Creating a character and using empathy to develop characterisation

In this lesson, students will take one character from their plotline and develop this character, exploring drama conventions to develop characters.

Creating a character and using empathy to develop characterisation

In this lesson, students will take one character from their plotline and develop this character, exploring drama conventions to develop characters.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, students will take one character from their plot line and develop this character, completing tasks such as a role on the wall, character questionnaire and hot seating style activities. They will write a monologue for their character, and annotate this with ideas of how to perform it.

Content guidance

  • Physical activity required.

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

Loading...

5 Questions

Q1.
What is a stimulus?
Correct answer: A starting point for a piece of drama.
A type of light used on stage.
A type of stage.
Q2.
Which of the following answers most accurately describes the structure of a story?
Characters meet, characters fall in love, the end.
Correct answer: Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.
Start, bit in the middle, end.
Q3.
Which definition best describes devising?
Correct answer: A piece of theatre created from a starting point or stimulus.
A play written before 1950.
A play with music.
Q4.
What would be the best way to create an interesting character?
Correct answer: Develop their personality and backstory so they are interesting.
Make sure they have a good costume.
Make sure they have a name.
Q5.
What is characterisation?
An illness where you think you are somebody else.
Drawing pictures of a character.
Correct answer: The process of creating and developing a character.

5 Questions

Q1.
Why is it important to have a backstory for your character?
Correct answer: It can make your performance more believable.
It makes the audience laugh.
It would sell more tickets for your performance.
Q2.
What is empathy?
Feeling sorry for someone.
The opposite to sympathy.
Correct answer: When you think and feel as another person thinks and feels.
Q3.
What is a three-dimensional character in Drama?
Correct answer: A character you develop with a past, present and future.
A character you draw with a realistic body.
When you perform a real-life person on the stage.
Q4.
Which of the following is NOT a good question for a character questionnaire?
Correct answer: What is your life story?
When were you last scared?
Who do you most admire in life?
Q5.
Why do we do 'role on the wall' in Drama?
Correct answer: It can help us develop our character and make them more believable.
It develops our drawing skills.
It helps us learn our lines.

Lesson appears in

UnitDrama / Devising from an image: Narrative approaches