OCT
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Using the Five Ws for Character Development

By David Coonan 

Dave Coonan is a New York-based theatre artist and teacher with over 15 years of directing experience.  He specializes in middle school, high school, and community theatre.  He is also president and artistic director of the Malverne Community Theatre, on Long Island. 

As an English teacher as well as a theatre teacher and director, I use questioning nearly every day in various forms.  Asking the right questions can lead to deep, truthful, and introspective thinking.  For example, in my English classes, I ask students to examine ideas presented in a text.  Or to hypothesize why a poet uses a certain word or technique and explore how it affects the way they experience the poem.  In my theatre life, questioning can produce the same quality of deeper thinking, leading to better understanding.

As the school director, my questioning helps my student actors discover subtle details about a character or about the play.  I show them how using a few simple question words can unlock a playwright’s theme, or how, by looking at the text differently and questioning the writer’s technique, we can find hints of different layers in each of the characters.

Keep it simple by starting with the five Ws:  Who?  What?  When?  Where?  Why?  (and How?)

Each of these has almost limitless potential for both the actor and director.  They can be used to discover meaning in the play as it appears on the page or discover something about the actor as a person.  All aspects are valid and should be considered valuable pieces of character development.

Let’s look at how you could use the Five Ws to frame explorations of character.  As you’ll see, the questions can be straightforward and simple, or more complicated and thought-provoking.  Only you know what is appropriate for your student actors.  And remember, these questions don’t only apply to leads and main characters — all actors are playing a character when they are on stage.  Make sure your ensemble feels just as valuable as the principals by having them use the same exercises to bring their characters to life, no matter how many lines they have.

Below are some examples of what you can have actors ask themselves.  You might even consider turning these into exercises or worksheets.

• Who is this character?  What are some traits that make this character unique?  How do these traits affect the character’s behaviors?
• Who in your own life reminds you of this character?  How can you adapt some of that person’s traits or physical and emotional behaviors into your character?
• What is this character’s objective?  Why does this character want to achieve this goal?  What obstacles are standing in the way?
• When does this play take place?  How does the time period affect the way you think about the plot?  How does it affect your character?
• Where does this play take place?  How does its location affect the plot?  How does it affect your character?
• What elements of the play would be different if the time and place were different?  Which elements of your character would be changed?  What would remain the same?
• What commentary is the playwright making about the subject?  Why should we have a play about this topic?

The possibilities and combinations are unlimited!  You could string a few questions together, like I did above, or ask only one question and explore it more deeply.  You will know how far to go based on the age and experience of your actors and the complexity of the play.

Using character development questions in rehearsals

You may want to structure rehearsals around specific topics.  For instance, here is a three-rehearsal arc model:

• Rehearsal 1:  Work with the actors on who their characters are and what their unique situations and actions are in the play.  Asking “Who is this character?”  allows the actor the chance to discover the mind of the character, and find a true, emotional connection.  The situations and actions shape who the character is, so by understanding both internal and external factors, the actor can create a three-dimensional character.
• Rehearsal 2:  At the next rehearsal, focus on the relationships between the characters, and break down the questions with all of the main players.  Focus on the questions from Rehearsal 1, and then add in dialogue from the play and have them play through the scenes with each other.  Allow them time to discover how the characters interact with each other and affect the overall plot of the play.
• Rehearsal 3:  Finally, discuss with the actors what the characters want (their objectives), and the obstacles that are preventing the characters from achieving those objectives.  Additionally, make sure it’s clear to the actor how the character overcomes the conflict — or succumbs to it.

By figuring out how to utilize these simple questions within your own class or rehearsal process, you can help your actors create real, human connections to their characters — and to each other.