Devising Characters

Explore different approaches to character building and devising through this this unique course, taught over several Saturdays. Based on the notion of actor as creator, we place the performer at the heart of the creative process. Rather than interpreting a written text and building a character from a play, you'll be writing your own characters and stories.

Taught by Italian actress, director, writer and academic Chiara D’Anna, this will be a playful, energising and stimulating course to help discover the extraordinary potential of our imagination and the expressivity of our bodies. Through animal work, improvisation, object work, images and music, you'll learn how to build a character and develop a narrative both as a solo-performer and as a member of an ensemble.

Actors, drama students, teachers and theatre directors interested in expanding their theatre skills will all benefit from this course. It is particularly useful for students and theatre practitioners interested in devising theatre and physical approaches to characterisation. Our multilingual approach celebrates cultural and language differences, leading to an exciting learning environment.

We'll explore different vocal and physical techniques for devising, primarily inspired by the tradition of popular theatre (such as clowning, storytelling, Commedia dell’Arte), as well as physical theatre and immersive site-specific work.

Some of these exercises and activities will be inspired by the influential work of Copeau and more specifically, three fundamental principles of ensemble theatre:

• le jeu (playfulness)
• complicité (togetherness)
• disponibilité (openness)

Texts, music, sounds, images and objects inspired by a specific theme chosen collectively by the group will provide the initial source of inspiration to stimulate the ensemble.

Unlike other courses, Chiara's eclectic background and wide-ranging experience in Commedia dell’Arte, dance-theatre, physical theatre as well as text-based theatre and cinema means that rather than following a set style, you'll be encouraged to experiment with different approaches, styles and genres.

Our creative journey will culminate in a site-specific short piece performed at London Metropolitan University in front of an invited audience.

Course structure

The work will be structured in four main stages:

• improvisation and discovery: free exploration/improvisation with visual and aural stimuli, props and costumes
• awareness and repetition: creation of physical and vocal scores for character-building
• development of characters’ narrative
• montage: juxtaposition and concatenation of characters’ narratives in the creation of an ensemble piece

Activities will include:

• warm-up body and voice: playful activities to expand performers’ vocal and physical skills
• improvisations with props, costumes, music, visual stimuli (drawings, paintings, pictures) and text
• development of characters’ interactions
• creative and imaginative work with the space
• play with tempo-rhythm, pace and composition during the final stages of development of the devised piece (montage phase)

By the end of the course, you should have developed a range of transferable skills and techniques and be able to:

• build a character through improvisation with objects, music, costumes and visual stimuli
• embody a character through a process of physical and vocal transformation
• create physical and vocal scores for performance
• develop a devised solo and ensemble work

Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for physical activity.