Developing a character physically
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Acting
Forum Discription: Q&A about auditions, character development and other aspects of the craft
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2908
Printed Date: 5/10/24 at 12:06pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Developing a character physically
Posted By: dancesingdrama
Subject: Developing a character physically
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:02am
I know this is a hard question to answer without personally knowing who you are talking to, but any advice you can give would be appreciated.
does anyone have any ideas on how to go about creating the physicality of a character? this has always been my biggest acting challenge and in the show i'm currently in it's becoming a huge frustration.
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if the end is right, it justifies the beans.
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Replies:
Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 9:16am
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I think this process is different for everyone. Some actors are great observers and will draw from life. Some are experimentors and will keep trying out things until they find something that fits. Some actors want a physical prop, a pipe, a purse, a school bag, something that they can work. For others it is about the clothes. I am in that last catagory. It is all about the shoes for me. High heels, clogs, sneakers, bowling shoes: they say so much about how the character moves and who they are. That is me though. Like I said everyone is different. If you are having trouble try some props or costume pieces and see if that doesn't help a little. You are doing the baker's wife right? Try rehearsing with an apron on, a kitchen towel, the boots and see if it helps. It couldn't hurt. Good luck.
Linda
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Posted By: dancesingdrama
Date Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:35pm
Yes, I have found that costume pieces help in the past, thanks for the suggestion. our costumes will be ready soon, and that always is extremely helpful...
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if the end is right, it justifies the beans.
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Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 9:52am
I'm directing A Bad Year for Tomatoes and there is a very funny character who is a kind of back woodsman. He should have a beard, but my actor says he can't grow a good beard especially in two months. I need him to have a ratty looking beard. Any ideas?
Barb
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Barb Hofmeister,
MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona.
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Posted By: oldactress
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 10:06am
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use synthetic hair applied with spirit gum. you can trim it any rattty way you want.
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Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 1/14/08 at 6:27pm
I think the comment about the shoes is great--maybe its because our physical nature is shaped so much by our movement, but I'd think about starting a character with a walk that is very different than your own walk would be good. If the character is impatient or nervous, perhaps that's reflected. If the character is a direct person, maybe they pause for an instant before setting off in a direct line for their destination.
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http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964
The theater scrim people
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Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 1/15/08 at 11:41am
Some times its a combination of things and techniques.. For a production of Scrooge a couple years ago, our Scrooge was really a fairly fit 40 year old rather than hunched up old scrooge... to get him to crouch like and shuffle like an old man, we started by taping his body forward slightly, putting pebbles in his shoes and giving him a walking stick... one night of that (really only about a half hour) and he was able to really feel the positioning and was able to adapt that portion of the physical scrooge flawlessly. For another scrooge I had, all we did was giving him the walking stick and he fell right into the appropriate physicality
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Marty W
"Till next we trod the boards.."
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Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/16/08 at 6:05am
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David Suchet who plays the character 'piorot' in the British ITV series of agatha christie.
I remember he mentioned in an interview of how he developed his role, with the walk.
I'm not sure if he wore one shoe size too small or used heal inserts to raise upon his toes. But it worked, besides him using the famous mustache & spending hours in front of the mirror.
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[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}
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Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 1/16/08 at 10:24am
When I was directing the Ray Cooney show Funny Money, I had an actor playing a corupt detective. He was doing fair but not realy "feeling" the part. Two weeks before the show we started working with all the props and some of the costumes. His costume came with a Bowler cap. He was just like Frosty the Snowman because as soon as we put the hat on his head he came to life. There was just something that clicked in him with that hat. He was great from that point on.
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Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse
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Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 1/16/08 at 11:18am
While most actors are familiar with Konstantin Stanislavski's book on"method" acting -- finding a character within -- few people realize he ALSO wrote a book on finding the EXTERNAL workings of a character.
This book, called -- appropriately enough -- "Building a Character" focuses on exactly what this thread is discussing: using costumes, props, hats, etc to create the physicality of a performance.
Francis Fergusson, Education Theatre Journal
"In (this book) Stanislavski, assuming the reader's familiarity with the 'inner technique', proceeds to study costume and the wearing of costume, bodily movement, voice, speech and the use of language, and tempo and rhythm-- the more external but essential techniques whereby the actor learns to use his physical instrument . . . and he expounds them as only a master can; i.e., with the insight and authority of talent plus expeirence. Anyone who attempts to train actors or to direct plays will find here a great mine of practical wisdom."
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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/16/08 at 6:44pm
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I don't know if the books suggested by Topper cover the old trick, of thinking of song/tune that best descibes or suits the character, especialy when applying accents to the role.
Normaly I run a song thru my head be I go on, to get me tuned into the accent. Such as Scots - 'Donal wheres ye troosers'. Cockney- 'Wot a mouf' or 'forty fousan feathers on a frushes froat'. Depending on the region or locality of the required accent.
This can be done with any accent, as tunes/songs are easier to track down these days.
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[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}
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Posted By: Kibitzer
Date Posted: 1/21/08 at 11:21pm
My theatrical roots are in physical theatre and I use a lot of physical work in the improvisation workshops I conduct, so I feel like I ought to suggest something, but there are about a million factors colliding in my brain, all of them trying to gain position as the most important part of character physicalization.
Physical manifestations can range anywhere from subtle to grotesque. I have a belief that you cannot fully master the subtle until you master the grotesque, so I would suggest starting with extreme physical exercises - contortions, really. Some exercises use the idea of an animal - if this character were an animal, what kind of animal would it be? Then take on the physical characteristics of that animal and see what that does. Feel what it does physically and emotionally. Character development throughout the rehearsal process will include experimenting with these physicalizations, picking those that feel right and eliminating those that don't. Then there is a process of refining them: converting them from the grotesque to the subtle, as appropriate.
Another thing I used to do while I was driving, I would look at people on the street or people in the car next me when stopped at a light. I would look at their facial characteristics and/or other visible physical characteristics and begin to "put them on" as I sat in the car - exaggerating them in order to really feel them both physically and emotionally. Then I'd think about the kind of person who would have such physical characteristics; world view, vocal qualities, and so forth. I'd begin to improvise these things while driving or right there waiting for the light to turn green. Of course, it was inevitable that from time to time, the person I was emulating would look over at me, see me squinting, contorting my face, and talking to myself (this was before cell phones - now if it looks like someone is talking to himself, he's probably on a cell phone!) and just shake their head - another nut on the road!
You can also try doing some mental work. Not everyone relates to mental imaging processes, but if you can relate to it, it can be an extraordinary tool. Imagine the character, his/her physical characteristics, in as much detail as you can. After visualizing the character, begin to "put on" the physical characteristics. Start with the very top of the head and work your way down to the tips of the toes - it's that detailed. Once you have essentially sculpted yourself, then add animation: How does the character breath? How does the character move? What are the character's vocal qualities? There is no right and wrong in this process; there is only exploration and experimentation.
Like everything else in theatre, it's a creative process. Dancers and mimes tend to understand physical creativity while the rest of us often have a lot of problems with this aspect of acting.
There are volumes written and entire courses and advanced courses on the physical aspects of theatre. When I first got involved with theatre many, many years ago, I studied with one of the great educational innovators in the use of movement and non-verbal communication for the actor: Nancy King. She has several books on the subject. Interestingly, she's more into story telling now than she is into non-verbal communications! However, her web site is: www.nancykingstories.com.
If you need more ideas, let me know. I've got a lifetime collection of physical theatre techniques!
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"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams
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Posted By: Director1
Date Posted: 1/28/08 at 5:59pm
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I'll second using animal imagery and music. Also props and costumes can spark the imagination.
The use of subtle adjustments based on circumstances and inferences can be helpful. (The character has been riding a horse: he has saddle sore. How does he walk, sit, etc?)
Which character are you working with?
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Posted By: Ray Faiola
Date Posted: 3/11/08 at 11:03am
Knowing your character's daily habits is very helpful in building your exterior. If he or she lives in a walk-up apartment, the knees will have a bit more wear and tear than usual. If the character is an executive or sedentary person, you might have a slight swayback from sitting most of the day. It's the daily routine of a character that shapes his physical standing and carriage.
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Ray Faiola
http://www.chelsearialtostudios.com
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