Character Questions
Things to think about...
When you are building a character you are playing, or when you are creating a character from scratch for a play, you need to know that person well. Answering these questions may help you do that. You DO NOT need to write out the answers to these questions. Just things to THINK about as you start to develop your character. 1. List three physical characteristics of this person. 2. What physical characteristics make this person special or different? 3. What talents does this person possess? 4. How does this person learn best? Observation? Participation? Trial and error? By thinking about it? By consulting experts or books? 5. How open is this person to new ideas? How does this person behave if someone tries to change his or her mind? 6. Does this person notice problems around him or her? How does s/he react? 7. Is this person an optimist or a pessimist? How would this person react if his or her life took a turn for the worse? 8. Is this person more interested in the past, the present, or the future? Does he or she keep holiday traditions? Is this person sentimental about objects, like a gift from grandma or a first baseball glove? Does this person make a lot of plans for the future? 9. Does this person easily trust people? Does this person trust only after the new acquaintance has passed some kind of test? 10. How would a casual acquaintance describe this person in a sentence? How would his or her mother describe this person? How would a significant other describe this person? How would an enemy describe this person? 11. Does this person hate to ask for help? Does this person love to help others? 12. What situation would make this person afraid? What situation would make this person behave with reckless disregard for his or her own safety? 13. What ability/skill/talent/sensitivity/value/belief sets this person apart from everyone? 14. If time travel were a reality, where would this person go? 15. What characteristic action or attitude always gets this person in trouble? Created by R. Damon 2008
16. What personal value held by this person is at odds with societal values? 17. Is this person easy to get to know? Why or why not? 18. What is this persons initial reaction to a stranger? Potential friend? Potential enemy? Rival? Someone to charm? To deceive? 19. How is this person different when s/he is with family? What role does this person play in the family? Does that role still fit? 20. How has this persons childhood affected his or her later life? 21. Does this person love easily? Is s/he easy to love? Explain. 22. What is this persons blind spot? What person, idea, or institution does this person delude himself or herself about? 23. What is this persons quest? What does he or she seem to be seeking? 24. Is religion important to this person? 25. How does this person react to a blizzard? A thunderstorm? A scorching July day? 26. Does this person go with the flow or go against the flow? 27. Is this person funny? Serious? Reckless? Extravagant? Shy? A penny pincher? 28. How would this person react if s/he were shipwrecked? If s/he won the lottery? 29. Is this person a leader or a follower? 30. If this person were an animal, what would s/he be? A piece of furniture? An article of clothing? A book? A TV show? A piece of machinery? A type of weather? A color?
Created by R. Damon 2008
