on behavior could pass for fraternal triplets at best. On stage, you are asked to perform a similar task, presenting a believable front that caters to a certain setting. This front must be fluid enough to adapt to a variety of situations a character may face, even within the same scene. In order to maintain a plausible course of conduct, an actor must know the character with as firm a grasp as he or she has on his or her own highest hopes and darkest fears.In order to get better acquainted with your on-stage self, try conducing a one-man interview let you the actor take a stab at the brain of you the character, video tape it if at all possible. Re-watching your interview on camera will help to pick out subtleties in body language when certain subjects are broached and determine whether or not they could be incorporated appropriately on stage. This exercise shouldn’t be a one-time appearance on Letterman or Leno, more like a weekly 60 Minutes segment. Regular interview sessions will allow you change answers as you grow into the role, maturing the character just as a real person would over time. You may be surprised to find that after weeks of constant rehearsals and script thumbing an unplanned change in perspective will emerge naturally, adding depth. After all, real people aren’t two dimensional, and even non-lead parts shouldn’t seems so to the audience.Some trivial questions may come into play, for example “Why’d you name the dog Fido,” but try to penetrate beyond the obvious answers found in the script. Ask questions you would struggle to answer immediately were an actual interviewer to hold a microphone to your mouth, big picture questions. This will help you know not only the character the playwright intended, but also your own personal version of the character and what you can bring to the role.
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