Editing Characters

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > WORKING > EDITING > CHARACTERS

'Clearly even white mainstream theater could be more interesting, and more honest, if people of color were integrated into the drama rather than used as walk-on stereotypes.'

-- Anna Deavere Smith

• Do all of your Characters matter to the story you're telling?
  Be particularly suspicious of anybody who sounds like at least one of these . . .
  • Shows up for less than a page.

  • Doesn't say anything.

  • Has no connection to the central Conflict.

  • Is simply a technical device.
    [Waiters & Waitresses who say things like, "Can I take your order?" and then are never seen or heard from again.]

  Be ruthless with these hangers-on and write them out of the play. An Exception: You've got 3 or 4 of them who can be handled by the same performer. And they're really essential.

• Do all of your Characters have distinct ways of speaking?
  Watch for anyone who . . .
  • Uses odd expressions typical of another character.

  • Has the same Subtext as another character.

  If two characters strike the audience as being alike in the way they speak or think, both lose impact. Often, the solution is to combine these twins as a single character.