Character Development

Characters grow and change throughout a play, that’s what makes them interesting to watch! And just like every person, every character is different. This guide will cover how to create a character and make them dramatically interesting.

Terminology

Character: a fictional person in the play.

Character arc: the journey a character goes on through the play, including the things that happen to them and how those things affect them and make them change.

Motivation: the reason your character needs what they need in the play.

Consistency: a character with consistency behaves in a way that is true to their personality throughout the play. They don’t do things that go wildly against what we know about them.

Conflict: conflict is created when something or someone stops a character from getting what they need or want. It can be internal or external.

Internal conflict: an internal conflict is created by something about the character themselves, like their personality or their emotions.

External conflict: external conflict is created by outside forces that the character cannot control.

Backstory: the details of the character’s life and experiences before the play started. It includes their childhood right up to the beginning of the play.