Creating Character

Where to begin? What a very BIG issue to tackle. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers I suspect, just, whatever suits the individual at the time. Things change as you gain more experience anyway. I found the full time one year drama course I did in London provided me with new techniques, tricks and tips rather than the "this is how you act" thing I vaguely expected (and was thankful did not happen). It gave me all sorts of skills in unexpected areas and enhanced skills I already had. For instance I am now truly terrifying with a sword in my hand, for the right reasons mostly! My voice has become richer and my range has widened. All of these things add up to giving me the tools I need to create a character. The one thing they don't give you is the spark or inspiration. Most of the time I have found that comes from observation. Just looking at the people around you in ordinary life, what they do, how they do it, guessing at their reasons for doing it, etc. etc. can provide ideas about your role. Sometimes it may be a distant observation or memory, a gesture, all sorts of small things put together in a unique way. Very difficult to describe too! So much depends on the script and type of play as well. A fun farce, for instance, doesn't usually require a lot of deep Stanislavsky 'emotional memory', just the ability to produce a stock character of a typical type, and excellent timing. Same technique does NOT go down well for a Chekhov. Nontheless, observation helps create the farce stock character, as it does the tormented woman trapped by her environment. Interesting post, I look forward to other comments. Rapunzel "Papa, where is Mama? They tell me she has gone away, where is she?"