The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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When spects change your point of view, it’s sometimes useful for them to see you go through the process. Here are the three steps.

Exercises

Speak a one-minute monologue in an overly-dramatic fashion. (If you don’t have a monologue memorized, speak song lyrics that you know by heart.) Try to be interesting and clever. Then repeat the the words in a completely relaxed fashion, without acting at all.

Exercises

The attack series is five different “attacks” that help players develop commitment and move outside of their comfort zones. The exercise only lasts five minutes, but requires full mental and physical commitment.

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Your character may have a strong exterior, but you add greater depth when you reveal a vulnerability that lies beneath the surface. Take the hit and be changed. Have a blind spot or an Achilles’ heel. Play for the loss. Assume the blame. In short, allow even the strongest character to have moments of vulnerability.

Topics
something that makes a character uniquely identifiable.

A good character is distinct and memorable. You can accomplish this by giving your character a hook.

Exercises

Close your eyes and imagine a day in the life of your character. Then, write a first-person journal entry in your character’s personal journal or diary. In addition to writing about the events of the day, include your character’s hopes, fears, and feelings. Repeat the process once a day for a week.

Exercises

Do research into aspects of your character’s life. Create a list of ten things that you learn from the research. Create a “because of that” list for each of the ten items. Turn three of those items into playable actions.

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something said or done to slip quickly into character

When actors perform with an accent, they often have a phrase they say to get into it. You can use a similar approach when playing a character. Find something physical or verbal that makes you feel like your character, and make that your shoehorn. It’s might be anything: a gesture, a facial mask, a costume piece, a catch phrase. Whenever you need to drop into character, simply use your character shoehorn. It’s a basic conditioning technique that helps you get into character quickly and easily.

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance