Character development is at the heart of any great performance, whether on stage or on screen. For performance art students, understanding the intricacies of creating and embodying a character can be the key to delivering an authentic, captivating performance. Building a character goes beyond memorizing lines or mimicking behaviors; it requires a deep exploration of the character’s psyche, motivations, and the physicality that brings them to life. This process has been studied and refined over decades, with influential methods like Stanislavski’s system, Meisner Technique, and Lee Strasberg’s method offering valuable tools for actors to shape their characters in meaningful ways.
Stanislavski’s System: Laying the Foundation for Realism
Konstantin Stanislavski is often considered the father of modern acting, and his system remains foundational for many acting methods today. His approach focused on creating a realistic and truthful performance by encouraging actors to understand their characters’ internal emotions, motivations, and desires. The core of Stanislavski’s system is the idea of the “given circumstances”—the environment, relationships, and context in which the character exists. Understanding these details is crucial for shaping an authentic portrayal.
For instance, when building a character, Stanislavski encouraged actors to ask themselves questions like:
- What does my character want? (The “objective”)
- What obstacles are in their way? (The “conflict”)
- What tactics does my character use to achieve their goal?
By asking these questions, an actor can start to understand their character’s inner life. Stanislavski’s method also stresses the importance of emotional memory—tapping into the actor’s own experiences to relate to the character’s emotions, enabling a more truthful portrayal. Understanding these foundational elements of the character’s inner world helps an actor create a performance that feels both grounded and dynamic.
Meisner Technique: Living in the Moment
The Meisner Technique, developed by Sanford Meisner, emphasizes spontaneity and living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Unlike Stanislavski’s system, which focuses on internal emotional preparation, Meisner prioritizes reacting to the moment and being present with your scene partner. The technique is centered around one core principle: “living truthfully under the given circumstances.”
In Meisner’s approach, an actor must improvise and react instinctively to what is happening in the scene rather than relying on preconceived ideas about their character. This method teaches actors to be in the moment, to listen and respond to their partners, and to trust their instincts. A crucial exercise in the Meisner technique is the repetition exercise, where two actors repeat a phrase or action over and over, creating new meaning each time through emotional shifts and spontaneous reactions. This helps actors drop any preconceived notions about their character and truly inhabit the present moment, making the performance feel more organic and authentic.
Lee Strasberg’s Method: Exploring the Depths of Emotional Truth
Lee Strasberg’s Method Acting is perhaps one of the most well-known techniques, popularized by actors such as Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. Strasberg built on Stanislavski’s system, particularly the idea of emotional memory, but took it further by encouraging actors to immerse themselves in the character’s emotional landscape through reliving personal experiences that align with the character’s emotions. This approach allows actors to draw from their own lives, memories, and feelings to create a deep, emotional connection with their character.
For Strasberg, the goal was to help the actor achieve a state of emotional authenticity that feels real and powerful. This often involves submersion into the character’s emotional state, using techniques like sensory recall to bring forth sensory details that create a vivid, emotionally charged atmosphere. The physicality of the character is equally important in this process. Strasberg emphasized that the body must be aligned with the inner emotions of the character, creating a seamless connection between physicality and emotional expression.
Building a Character’s Backstory: Digging Into the Past
No matter what acting method you use, building a character’s backstory is crucial. Even if the character’s history is not explicitly written in the script, creating a detailed backstory allows the actor to have a clearer understanding of who they are, where they come from, and why they behave the way they do. This doesn’t mean writing an entire novel about the character’s life, but rather answering key questions that will inform how they move, speak, and interact with others.
Some practical questions to consider include:
- Where was your character born?
- What events in their life have shaped them?
- What are their fears, desires, and weaknesses?
- What are their relationships like with other characters?
This backstory provides the emotional backbone that drives the character’s choices and actions. It also helps the actor connect with the character on a more profound level, even if those details aren’t explicitly shown in the performance.
Physicality and Movement: Bringing the Character to Life
An often-overlooked aspect of character development is physicality. How does your character walk, gesture, or use their body? Are they rigid and controlled, or loose and expressive? Understanding your character’s physicality can dramatically change how they are perceived by the audience. Techniques like Laban movement analysis or body awareness exercises can help actors understand the physical language of their characters and align their movements with their emotional state.
For example, a character who is anxious might have jittery movements, hunched shoulders, and avoid eye contact, whereas a confident character might stand tall with open gestures and a steady gaze. These physical traits should align with the character’s inner world, allowing the performance to feel multidimensional.
Conclusion: The Ongoing Process of Character Development
Creating a fully realized character is an ongoing process that requires both exploration and adaptation. Whether you draw on Stanislavski’s emotional depth, Meisner’s spontaneity, or Strasberg’s emotional immersion, the key is to remain open and responsive to your character and the world around you. Building a character’s backstory, motivations, and physicality adds depth to the performance, while the actor’s emotional commitment to the role ensures authenticity. By investing in the process of character development, performance art students can bring more complex, grounded, and memorable characters to life on stage and screen.