WANT: A Reminder

WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER WANT THE OTHER CHARACTER TO DO AS A RESULT OF THEIR ACTIONS?

Characters want things for themselves, but they usually want them from other people. David Mamet says “The character’s got to want something specific”.

No matter what they say, they’re after something, they’re seeking a goal, they’ve got an objective. As Mamet says:
“People may or may not say what they mean, but they always say something designed to get what they want.”

The essential part of this question is ‘DO’. Your character wants the other character to do something. Your actions on stage must aim to glean a response from the other actor.  This can range from ‘pay me attention’ to ‘lend me money’ to ‘murder the King’. It’s important to keep it very simple and write it in physically achievable terms. See how I was able to write the WANT in THREE words each time. Try to keep it minimal.

The WANT compels the character to action. Having a strong WANT will give you a very big clue as to how to construct an effective TASK. Using a strong want to create a strong TASK will compel YOU to action.

By answer this question with the ‘DO’, it makes the WANT something tangible. However, remember that the WANT is something that the fictional character desires, something that drives them, their motivating force.

The reason that the ‘Method’ actor looks silly asking ‘What’s my motivation for this scene?’ is that the motivation is provided by the playwright for the character alone. You will never have the same desire as the character in the play. The WANT is not yours, it is a target for the character and although the audience may be aware of it through the writing of the script, your job is to find a strong and fun TASK that aims to capture it.

Your character’s desire is the reason that they are in the scene in the first place.
All character’s have a WANT. Your job is to discover the most practical WANT for the scene.