The alternative entrance to Narnia...
I'm currently
working on The Algae Opera, a micro opera that requires me to build a character in a future world. The tricky bit is, we're
building the future state as we go. So it's not just the case of picking up the
libretto and score and scouring for clues. It's design thinking in iterative
cycles.
As we've been
co-creating the opera, I've found Uta Hagen's six steps to building a character
absolutely invaluable as a framework to check in with.
I always use
this framework to build a character, from opera to TV - it harks back to my acting training at
Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. So my advice is to grab a well-frothed latte,
or a perfectly brewed cup of tea and think about your opera character within this
framework. It guarantees a 3D character
if you let the design go all the way to your feet:
1. WHO AM I
What is my
present state of being?
How do I
perceive myself?
What am I
wearing?
2. WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES
What time is it?
The year, the season, the day, at what time does my selected life
begin?
Where am I?
In what landscape, city, neighbourhood, building, and room do I find
myself?
What surrounds
me?
The immediate landscape, the weather, the condition of the place and
the nature of the objects in it?
What are the
immediate circumstances?
What has just happened, is happening, what do I expect or plan to
happen next and later on?
3. WHAT ARE MY RELATIONSHIPS
How do I stand
in relationship to the circumstances, the place, the objects, and the other
people related to my circumstances?
4. WHAT DO I WANT
What is my main
objective?
What is my
immediate need or objective?
5. WHAT IS MY OBSTACLE
What is in the
way of what I want?
How do I
overcome it?
6. WHAT DO I DO TO GET WHAT I WANT
How can I
achieve my objective?
What's my
behaviour?
What are my
actions?
Reprinted from
Uta Hagen's Challenge for the Actor, p134
For more
information about the six steps and Uta Hagen's methodology, click here
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