Bringing Characters to Life
This week in Grade 12 Drama (ADA4M), students have recently completed a unit on character development and begun a new focus on playwriting. Over the past few weeks, we have been working on bringing characters to life, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see their final products. The students created detailed character posters that showcased their characters’ physical traits, personalities, backstories, and goals. They then imagined themselves as their characters and produced monologues, a speech to reflect their character’s emotions and inner thoughts.
Producing and performing these monologues has been a powerful way for students to explore their emotional range and storytelling. I am so impressed to see them not just memorize their lines, but truly embody their characters, paying attention to everything from tone to physicality. We’ve had some standout performances, and I continue to be amazed by their courage to perform solo in front of myself and their peers. The depth they’ve brought to their characters, from unique quirks to rich backstories, is impressive. Watching each student take ownership of their role, whether they’re creating someone completely different from themselves or drawing on personal experiences, is also quite inspiring.
We’ve also shifted focus to the world of playwrighting, particularly writing dialogue. This transition encourages students to move from performance to creation, challenging them to craft realistic exchanges between characters. Writing dialogue requires an understanding of dramatic structure, including plot, relationships, and the rhythm of conversation. It’s been exciting to witness their creativity as they bring these ideas to life in class.
None of this work would be possible without proper warm-ups. To help students break out of their comfort zones and become more comfortable being playful and expressive in front of others, we’ve been focusing on tongue twisters, group activities, breath control, and projection exercises. These teamwork-driven activities are helping students build collaboration skills while strengthening their communication. I hope they’re already noticing improvements in their ability to communicate with greater precision and confidence, both as actors and communicators in everyday interactions.
Drama class has truly been a journey, and I’m excited to see how the students continue to develop their characters and writing as we approach our final performance!
View All our characters HERE
