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pretend to be this other person that you've created. You'll
physically play through those actions you can, describing
in detail those actions you can't. The Director will keep up
a running dialogue with the Actors to describe the changes
ofthe Scene around them as the Actors move, speak, and
act. The trick is to immerse yourself in your assumed role.
To act and storytell well enough to make your Scenes live
in each person's imagination The more feeling you have
for the role you create for yourself, the more fun this will
be. Try to create a persona you would enjoy being. Make
this persona as complete as possible. How does this
character dress, what are her facial expressions, favorite
phrases, habits of speech and body language? There will
be a lot of you in this assumed role, but it's the differences
that make the role enjoyable.
Feel free to play with your character's psyche.
There's a tendency for starting players to create only
leading roles. Stiff necked heroes get all the girls, but
they're boring. It's the challenging roles that Actors seek.
How about a coward with a lot of bravado? Someone who
suggests daring plans of action, only to try and weasel out
of them later. Or a huge ugly hulk with a kind heart? Or a
slick dandy with questionable motives who's forced to
become an unwilling hero? The kinds of roles with flaws
make the most memorable roleplay. The characters are
reflections of the Actors. If they can learn to live with their
flaws, they're all the more human for it, and we can learn
something from that. Even in a genre packed wall to wall
with stiff necked heroes, a few quirks like a weakness for
the opposite sex, or a fear of snakes, or being unerringly
logical, will make a character more interesting. Work with
the Director to develop a role that will enhance the story
and be fun for all. Play it to the hilt.
STAGE DIRECTIONS
As an Actor, you should always try to be in your
chosen role. During the game, try to evolve two ways of
speaking; in character, and out of character. In character,
you'll be speaking from your role, in the first person,
talking out loud to the other Actors and the Supporting
Cast (see 'Supporting Cast', coming up in this chapter).
Never directly describe your persona's thoughts or feel­
ings, unless you're speaking in character. You can also
use fancy techniques, like Soliloquies or Voice-Overs,
directed at the Troupe in general (see the following
section).
Out of character, you'll be speaking more in the third
person, describing the details of your persona's actions.
Whenever possible, you should let your own movements,
ie. your body motions and your use of the props at hand,
serve as this description. Speak out of character only to
fill in the visual gaps, or when you can't readily act out your
role's physical actions. Most of these descriptions will be
fairly plain, such as 'I open the door slowly and look into
16 Theatrlx- The Core Rules
the room', or 'my character uses her knowledge of me­
chanics to attempt to repair the engine.' Sometimes you'll
want to describe not only what your persona is doing, but
also the way in which she's doing it. This type of descrip­
tion is a little more complex. Some examples of this might
include ...
¢ The agitated way in which your character is
obviously clutching the gun in her coat pocket.
¢ The vacant stare she gives a friend as she
walks past.
¢ The sneer of contempt upon your character's
face as she speaks.
Each of these descriptions contains basically objec­
tive information. These should be played out in prefer­
ence, but can be acceptable as descriptions, especially as
adjuncts to your acting. But please, try never to say ...
¢ My character looks desperate.
¢ My character doesn't seem to recognize you.
¢ My character looks angry.
Those are really interpretations, rather than objec­
tive descriptions. Such direct, subjective communica­
tions, only detract from the feeling of a lived experience.
They remove the right of the other Actors to interpret their
own world. It's a fine line, but an important one.
SOLILOQUIES AND VOICE-OVERS
One good technique to help expand your character­
ization is the well timed Soliloquy. The Webster's Dictio­
nary defines a Soliloquy as ...
so•lil•o•quy, so•lil' o•kwe, n. pl. so•lil•o•quies. [L.
soliloquium-solus, alone, and loquor, to speak.) The
act or an instance of talking to oneself; in drama, a
monologue, usually giving the illusion of unuttered
reflections 1n which the character discloses her
innermost thoughts only to the audience and not to the
other performers.
The Soliloquy lets the other Actors know something
of your character's motivations by delivering a mono­
logue in your character's voice. It's a way of thinking out
loud, whenever that revelation would be amusing, or
significantly enhance the drama of the moment. Voice­
Overs are the cinematic equivalent of Soliloquies, and
may be used by the Actors in exactly the same way. Of
course these revelations are for the other Actors who are
your audience, and not their characters. Those Actors
must continue to play their roles as though they were
bereft of the knowledge just granted them. Dropped at the
right time, this can provide an excellent acting challenge.