Creating characters from beliefs

• Your entire group should take the stage.
• Walk around and take turns speaking. When someone speaks, everyone else should stop walking and listen. When they have finished speaking, everyone can move again.
• Start by stating personal beliefs or opinions. Stay away from jokes and be as honest as possible. These statements should be simple, even mundane personal opinions. Examples: “You should never read the ending of a book first.” ”You should take a nap every day.” ”You should turn the lights off when you leave a room.” “Always yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.”
• After walking and sharing statements for a few minutes, form a back-line. Take turns initiating scenes as characters that embody one of the personal beliefs that was shared. The personal belief shared will serve as the inspiration or starting point for a character. Each improviser must use a belief other than the one he or she shared.
• As the scene progresses, ask yourself, “If this unusual thing is true, then what else is true?” or, “If this unusual thing is true, then why is it true?” Even though you are starting with something simple, you can find ways to heighten and explore this initial belief (e.g., the person who believes that you should turn..the lights off when you leave a room might grow into someone who is militant about conservation).
• You don’t literally have to repeat the belief as the start of the scene. For example, if you’re working off of someone saying, ”You should never read the ending of a book first,” you might initiate a scene by saying, “I like to see the mystery of life unfold in the moment.” You have started your scene with the intent behind this belief but not the exact wording. You should be asking yourself, “If this type of person never reads the ending of a book first, then what else would they do? What type of person is that to me?” Maybe this person has always packed up their things in a truck, driven to a new city, and then looked for an apartment. Maybe this person is really bad at chess, since he or she avoids thinking several moves ahead.

Purpose