Discovering Your Character

Here are some examples of basic "where" questions you may find helpful to ask about your character's environment. First, some physical concerns about a play that is set outside:

1. Were does the play take place -- country, city, village, neighborhood?

2. What's the weather? Is it raining, snowing, sunny, or windy?

3. What's the temperature? Is it cold or hot? Humid or dry?

And some questions about the physical environment of a play that takes place in an indoor setting:

1. Does the action of the play happen in a house, an apartment, a shop, a specific room, or a combination of

these? How do the rooms or other spaces influence each character's physical behavior?

2. Where does each part of the action occur? Do different scenes happen in different places? Do the

changes of scene affect the way your character walks, speaks, or behaves? Why and how?

3. What are the furnishings like? How do they influence how you walk, stand, sit?

Finally, some questions about the psychological impact of the play's environment:

1. Does your character have strong emotional ties to the location of the play? What is the nature of his or her emotional involvement with the setting? Be as specific as possible. Is there an effect on the way her or she speaks, walks, sits, or stands while there? How? Why?

2. If the play has more than one setting, does your character respond differently, depending on the location? In what ways? Why?

3. Is someone with whom your character interacts influenced by this place? If so, how does your own character adjust to that change in behavior?

These questions are just meant to start you thinking. The only limit to "Where are I?" questions is your own imagination.