Character Dissection: Write it in the first person, and follow the outline format below for

your responses.

Physical: Everything in this section should describe the outer side of the character, how
they are seen and how they appear.

Full Name
My name is Lindsey Bergstram.

Gender (male or female)

I identify as Female.

Age (exact, not approximate)

I am 50 years old.

Posture (good, bad-describe)

My posture is good for the most part but a little tired and weary at some points.

Center (where does the character carry himself)

I carry myself in my shoulders because I try to keep my head up despite tough times.

Strength (relative physical strength)

I like to think I‘m relatively strong but I don’t really put in an active effort to work out.

Health (the current state)

My health is pretty good, I take care of myself well.

Coloring
I get pale when I’m nervous or stressed.

Defects (scars, etc.)

I don’t really have any physical scars.

Appearance (overall)
I take care of myself and I put in an effort to look and dress nice.

Shape
I’m in good shape.

Point of Vanity (what part of their body is the character most proud of)
The party of my body that I am most proud of is my smile because I always try to pick myself up
through difficult times.
Social: Everything in this section should describe the life of the character in his/her
community, how they have been prepared and how they function with others.

Class (lower, middle, upper)

I am in the lower middle class. I work as a teacher and my husband is also a principal at my
school.

Occupation (job/school)
I work in an elementary school as a teacher.

Education (how many years in school, last grade completed)

I finished high school and graduated from college.

Home Life (live alone, with others, married, quality of that existence)
I live with my husband, who is kind and appreciates me.

I. Q. (not always indicated by education)

I think I’m pretty smart, and I am emotionally intelligent.

Race (Caucasian, etc.)

I am Caucasian.

Nationality (countries descended from)

My family is mainly American.

Religion (either by birth or by choice)

I am Catholic by birth but I guess I'm not very active.

Place in Community (status in society)

I had a fall in my status in society after my affair got out, but I’ve been working to pick it back up
and now I’m pretty respected.

Politics (party affiliation or lack of interest)

I am left leaning and progressive.

Amusements (what sort of hobbies, activities interest the character?)

I am interested in history and I’m passionate about gender studies.

Psychological: Everything in this section should describe the inside of the character,
how they see themselves and his/her life.

Love Life (describe generally the nature of it)

I had an affair with my duet partner in this scene, years ago and I loved him, but then he left.
Since then my husband has forgiven me and I’ve really tried to love him because he’s been so
good to me and deserves it, but I know deep down some part of me is still stuck in the past, and
I’m hurt by that.

Moral Standards (not just high or low, but give a hint of what is important to your
character)
I used to be a little careless to the emotions of others and reckless but since then I’ve learned to
be a more trustable and moral person to pick my life back up.

Philosophy (about their life)

I try to be an optimistic person even though I’m hurt.

Ambitions (personal goals and dreams)

I want to keep up my studies in history and CNN and be happy with my husband.

Disappointments (opportunities missed, wrong roads taken, relationships, etc.)

I was really hurt by the affair that I had and while part of me wishes it never happened, the other
part of me knows I really love him.

Complexes (things which bother or concern your character)

I’m concerned that I’m still stuck on my affair and that I don’t actually love my husband even
though I should.

Abilities (ways in which your character excels in navigating life and its problems)
I’ve learned to pick myself back up when there was no one there for me, and gain the respect of
others.

Qualities (of a person’s character)

I’m keen on trying to find the good parts of my life, but I get stuck in hurt for a long time.

Peculiarities (oddities or unusual character traits)

l am sometimes vengeful, and I got back at the guy I had an affair with by proving his distrust,
but only to myself.

If you were an animal, what would it be and why?

If I was an animal I would be a crow because I learn from my mistakes when I make them.

Color (Does your character have a favorite color and how does character impact your
character?)
My favorite color is purple because it’s deep.

Character’s Objectives: These should not be arrived at until you’ve assembled the above
information.
Super-objective (Answer the following questions based on your character’s objective for
the whole play.
My objective for the whole play is to stop loving this guy, and prove to myself that I should live
my husband.

Desire (your character’s super-objective for the play)

I want to be able to get over this guy once and for all and make my husband happy.

Will (the relative strength or weakness in your character’s ability to achieve their desire)
I am really trying to achieve this, but I know a part of me will always love him no matter what.

Objectives & Tactics (Answer for the following questions for each scene and write them
in your script.)

Objectives - The actor must find out what his or her character "wants." "I want," "I need,"
"I must have" statements help the actor to solidify the objective of the character.
Typically it has to do with another character. You should write 1 objective for each scene.
I need to achieve closure with “Guy” so I can move on once and for all and live happily with my
husband.

Tactic - The strategy used to achieve your objective. A character will use a certain tactic
to get their objective. They switch tactics when they feel it is not working anymore. Make
sure when you pick tactics that you are using playable words (Avoid nouns, use ACTIVE
VERBS.) You should have multiple tactics in each scene.
I achieve this tactic by telling “Guy” exactly how I felt about our relationship, and by tricking him
into proving he wasn’t trustable.

Character’s Given Circumstances: Answer each of these questions for each scene (and
not the entire play)!

Where am I coming from?

I came from my house with my husband to “Guy’s” hotel room.

What was I doing there?

I was at home with my husband.

Why did I leave?

I left because I got a call from “Guy” and my husband encouraged me to come speak to him.

Why have I come here?

I’ve come here to talk to “Guy” because he called me, and I want to make my husband happy.

What will I do here?

I will achieve closure with “Guy” and then never speak to him again.

Describe the environment and how it affects you.

Whom do I know here?
This environment is strange and nostalgic to me because it brings a lot of memories from my
past in my affair. It’s sickening but also enticing.

What is my relationship to/feelings towards the people here?

I have a lot of regrets and resentment towards Guy, but I also still kind of love him I think.

Character’s Mood-Intensity at the Top: Describe these conditions for each scene (and not
the entire play)!

Heartbeat
I noticed my heart was beating faster because I was nervous and frustrated.

Perspiration
I was sweating slightly due to the nerves.

Stomach Condition
I had a slight stomach ache the whole time because of the sickening feeling of talking to Guy
and the nerves from seeing him again.

Muscle Tension
My muscles are tense for the whole time I’m here because I don’t trust him.

Breathing
I’m breathing kind of slow trying to calm myself down because I don’t like talking to him and just
want to leave, but I also want to get some things out.

Subtext: Write under each line of dialogue on the script, your character’s subtext (the
things they cannot say aloud). Make sure that you don’t just paraphrase the dialogue but,
using the insights gained from the character analysis, create a portrait of your
character’s internal life!

Character Narrative: Write an autobiography for your character. It should be in the first
person and tell the story of your character from birth to the day the play begins. Include
as much or as little information as is necessary to deeply understand who your character
is and how he or she found him or herself in this situation. Describe any relationships he
or she has with other characters in the play

I’ve put in an effort for my education my whole life, and I have a passion for education, history,
and gender studies. I graduated high school and went to college, and by the time I was 23 in
1979, I was working on CNN, which is one of my proudest accomplishments to this day. From
there I became a teacher and pursued my passion in education, and that’s when I met my
husband who was a principal. Later, I met one of the other teachers, who my husband hired to
work in my school, and we ended up having an affair. I ended up falling in love with him, and I
thought he was going to commit to me, but when my husband found out, he ended up leaving.
That made everything fall apart, and I had a really hard time, and he never called to check on
me. This changed my whole perspective of the world and that’s when I stopped being so naive
and decided to pick my life back up. I eventually got forgiveness from my husband, even though
I don’t think he should have forgiven me. If it was the other way around, I don’t think I would
have. I’ve been working on just being happy and trying to build back the relationship my
husband and I have because he’s so good to me. However, a couple days ago out of nowhere, I
got a call while I was at work, and it was Guy… Hearing his voice really shocked me and the
fact that he was asking me to go see him could have sent me into paralysis. Of course my
immediate reaction was no, but when I spoke to my husband about it, he really wanted me to go
see him. I feel like I’ve already put my husband through enough for him, so this was the least I
could do. I guess I did it mainly for him, but a part of me also wanted some closure and
answers. I just hope I can get through this quickly and go back to my happy life with my
husband.