Does anyone have any advice on how to make characters in a dramatic presentation connect with the audience and how to effectively establish the characters' personalities in under 1 minute?
asked by Christina

Kevin Roche
In briefest: Stance, Posture, and Stride will combine to create the characterization for the audience in seconds.

• Stance: How you stand on stage (feet together or wide apart, angle of the legs to each other, etc.).

• Posture: How you hold yourself: (erect, slouching, broad motions, tight motions, etc.).

• Stride: How you walk on (commanding, timid, slinky, etc.).

Cat Devereaux
To that I'd like to add: know when to move and when to freeze. Some of the best presentations on stage tell the story by using only a gesture or two to draw your eye towards the center of the action. Everyone stays coordinated together so they do not draw away from the main point.

A reveal or a prop, an action, an attitude, a costume layer all add into the story, but this must be done in character - never losing the posture and action of the character.

The properly chosen piece of music will help with the walk and timing.

Everyone's favorite example of how not to do it, and been done multiple times:
On comes the Princess of the Universe: beautiful, grand, and in the reveal sheads her cape. Presentation over, she breaks character to turn around and scoop up her cape giving a full back butt view to the audience. Oops.

Stay in character until you have left the auditorium. The solution is, she should have told the stage crew in advance the cloak would be left. Let them scoop it up after the presentation is done. She could pause a minute at the base of the stairs to extend her arm and receive the cloak.

Moral: Don't wreck the illusion you paint on stage with every stance, step, motion, and breath.

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