The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

Life without relationships is like solitary confinement. We’re hard-wired to connect with each other, even when we play in fiction. We engage in make believe the same way we do in life—through relationships.

Spects need to know how they’re connected to other characters in order to play. Picture a male spect in a bedroom with a female inter-actor. If he doesn’t know whether she’s supposed to be his girlfriend, his mother, or his sister, he’ll be hesitant to engage. What’s the appropriate behavior? It all depends on the relationship.

Spects seldom establish character relationships themselves. This task usually falls to the inter-actor. You need to endow spects with relationships so they’re free to play. Here are some tips to make that process easier.

Know them – Unless a script dictates otherwise, assume that it’s a small world. Characters know each other. This justifies your endowing details about spects’ characters. It also makes it easier for spects to play because they don’t need to invent so much right away.

Name the relationship – It’s fine to use oblique offers to imply a relationship. Just remember that oblique offers are open to interpretation. Include a defined offer that names the relationship so spects know exactly who they are in relation to your character. What are your positions? Mother and daughter? Doctor and patient? Lovers? Frenemies? Name it so they know for sure.

Build a connection – Spects need to feel connected with your character for real feelings to show up. The best way to build connection is to focus on the physical. Is it familiar or formal? Close or distant? What’s the eye contact like? Clear physicalities build strong connections.

Focus on status – Relationships are complicated. Many elements come into play—personalities, perspectives, strengths, weaknesses, histories. It’s a lot. One way to simplify relationship is to focus on status. Positional status shows who’s higher and lower in the social hierarchy. Physical status reflects which character has more personal power. Focus on status and the other facets of a relationship show up as a byproduct.

Instant relationships

Sometimes you need to generate a relationship instantly. Here are a few tools to jumpstart the process.

Closer or farther – Ask yourself, do you like the other character? If the answer is yes, get closer. If not, move farther away. This quickly communicates something about the relationship. Bonus tip: If the other character moves closer or farther away, stay where you are. Play the tension of the distance.

Someone you know – Think of someone with whom you already have a relationship in real life. Assume that your character has the same relationship with the spect’s character.

7 relationships – It’s easy to get in a rut when endowing relationships. If every relationship seems to be the same, add variety using the 7 relationships—family, friend, enemy, superior, peer, subordinate, and professional.

Character relationships are essential to the process of play. When you endow relationships, spects play more quickly and easily. Know who you are to each other and you’ll never play alone.