Lesson 7: Character Creation

Objective
● Students will be able to embody a unique character by utilizing the three elements of movement—physicality, energy, and gesture—to create a character and performing a “job interview” as their character.

Standards

● Utah

• ○  Standard 7-8.T.P.4 - Communicate meaning using the body through space,

  shape, energy, and gesture.

• ○  Standard 7-8.T.CR.6: Create and sustain a believable character throughout

  a scripted or improvised scene.

• ○  Standard 7-8.T.P.3: Observe, listen, and respond in character to other

  actors throughout a scripted or improvised scene. ● National

• ○  TH:Cr3.1.7.b. Develop effective physical and vocal traits of characters in an improvised or scripted drama/theatre work.
• ○  TH:Pr4.1.6.b. Experiment with various physical choices to communicate character in a drama/theatre work.

• ○  TH:Pr6.1.8.a. Perform a rehearsed drama/theatre work for an audience.

  Materials needed

  ● Chairs stacked
  ● Characterization & Movement

• Getting to Know You worksheet

  Warm-up

● Warm-Up Question
○ Who’s your favorite iconic character from a book/movie/TV show?

• ●  Stretch & Shakeout

• ●  Move to the stage

  Hook

• ●  At the beginning of this unit during the Cinderella lesson, we talked about stock characters, now we’re going to talk about how to make characters more SPECIFIC using the elements of movement
• ●  Specific characters

○ Using the characters written on the board and additional iconic characters,

ask the students to walk around embodying one specific character at a

time. Once they’ve moved around like this character for 30 sec-1 minute, tell them to pause.

■ Other Characters to use...

• ●  Santa
• ●  Santa’s elves
• ●  Superman
• ●  Iron Man
• ●  Spiderman
• ●  Disney princess
• ●  Maleficent
• ●  Eeyore
• ●  Tigger
• ●  Wicked Witch
• ●  Etc.

○ Ask the class to share what they think were the Laban efforts, energy levels, and gesture/facial expressions often used by this character that makes them recognizable.

● Discuss

• ○  What made each of these characters so recognizable and iconic?
• ○  How does their movement contribute to that?

• ○  Why might it be important to have more specificity with your

  characterization?

  Instruction/Practice

• ●  We’ll now give you a chance to create a specific character. Either create a character or pick one that you are currently working on in a show (have to verify with me that you’re in the show).
• ●  Let the students spread out to be on their own. Establish that they will first be doing this with their feet planted. Later, they will get to move around, but for now, just stay in one spot.

• ●  Laban

  • ○  Show the Laban efforts on the board again and invite them to choose one

    effort to base their character on. It can be the same one as before or they can create a new one. If they already have a character they’re workshopping, have them choose an effort that they feel fits their character.

  • ○  Once they’ve chosen one, start embodying the effort. Small first, just with your hands! Then all over the place, then start moving to be really big with the movement. Then start to see what you can do to make it more natural—how would a real person move with this effort? Think back to the characters we saw—they weren’t over the top but normal!

• ●  Stand still again.

• ●  Energy

  • ○  Show the energy levels on the board and invite them to choose one energy to add to their characterization. They shouldn’t lose the effort they were doing before, but now just add a certain energy level to go with it. For the purposes of this exercise, you have to be moving, so you can’t choose level 1 or 7.
  • ○  Start moving around again with that energy level.

• ●  Gesture

  • ○  Stop and think of a signature gesture that your character can do often to tell us a little more about their personality. Remember—Linus sucked his thumb because he was a baby. Or maybe your character is evil, so they put their fingers together a lot, etc. If you need help, I put some emotions up on the board to help you think about what emotion your character is and gestures that are associated with that gesture. The gesture doesn’t have to be connected to an emotion though, it’s just to get you thinking!
  • ○  Now walk around periodically doing your gesture—still no voice, but you can interact with others to do your gesture with them.

• ●  Getting to know you handout - having a unique character will help you

  • ○  Now that they’ve solidified how their character moves, let that inform what

    that tells you about the character.

  • ○  Give the handouts out and have them fill them out as if they were

    answering as their character.

    Assessment

• ●  Career Fair

  • ○  Your character is at a career fair, seeking for a job. They must approach

    the panel (the class) in character to introduce themselves, state what job they are seeking, and demonstrate a skill that they have that would fulfill that job. Once you are on the stage, you must be in character up to the time that you leave the stage. That means every movement you make, including walking up and doing your skill must be considered!

  • ○  The teacher will ask them questions

    • What’s your name?
    • What job are you seeking today?
    • Can you show me why you are qualified for this position?
    • And improv as necessary.
• ●  Submit grades in physicality, energy, and gesture on a scale of 1 (below standard) to 4 (advanced).