Characterisation Workshop

Characterisation Workshop

An engaging and practical Drama lesson designed to help students develop believable and convincing characters through the use of physical and vocal skills. Through a range of active performance exercises, learners explore how movement, posture, gesture, voice and behaviour can be used to create distinct and realistic characters for performance.

Students experiment with character walks, vocal choices and improvisation before applying their skills within collaborative scenes. The lesson also introduces the STEAL framework, encouraging deeper character development and helping students think critically about how characters are presented on stage.

Included in this resource:

Detailed lesson plan
Character walk activities
Physical and vocal skills exercises
Characterisation workshop tasks
Introduction to the STEAL framework
Group improvisation activities
Reflection and discussion opportunities
Clear teacher guidance throughout
All printable resources needed to deliver the lesson

Key skills explored:

Physical Characterisation
Vocal Characterisation
Posture and Movement
Gesture and Facial Expression
Pitch, Pace, Tone and Volume
Improvisation
Character Development

Perfect for KS3 Drama, GCSE Drama, BTEC Performing Arts and Theatre Studies, this lesson helps students build confidence in performance while developing a practical understanding of character creation and acting techniques. Ideal for devising work, acting units, practical assessments and performance skills development.