JAN
13

Improv Games and Exercises for Character Development

Welcome back!  We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating winter break.  Of course, the challenge is that your students did too, and it’s going to take a bit to get their brains and bodies back in shape for drama classes.

Just for fun, here are two classic improv games.  After that, we share three different exercises that help with character development, whether for improv or once you’ve cast your spring show.

Games

Of course you know these “oldies but goodies.”  They’re a good reminder that even the most basic of games can be great warmups to start your new year.

A-to-Z

The director, an actor, or the audience (if there is one) picks a place or theme, such as “the grocery store” or “superheroes save the day.”  Then, choose an actor to start the scene with dialogue beginning with the letter A.  Set a time limit to encourage quick thinking and fluidity!  After the first line of dialogue is delivered, each subsequent actor makes sure their line begins with the next letter of the alphabet, while also moving the story forward.  For example:

Actor One:  Ah, man!  I lost my glasses!
Actor Two:  Bummer!
Actor Three:  Can’t you just get a new pair? 
Actor One:  Don’t have enough money. 
Actor Two:  Exactly how much do you need?

Actors continue in this fashion until someone either misses a letter in the alphabetical sequence or goes over the time limit, at which point they’re eliminated and another actor picks up the scene where the last actor left off.  This can go on until just one actor remains, or each eliminated actor can be replaced by another waiting in the wings.  If you manage to reach the end of the alphabet, loop back around or end the game.

Freeze

Choose a place or theme and designate an actor not onstage as “the freezer.”  Have the two actors onstage begin to improvise a scene.  At some point in the scene, “the freezer” can yell “Freeze!”  and the onstage actors must freeze in their exact positions.  (Consider making a rule to wait at least 30 seconds to “freeze” a scene so that the actors get into a groove.)  Once the actors are frozen, the freezer replaces whichever actor they choose, resuming the exact position in which that actor had frozen.  Then, the new actor starts the scene again, but with a different theme based on their frozen positions.  For instance, a sword fight might become a baseball game.  A jog through the park could become a fashion shoot.  A poker game could become a sewing circle.

This can go on as long as you’d like, with new actors cycling in with their own improvised themes.

Exercises

Once your young actors are back in the groove, it’s always good to focus on character development.  Below are three activities to help you with different dimensions of this, including physicality and relationships.

Props

Put a pile of props in the middle of the stage.  Have all actors grab a different prop and line up at the front of the stage.  One by one, actors introduce themselves as a character they have developed based on the prop they chose.  Have the actors develop the character based on the Five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why).

For example, an actor chooses a baseball cap:  “Hi!  My name is Jack (who), and I’m coaching my son’s little league team (what) this summer (when).  I’m a Cubs fan, born and raised right here in Chicago (where).  I volunteered to coach this season because I don’t see my son as much since I’ve started working so much overtime (why).  I’m afraid I’ll lose my job if I refuse to pick up the extra hours they’re asking me to take.”  How much backstory can each actor create from one simple prop?  After every character is introduced, have your actors swap props or pick entirely new ones.

Where do you lead from?

Physicality is a huge part of character development.  Many famous characters have very distinct characteristics, such as Quasimodo’s hunch or Richard III’s limp.  But almost everyone has some mannerisms they likely don’t even notice, such as biting nails, tucking hair behind the ear, or cracking knuckles.  Another unique mannerism is how one walks.

Have an actor cross the stage in their normal fashion, repeatedly walking back and forth.  As they do so, have the other actors (the audience) observe and try to identify how the onstage actor “leads,” as in, what part of their body movement catches the audience’s eye?  Do they lead with their chest, pronounced and forward?  Do they lead with the bottom of their shoes, kicking up their feet as they take their next steps?  Or maybe they lead with their forehead, with their head pushed forward?

Once the other actors have established how the onstage actor walks, ask the onstage actor to change their walk to contradict their natural style.  For instance, if the actor normally walks with shoulders back, have them hunch forward more and hang their arms down.  Have them consciously lead with their knees, their hands, or their eyes.  Whatever you do, encourage actors to get out of their comfort zone and dramatically change the way they move — shorten their stride, speed up their steps, alter their rhythm, shuffle their feet, etc.

After you’ve cast your show, ask each actor to dissect how they think their character would walk, then experiment and implement those movements.

Relationships

This exercise is useful once you’ve cast your show.  After assigning roles and familiarizing yourself and your cast with the script and story, have the cast gather in a circle.  Then, have them look to the other actors and consider what they think their relationship is with each other character.

Be sure to define “relationship!”  Too many times, young actors see the word “relationship” and think of a romantic interest.  But relationships exist with every person you come in contact with.  The relationship could be an integral part of your life, like a parent-child relationship, or it could be a small and insignificant, fleeting moment, like a checkout clerk at a store.  Still, each moment is important to lead you to where you are right now.  And the same goes for characters in a show.

For example, consider Alice from any version of Alice in Wonderland.  What is Alice’s relationship with the White Rabbit?  With Mad Hatter?  With the Queen of Hearts?  What about with herself?

After all actors have had time to consider their relationships with each other, have them write out their interpretations of the significant relationships, creating part of their backstory.  Of course, there is no wrong answer.  But by giving it considerable thought, this exercise helps actors better interact with each other.