8.3 Building relationships and conflict on stage

Building relationships and conflict on stage is crucial for creating compelling performances. Actors must develop backstories, establish shared histories, and analyze power dynamics to bring depth to their characters' interactions. This foundation allows for authentic portrayals of complex relationships.

Subtext, underlying emotions, and dramatic tension are key elements in scene work. By conveying hidden meanings and inner states, actors create nuanced performances. Building and sustaining tension through various types of conflict keeps audiences engaged and invested in the unfolding drama.

Backstory for Character Relationships

Personal History and Motivations

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• Character backstory encompasses personal history, motivations, and past experiences that shape current behaviors and relationships on stage
• Backstory development involves creating a timeline of significant events and interactions between characters prior to the scene's starting point
• Process of creating backstory requires consideration of socioeconomic factors, cultural backgrounds, and personal values that shape character perspectives and relationships
• Actors must internalize the created backstory to inform their character choices, physical behaviors, and emotional responses during performance
• Collaborative backstory creation between scene partners can enhance the authenticity and depth of on-stage relationships
  • Improvisational exercises exploring past interactions
  • Joint character biography writing sessions

Establishing Shared History

• Establishing shared history between characters includes defining past conflicts, alliances, and emotional connections that influence their present dynamic
• Backstory details should be consistent with the given circumstances of the play and support the overall dramatic arc of the scene and larger narrative
• Consider key moments that have shaped the characters' relationship (first meeting, major arguments, shared triumphs)
• Explore how external events (wars, economic changes, social movements) have impacted the characters' shared experiences
• Develop a clear understanding of the characters' current emotional state towards each other based on their history
  • Lingering resentments
  • Unresolved tensions
  • Deep-seated trust or mistrust

Power Dynamics and Status Shifts

Analyzing Power and Status

• Power dynamics in theatrical scenes refer to the relative influence, control, and authority characters exert over one another and their environment
• Status, both social and situational, plays a crucial role in determining character behavior, dialogue delivery, and physical positioning on stage
• Identifying power dynamics involves analyzing character objectives, tactics, and obstacles within the context of the scene and overall narrative
• Understanding the given circumstances of the play, including societal norms and character backgrounds, is essential for accurately interpreting power dynamics
• Consider how power dynamics manifest in different aspects of character interaction
  • Verbal communication (tone, word choice, interruptions)
  • Non-verbal cues (posture, eye contact, personal space)
  • Decision-making processes within the scene

Conveying Status Changes

• Shifts in status can be conveyed through changes in vocal patterns, body language, proxemics, and character actions or reactions
• Power struggles and status negotiations often drive conflict and create dramatic tension within a scene
• Actors must be attuned to subtle changes in power dynamics to authentically portray character relationships and emotional states throughout the scene
• Explore techniques for physically embodying status shifts
  • Altering spatial relationships between characters
  • Adjusting vocal pitch, volume, and pace
  • Transitioning between open and closed body language
• Practice identifying and portraying gradual versus sudden status changes within a scene

Subtext and Underlying Emotions

Analyzing Hidden Meanings

• Subtext refers to the implied or unspoken thoughts, feelings, and motivations behind a character's spoken words and visible actions
• Analyzing subtext requires actors to consider the character's true intentions, which may contradict or complement their surface-level behavior
• Exploration of subtext involves identifying moments of conflict between a character's internal desires and external pressures or societal expectations
• Understanding the historical and cultural context of the play is crucial for interpreting subtext accurately and avoiding anachronistic interpretations
• Develop techniques for uncovering subtext
  • Paraphrasing dialogue to reveal underlying intentions
  • Creating internal monologues for characters during key moments
  • Analyzing the gap between what characters say and what they truly mean

Conveying Inner States

• Underlying emotions often manifest in physical and vocal choices, such as tension, pitch variation, or subtle gestures that reveal a character's inner state
• Actors must develop techniques for conveying subtext through nuanced performance choices, including pacing, emphasis, and non-verbal communication
• Collaborative script analysis and character exploration with directors and fellow actors can reveal layers of subtext and deepen the overall performance
• Practice methods for physically embodying subtext
  • Micro-expressions and subtle facial cues
  • Breath patterns and vocal modulation
  • Use of props or environment to reveal inner thoughts
• Explore the interplay between text and subtext in creating complex, multi-layered performances

Dramatic Tension and Conflict

Building Tension

• Dramatic tension is the emotional or intellectual anticipation that keeps an audience engaged and invested in the unfolding action on stage
• Conflict, both internal and external, serves as the primary driver of dramatic tension and is essential for compelling storytelling in theater
• Strategies for building tension include the use of rising action, obstacles to character objectives, and the introduction of time pressure or high stakes
• Principle of dramatic irony, where the audience knows more than the characters, can be employed to create and maintain tension throughout a scene
• Explore various types of conflict to enhance tension
  • Character vs. character (interpersonal conflicts)
  • Character vs. self (internal struggles)
  • Character vs. society (broader social or cultural conflicts)

Sustaining and Modulating Tension

• Pacing and rhythm play crucial roles in sustaining tension, with techniques such as strategic pauses, accelerating dialogue, or physical stillness used to heighten dramatic effect
• Actors must develop skills in modulating their emotional intensity and physical energy to effectively build and release tension at appropriate moments
• Collaborative work between actors, directors, and designers is essential for creating a cohesive approach to tension and conflict that supports the overall dramatic arc of the play
• Practice techniques for sustaining tension throughout a scene
  • Use of subtext to create underlying tension even in seemingly calm moments
  • Employing physical and vocal dynamics to create and release tension
  • Balancing moments of high intensity with strategic releases to avoid audience fatigue
• Explore how technical elements (lighting, sound, set design) can enhance or complement the tension created by actors' performances