One of our members here, Jimmy Farriester has emailed me a set of very interesting questions concerning creating and having an original theatrical Character.
When I read his list I first thought that nobody really writes on this subject, even though the questions all hit at the very root of what we do out there, and that many performers would benefit from an article written answering these questions.
So here goes-
1. Have you shared with us how your stage character shares similarities with yourself?
The Short Answer,
My character is just an amplification of my silly side.
The Long Answer,
In an article titled- The Character And Our Mysticism I have written that I believe our characters are a sort of a mature extension of ourselves that are buried in our minds since childhood, and I teach in this article how to get this character to show itself and go to work for you.
My Onstage Character, as you know is pretty silly and absent minded.
He is plagued by unseen forces that work for or against him.
He also suffers from his own lack of being able to read the room correctly.
On the contrary, when I'm offstage and out of character, my personality tends to be introverted around people I do not know.
Around close friends and family I tend to be manic, talkative, and sometimes brooding and philosophical.
One thing both my character and offstage personality share, is that both of us look and sound like crackpots.
The character is just more fun to be around.
Sometimes I hate him for that. Ha
My offstage personality tends to be overwhelming to my loved ones, many of my friends drink just to hang out with me.
Which can be awkward, because I don't even really drink anymore.
2. Things you need to turn on and off when changing between the two?
Honestly, It's all done in one action.
All I need to do is, flick The On Switch and all the changes are made at the same time.
When I flick The Off Switch, they all go off at the same time.
3. How to turn the character on?… and off?
The Short Answer,
Backstage or on the pitch, before I start working, I take a full minute to envision my Show's Character.
I make myself want to be him again, and then let him wash over me before I perform.
When done right, I actually feel the transformation wash over me.
When done wrong, I simply keep doing it with more concentration, until I get the desired result.
Now after just reading this, if you think that seems insane or just impossible, please read the article titled How the Busker Conquers Stage Fright And Intimidation. for the Long Answer.
In the article, I explain in-depth and in detail, how me and my students use the On/Off Switch as a crucial tool to be full time professionals.
Working without it would seem impossible to me especially with my introverted tendencies.
4. Has your character spilled over into your actual life?
YES, my character does pop up unexpectedly now and again while offstage.
It is definitely my silly side.
So it can be fun, when my friends and I are talking, and telling stories.
But it can be very irritating and embarrassing when I need to be a responsible member of society.
Irritating when I need to conduct business, and be taken seriously, and not looked at like a ridiculous cartoon character.
Also sometimes I can suddenly have a barrage of what seems like bad luck and clumsiness, this always leaves me irritated and rolling my eyes like,
"Oh man please not now!"
Needless to say, in real life offstage I make terrible first impressions.
Well, enough about my schizophrenia.
Let's talk about you.
Suffice to say, our advice here at the newsletter, is if you want to find your character, you may need to contract that psychological disease yourself.
If anyone else has a list of questions, please feel free to email me or leave them in the comments below and I may just turn them into an article too.
Your Pal Jimmy
If you got a kick out of this, you can leave me a tip, remember I have a wife and kids and a character to support.