Character Creation Exercises: Researching Character/Play, Historical, Cultural, Social and Political Finding, Given Circumstances

It's very important to research the character that you're playing and also the play that you're in so that you get a full understanding of what you're required to do in the play and be able to portray your character in the right way. For example, in 'The Witness', one of the characters Alex was saved from the genocide happening in Rwanda but her mother died because of the genocide. In order to understand how the character's feelings are towards all of this, you would need to do research on the Rwandan genocide in detail to fully grasp Alex's emotions. ~Look at some eye-witness reports or stories based on the Rwandan genocide too. I believe that this is very usual because once you understand the emotional background of a character, you'll be able to empathize for them and put yourself in their shoes.

One way to research your character is by looking at their physicality, status, energy, the given circumstances, objectives and their voice. By doing all of this, you will be able to develop your character in enough detail to act it out well enough for it to not only be believable to you but to the audience aswell. Try to imagine how their physicality would be. Would they portray a relaxed physicality? Tired? Energetic? Be creative! Think about it and portray it through your character. We already know the given circumstances of Alex is that she is in London with her father because she dropped out of King's College. She would have still been in Rwanda if there wasn't any genocide because there would be no other reason for her adopted father Joseph to have taken her. How do you think she would feel towards all of this? Apply the given circumstances when acting out your character in order to make it more realistic.

A way you could research the play is find out all the different locations the characters have been in. For example, Alex was apart of the Rwandan genocide but was lucky to escape. Like I have said previously, research the Rwandan genocide in order to get a full understanding of how devastating the circumstances were. Alex is now in London in Joseph in April 2011. Research what was going on around that time in London! By doing this, you will be able to apply it to your portrayal of the character. For example, during April, it's the season of spring. This means that the weather is quite humid and may rain quite a bit and it might not be that hot. Because we know this, we will have an understanding of what the characters in the play might wear and be able to design a suitable costume for them that suits the weather.

Find the historical, cultural, social and political background of the play. Predominantly, 'The Witness' is set in London so find out the historal content of London! Is it a MEDC country? If so, that means maybe economical circumstances might not be as bad as it is in Alex's hometown Rwanda. A way to find out cultural aspects would see where people that are living in London might have immigrated from to come here. We know that London is very multi-cultural so Alex shouldn't have any problem living in London. In London, would the rich mix with what they consider to be the poor? Find out! See if there are places in London where only rich people can stay, if there are places the rich may be segregated from the poor. Look into the political side of London. Is there a lot of strikes happening? Are there raises in taxes? All these facts could be so crucial to develop your characters because their emotions they have could be influenced by all the current circumstances they're living in.

I think that all of this is very important and is vital in order to act out the character you are playing because once you understand the fundimentals of not only the characters within the play but the circumstances around them, it'll make it much more easier to bring your character to life. You could just be lazy and learn the script your given and just act it out on the day of the performance. A good actor/actress would spend not only rehearsal time but their own time to make sure they fulfil the purposes of their character and bring them to life.