Drama Units and Activities
Who Am I?
Unit(s): Acting (character analysis)
Purpose:
To analyze a character in a play
Objective:
The students will identify and analyze a character using the
four levels of character: physical, social, psychological and
moral.
Materials:
- Scene from any play
- Character sketch sheet (four levels)
- Role scoring sheet (taken from The Stage and the
School, (pages 105-107)
Procedure:
- Have students read scene. Use either different scenes
or the same scene for the entire class.
- Hand out character sketch form. Have students list
characteristics on form for one of the characters in the
scene.
- Discuss the four levels of character in relation to
character(s) chosen.
- Assign Role Scoring. Have students answer questions
about same character(s).
Character Sketch
Name________________________
Character's Name_______________
Play_________________________
1. Physical characteristics (age, health, appearance, etc.)
a.
b.
c.
2. Social background (family, education, job, religion, clubs, etc.)
a.
b.
c.
3. Psychological qualities (emotional disposition, moods, intelligence,
desires/motives, etc.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. Moral character (values, beliefs, moral decisions, commitments, etc.)
a.
b.
Role Scoring
- How does the title of the play relate to your
character?
- What special texture does your character relate to?
- What is your character's main sense of urgency?
- What is your character's secret?
- What rhythm do you associate with your character?
- What personal sound do you associate with your character---
sighing, wheezing, grunting?
- What is your character's leading gesture?
- What is your leading center? What is your character's
leading center?
- What color do you associate with your character? Why?
- What object do you associate with your character? Why?
- What animal do you associate with your character?
- What are your two primary senses? Your character's?
- If your character saw the play, what reaction would she or
he have?
- Does your character "mask," or cover up, feelings and
behaviors? If so, what does your character mask?
- What "as if" images does your character use?
- Does your character have a sense of humor? Is this sense of
humor used in a positive or negative way?
- Would you, in real life, be your character's friend? Why?
Why not?
- What is your character's most positive trait?
- What is your character's status in the world? Does your
character have money and power?
- What are your character's major wants and desires?
- What is your character's major objective for each scene in
which that character plays a part?
- How does your character go about achieving those major
objectives?
- What is your character's life objective?
- How does your character go about achieving his or her life
objective?
- Has your character changed by the end of the play? If so,
in what ways?
Taken from The Stage and the School, pp. 106 - 107
