Developing Characters & Stories

Lesson Overview

Unit: Theatre for Change
Lesson: 2 of 3
Class: Year 10
Duration: 105 minutes
Class Size: 30 students
Curriculum Area: GCSE Drama (AQA, Edexcel, OCR – aligns with devising drama and exploring performance texts)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Develop well-rounded, believable characters linked to their chosen social issue.
• Create narrative outlines exploring the complexities of their topic through drama.
• Apply character development techniques, including status, objectives, and emotional depth.
• Experiment with collaborative storytelling and improvisation to refine ideas.

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Lesson Breakdown

Starter (15 minutes) – The Human Behind the Issue

Task:

• Display powerful images or short video clips related to different social issues (e.g., homelessness, discrimination, mental health).
• Ask students to write a short internal monologue for a person in the image, imagining their thoughts in a pivotal moment.
• Discuss briefly: How does personal storytelling change our understanding of social issues?

Purpose:

• Activates empathy and critical thinking.
• Encourages students to start thinking about real human experiences instead of abstract issues.

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Main Activity 1 (20 minutes) – Character Development Techniques

Introduce key character-building techniques:

• Hot-Seating: One student takes on their character’s role while peers ask questions.
• Laban Efforts: Exploring physicality (e.g., how a character moves, carries tension).
• Status Scale: How societal roles influence interactions (use numbers 1-10 to assign status).

Task:

• In pairs, students will take turns hot-seating as their character.
• They will explore their backstory, motivations, fears, and key relationships.
• Quickfire Laban exercise: Walk around the room as their character (e.g., are they light and carefree or heavy and burdened?).

Outcome:

• Students will deepen their character’s psychological and physical traits.

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Main Activity 2 (30 minutes) – Crafting the Narrative

Task:

1. Identify the Conflict: Each pair must decide on the turning point in their story that best highlights the social issue.
2. Structure the Narrative: Use the following framework:
   • Exposition: Who are they? What is their world like?
   • Rising Action: The moment where the social issue affects them.
   • Climax: A confrontation, decision, or revelation.
   • Falling Action & Resolution: What change has occurred?
3. Storytelling Practice: Students will verbally tell their story in pairs, refining details as they go.

Outcome:

• Each pair has a concise but emotionally engaging story outline.
• They start considering dramatic tension and audience impact.

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Main Activity 3 (25 minutes) – Improvising & Refining

Task:

• Pairs will select a key scene from their story to act out in short improvisations.
• Encourage emotional truth – keeping the realism of their character intact.
• After presenting, peers offer constructive feedback: "What felt authentic? What could be exaggerated or focused on?"

Extension:

• Introduce an unexpected challenge or event within the scene—how does their character react?

Outcome:

• Students develop confidence in performance.
• They refine narrative elements based on peer feedback.

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Plenary (15 minutes) – Reflection & Homework

Task:

• Students pair up and answer:
  • What did you learn about your character today?
  • Did your story change from the start? Why?
  • How does your piece aim to create awareness or inspire change?
• Homework: Write a journal entry from their character’s perspective on a moment of crisis in their life.

Teacher Reflection Prompt:

• Were students able to balance realism and dramatic tension?
• Did improvisations reflect emotional depth?

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Adaptations & Differentiation

• For Low Confidence Students: Allow them to collaborate on one character in groups of three before presenting.
• For High-Attaining Students: Challenge them to experiment with non-linear storytelling techniques.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Participation in hot-seating and improvisations (formative).
• The depth and originality of character journals (summative).
• Engagement in peer feedback discussions.

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Resources Required

• Printed images or video clips for the starter
• Space for physical movement exercises
• Note cards for quick prompts
• Whiteboard for story structure breakdown

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Final Thoughts

This lesson pushes students beyond basic character presentation – they must think, feel, and embody the complexities of these social issues. By refining narratives collaboratively, they begin crafting theatre that doesn’t just entertain but provokes thought and change, preparing them for their final devised piece.