10 Questions to Ask During Rehearsal
1. If the playwright showed up today and started mercilessly cutting the script, what is the one line your character says that you would fight for? If the moment you choose doesn't have to do with a line, but does have to do with a moment, what moment would you fight for?
2. Think about the quietest moment in the play. Would an audience member sitting in the back row of the theatre be able to understand what is being said? Would they understand what the character wants? What the character is doing? If not, what can be adjusted to reach them?
3. Choose one of your lines and say it with the opposite intention. (e.g. Say “I really want that rose” with the subtext “Get that rose away from me. I never want to see it again.”) Did it work? If not, why? Is there another line that an opposite intention would work for?
4. What part of your own physicality do you use for your character? Can you change it to something unique to the character?
5. Is there anywhere else your character would rather be? Is there a place they dream of going?
6. What lies does your character tell? Which lines are lies but not obvious ones?
7. Choose one physical move your character makes. Why does your character move that way at that time and in that direction? (n.b. You should be able to answer these questions for every single move your character makes.)
8. What one action could you make as an actor to make something easier on a fellow cast member?
9. What one action could your character take to make something more difficult for another character? Are there times your character lets them win too easily?
10. Choose a pivotal moment for your character. What would happen if they made the opposite choice in that moment?