02 Feb 2010, Posted by Susana Baker in Acting,Articles,Theatre, 0 Comments

Creating Character Biographies to Build a Character

In building a character either on stage or on film, it is extraordinarily important to make the character as complete of a person as possible. This process involves writing a character biography. The document should be written in the first person and should answer vital questions about the character, such as:

• Where do you live?
• What is your socioeconomic status?
• What is your personality like?
• What do you want out of life?
• How old are you?
• What is the time period of the play?
• How did you grow up?
• What kind of job do you have?
• What kind of relationships do you have and how do you deal with them?

Make sure that you are as specific as possible and take this time to really delve into the life and mind of your character. Some of this information will be provided to you by the playwright, either directly or through subtext. Read the play multiple times to pick up as much as you can. The rest of the information you can make up yourself to round out the character the playwright has provided you. This necessary exercise will aid you in the process of presenting a complete character to the audience.