need the character help info, please

[anne of oaktower]

Greetings, all.  Glad we have this life raft so we're not left just drifting aimlessly.

I'm trying to find a recent post about creating a character.  Someone had posted links to a source that had worksheets to use.  I was going to print them while I'm still here on campus, since I don't have a printer at home right now.  If anyone has that info and can post, it would be greatly appreciated!

[BagPipeBabe]

Something like this??


Full name:

Hair:

Eyes:

Attitude: 

Outfitting:

Birth place:

Family:

Childhood summary: 

Occupation: 

Task you refuse to do:

Favorite Color:

Hobbies:

Social status:

Fears:

Regrets:

Bad habits:

Handwriting:

Defining Accessories:

Emotions/moods:

Bio:

[Annastina]

Thanks - doing a cut/paste so I can get to know the other voices in my head!

[anne of oaktower]

yeah, that's kind of what I was looking for.  It's a good start anyway.   The one I was remembering was was in a post within the last week or so....someone had replied and included a link that linked to other links where there was bunches of instructions and worksheets.  I think the worksheets had some sort of point-scoring system.  I knew I should have printed them right away, but just got too busy and forgot.

[Baron Doune]

I know the one that you speak of Lady Anne but I'm having trouble finding it.

This link is along the same lines, well sorta.

http://elizabethan.org/compendium/

[anne of oaktower]

Thank you, Baron.  That looks like an interesting link, I'll check it out. 

Wish I hadn't cleared the history on my computer the day before R/F went down

[gypsylakat]

*hopes someone finds it* It sounds like a great idea to use for an RP if i ever make one, my bf is determined that I shall. Mine will be character driven so it's important to have well developed characters lol.

[McGuinness]

Here's one that we use on my cast. I'd be happy to help if you ned some more information on any of the questions, I've used it for four years now. There are tons of other character worksheets and profiles out there, good luck finding one that works for you.

-Eileen

---------------------

1.   Character's Name?

2.   Character's Age and Date of Birth?

3.   Character's Occupation?

4.   Parent's Names, Ages, Occupations, Dead or Alive?

5.   Dwelling – Rural or Urban, Of what construction, Address, Size, Persistent Odors, Sounds or other
sensory stimuli?

6.   Socio-economic Status – How much money does your character earn (if any)? Of what class are you a member of? Is it the same as your parents?

7.   Religious background, Instruction, and Present Beliefs?

8.   Attitude toward authority figures, Nobility, and/or those of socio-economic

9.   Attitude towards revelry, merrymaking, activities of the event in which your character participates?

10.   What do you want more than anything else? The answer to this question is the key to your character center and motivation. Your answer must begin with either "I must..." or I have to...".

11.   Does your character possess the ability to achieve this goal? Why or why not?

12.   Is your character strong willed or is s/he easily influences by others? Does your character realize this or does s/he perceive him/herself differently?

13.   Is your character basically good or evil? Does your character realize this or does s/he perceive him/herself differently?

14.   What has been the biggest moment in your character's life?

15.   Decorum – Describe in detail the physicality of your character. What do you sound like, how do you move, where is your physical center (head, heart, pelvis, other), how do you dress, how do you speak, what are characteristic gestures, physical mannerisms, quirks, tics, habits and idiosyncrasies?

16.   Describe the overall health of your character and general state of mind.

17.   What are the outstanding characteristics in personality and physical appearance? What special skills does your character possess?

18.   List at least 3 adjectives that describe your character and why. (Remember: The more diverse the choices, the more interesting the character)

19.   List one adjective for each of the senses (taste, touch, smell, sound, sight) which describes other people's impressions of your character.

20.   List what you think your character would be if it were:
a.   An animal
b.   A fruit
c.   A vegetable
d.   A color
e.   A flower
f.   A word
g.   A sign of the Zodiac
h.   A Humour
i.   A musical instrument
j.   A tool
k.   A mineral
l.   Other

[Lady Donegan]

Here is another link to use for reference:

http://jackytappet.tripod.com/

[DonaCatalina]

A few resources for developing a character.
http://renaissanceactor.com/persona.html
http://www.s-gabriel.org/
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/History/Barons/extinct1index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dukedoms_in_the_peerages_of_the_British_Isles
http://www.chivalricorders.org/nobility/spanoble.htm
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f21/news-spanish-nobility-1208.html

[anne of oaktower]

Huzzah!  I found it!  With a bit of persistent searching, I was finally able to locate the link that was posted on the other forums.  This is the one  I was asking about:


http://www.museangel.net/character.html

(And this time I've bookmarked it in case we lose it again  )

[Terry Griffith]

Ann and all,

There is a really great book that we have been reading that has similar worksheets but it also delves into how to use each bit of information in relation to interactive theater.  It's by Gary Izzo and called "The Art of Play - the new genre of interactive theatre" ISBN 0-435-07036-3.  We ordered it from Amazon.com.

Gary Izzo has done work as ED at several Ren Faires and for Disney.  He sets up an imaginary production set in a wild west town but the process is the same as a Ren Fest.  The unique and helpful thing about it is that it shows you how to use the aspects of your character to create an atmosphere that interacts with others to achieve the desired effect.  It's mostly for actors who want to learn interactive theater and improv in the lanes which I'm assuming is why you are asking.

Just reading the book gives you a different outlook towards interaction and playing in the lanes.

[anne of oaktower]

Thanks, Terry.  I'll have to look for a copy of that.

[LadyMorna]

I was wondering whether, if one chooses a noble persona, it must be an actual historical person.  I have been researching online titles of nobles who existed about the time of Henry VIII (Scarborough Faire year is 1533, as I understand it), and I've been looking for castles of the time, all in an effort to make my character somewhat believeable. Problem is, I always find a flaw as to why a particular castle or title to be descended from wouldn't work for my character if I were questioned by someone who knew history better than I do. That takes the fun out of it for me. All I know is that I wanted to be a "lady", and the name "Morna" sounds Gaelic and is somewhat close to my mundane name.  I am of Scots-Irish descent, and my husband is of Scottish descent, so I wanted to stick sort of with that.  

Lady Morna

[McGuinness]

LadyMorna...

I think a lot of that depends on the faire or atmosphere that you are in. Some faires are more historically accurate than others, some bend the rules to fit, and others are more fantasy based. Also, if you aren't in cast it doesn't matter as much except for you own piece of mind and you can get as crazy with that as you like. Sometimes you need to stretch things to make them fit or, if not, come up with plausible backstory for why the inaccuracies are there. Most common patrons don't know enough of the facts to know that something is a few years off or whatever. Example: If you choose a real title that didn't exist yet and someone calls you out on it, you could cover that by saying "Well, His Majesty didn't want to make it public just yet, so lets just keep that little secret between us, aye?"

And just have fun with it! Like I said, most people aren't gonna get too bogged down with your details and those who do and want to make an issue about it...just walk away. A lot of the old Scottish and Irish titles aren't that well known anyway and a lot of their old castles aren't around anymore, so you could likely get away with some creative character work (aka, make it up). If you aren't cast with constraints and requirements, just go with what you like.

My $0.02.