BWW Blog: Amanda Grillo - Preparation and Inspiration: Getting to Know Your Character

It finally happened. The cast list got posted and you are cast. Congratulations! Now what's the next step? Prep work. It's time to get familiar with the character you are going to portray. Here are some of the key steps to getting to know your character, so that you can make your performance the best it can be.

Read The Play:

Always read the play before auditions and after you get cast. It gives you a base knowledge of the world you are in and the circumstances your character are in. Rereading the play after you get cast allows you to focus on the development of your character.

Look at The Given Circumstances:

Time to pull out those worksheets from your acting class, folks! What does your character want? Where are you? When are you? What happens if you don't get what you want? All of these questions and more can give you a more specific idea about your character.

Form Ideas:

Try to figure your character out, but remember it is okay to not have all of the answers right now. You need to take the director's vision (whether it is different or the same) and also consider interactions that naturally occur during the rehearsals. I'm not saying you need to have a set plan on what you are going to do right away, but have a few ideas in your arsenal to play with and also be open to the ideas of others.

Research and Get Inspired:

One of my favorite things to do is make a collage in any medium, whether it be electronic or by hand, about the show and my character. Find images, quotes, even just words that can fuel your character to be portrayed as accurately as possible.

Look at the time period that your show takes place in. What was going on in the world? Being an actress, I like to look at what the role of women was like in whatever time period my character is in. This knowledge can influence how the character should be portrayed.

Doing the research is a vital part in understanding your character. Phoning it in and not taking the time to really invest in the character will only make everyone else's job harder, in addition to yours. That being said, these are methods that I have found common throughout acting classes and productions I've been a part of or are a personal method. Some of these methods may work for you, but some may not.

What's your favorite way to get into your character?

Coming soon: Luciana's Outlook: First Look at The Comedy of Errors