Using Character Bios to Connect Physically

Hi friends!

Let's talk a bit about character bios. 
Oh goodness, I remember ye old yonder days when I first discovered the character bio. I was in middle school, and I came across my sister's character bio from her high school theatre class. You know the ones--very long, very arduous, very dry.
As I continued my training into high school, I became quite obsessed with finding and curating character bio questions. I looked through all my theatre and acting books and wrote them all down by hand until I had a master list. However, I discovered that the more I dove into these questions, the more and more distance I was creating between the character and myself.

I needed new questions. 

I started collecting questions that made me feel something, not just think something.  That's the problem with most character bio questions--they just make us think more, but not feel anything.
And look, thinking is wonderful! We need to use our big bright brains beforehand as we make all of our smart actor choices. However, when we start acting, we need to think with our second brain--our gut. We need to follow impulse. And think about the word impulsive--it literally means: acting or done without forethought.

So, how do we make strong, thoughtful, smart choices that also allow us to be impulsive and act without forethought?

1. Make choices that you feel physically. Does that acting choice make you excited? scared? intimidated? passionate? turned on? enthusiastic? Use it. 
2. Allow your impulses to govern the questions you ask. I have a list of questions that I've curated (more on that below), but at the end of the day, you will find that certain questions pinch you more than others. And then that question might lead you to a different question. And then a different question. Follow the breadcrumbs. They'll always take you to the right place.
3. Bios don't have to just be handwritten. I've created collages, playlists, scansion dances, paintings, cartoons. Remember, as a kid, how you used to take cardboard boxes and turn them into whatever suited your fancy? Tap into that kid. You can learn a lot about your character by playing--more than from just deciding what your character ate for breakfast. 
4. Sometimes I like to imagine that the character is telling me what questions they want to be asked.​ Let your character choose their bio questions. 

• For example: if I'm playing Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, I'm sure she would loooooove to talk about her first date with Demetrius. And guess what? Reviewing that date in my imagination will only help my interactions with him become that much more specific. 
• Going back to the breakfast example in number 3: if I'm playing someone with an eating disorder, it might be helpful to figure out what I ate for breakfast. Did I even eat breakfast? If not, when was the last time I ate? What did I eat? How did I feel about myself after eating? (Do you see how this goes back to #2? Following the breadcrumbs. One question will lead to a slew of others).

The questions I've accumulated over the years have come from a variety of sources--the 36 Questions that Lead to Love, a Getting to Know You deck of cards, Ice Breakers...basically, a question that you would ask to get to know someone better or on a much deeper level is the EXACT kind of question you should be asking your character. That is what you are doing after all, right?

Attached, you'll find my curated list of character bio questions. You might even learn about yourself in the process :)

character_bio.pdf
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