The Theatre Classroom -- A Character Developing Activity Part 2

Below are two more ways of looking at character creatively by illustrating the character using color and various lines. If you copy and paste the below into a Word document you’ll have a ready-made activity.

Once the students have finished the below drawings and after a rehearsal, line the drawings up in front of the stage and have the actors try to figure out whose is whose.  It is quite a revelation to everyone.

Drawings

Drawing 1

This drawing deals with your specific character. Draw a picture of your character on a white unlined 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. Do not literally draw your character, but symbolically. Use colors as well as various strokes that represent your character.  Do not put your name or your character's name on the front. Justify on a separate sheet of paper.

A person playing Miss Lynch from Grease would use very bold, straight lines in a pea green color or maybe just using black lines. A person might even draw thunderbolts. Why? Everything to Miss Lynch is either right or wrong.  She has no grey area or anything pleasant. She is always zinging her students.  She enjoys catching her students out of class.

Drawing 2

This drawing is how your character relates to the other characters in the play as well as the play’s title. Draw a picture of what your character thinks of the show on a white unlined 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper, using colors.  Place the name of the play somewhere on the front. Do not put your name or your character's name on the front. Justify on a separate sheet of paper.

Miss Lynch would have many question marks on her paper, as she is sure most of the students at Rydell High will not amount to anything.  However, there would be two shinning stars, Eugene and Patty.  She loves Rydell High so somewhere in the drawing there has to be some indication of that. Maybe it is the outline of the school done in red?  On the other hand, the way she writes “Grease” needs to indicate how much she doesn’t like greasers and the Pink ladies.