A character breakdown worksheet is the page you fill in once per role, not once per scene: who your character is bound to, what they want across the whole play, and the first tactic you will test to get it. This page gives you the blank fields, a worked example, and a way to keep your own choices separate from what the text actually states. Download the printable worksheet (PDF) — two A4 pages, one worksheet per role — and fill it in pencil. For the scene-by-scene version, with given circumstances and tactics for a single scene, the character breakdown template is the companion piece.
The blank whole-role worksheet
Fill one per role, then keep it beside your scene work. The last column is not there to ban invention: most of what you play is a choice the text permits rather than a fact it states. It is there so that when a director contradicts you, you know whether you are defending a fact or trading a choice.
Mark every entry with one letter and a scene reference:
- F — a fact stated in the text.
F, sc. 2 - R — your reading: a choice the text supports but does not state.
R, sc. 2 - Q — a question you have not answered yet. Bring it to the room instead of guessing.
| Field | Prompt | Your answer | F / R / Q + scene |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play and character | — | ||
| First and last scene | — | ||
| What they want across the play | "By the end, I want ..." | ||
| What stands in the way | "I cannot have it because ..." | ||
| The first tactic you will test | What you do to another person to get it — an action, not a mood | ||
| What would make you drop that tactic | The response from your partner that tells you it is not working | ||
| What they fall back on under pressure | The habit, not the strategy | ||
| The contradiction | What they say set against what they do | ||
| What they would never do | The limit you will not cross |
Then map the people the want is aimed at. Every relationship needs something you can play at them, including the ones the character is avoiding.
| # | Character | What I want from them | What they want from me | Changed by the last scene | F / R / Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 |
Then the arc. A turn is a point where the character stops believing one thing and starts believing another — not every plot event is one. Use as many rows as the script supports; four turns, or two, are a real answer, and a belief that never shifts is worth writing down as such.
| Turn | Where in the play | What they believe now | What it cost | F / R / Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 |
A worked example: one role, filled in
(Original character, written for this worksheet.)
The setup: Nadia works nights on a hospital ward. Her brother Teo has come back after two years away and wants somewhere to stay. She has one spare room and a shift starting in four hours.
| Field | Nadia | F / R / Q |
|---|---|---|
| Play and character | Original example — Nadia | — |
| First and last scene | Scene 1 to scene 7 | — |
| What they want across the play | Teo to stay without her having to ask him to | R, sc. 2 — she makes the bed before he says he is staying |
| What stands in the way | Asking would admit she needs him, and the last time she needed him he left | R, from "I managed" — sc. 4, said twice |
| The first tactic you will test | Make staying the easy option: hand him a key, clear a drawer, give him the shift rota so he knows when the flat is empty | R, sc. 2 |
| What would make you drop that tactic | He puts the key down on the table instead of pocketing it | R, sc. 4 |
| What they fall back on under pressure | Explains logistics — the immersion heater, the bin day — instead of answering what he asked | F, sc. 6 |
| The contradiction | Says the room is temporary; clears two drawers and moves her own coat off the hook | F, sc. 2 |
| What they would never do | Cry in front of him — she leaves the room first | R, sc. 4 exit |
| # | Character | What I want from them | What they want from me | Changed by the last scene | F / R / Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teo | To choose to stay | Somewhere to land without being questioned | He asks, and she lets him | R, from sc. 1 and sc. 7 |
| 2 | Marek, ward sister | To stop him offering me the easy shifts | For Nadia to admit she is exhausted | Nadia takes the night off | R, from sc. 3 |
| 3 | Their mother, offstage | To keep her from finding out Teo is here | To be told what is happening | Nadia calls her and says it plainly | R, from sc. 7 |
| Turn | Where in the play | What they believe now | What it cost | F / R / Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scene 1, he knocks | This is a favour with an end date | She misses a shift | R, from sc. 1 |
| 2 | Scene 2, she makes the bed | He might stay if the room is ready | She never asks him directly | R, from sc. 2 |
| 3 | Scene 4, "I managed" | Needing him is the thing to hide | Teo starts packing | R, from sc. 4 |
| 4 | Scene 6, the boiler breaks | Logistics will not hold this together | She tells him to leave, and means the opposite | R, from sc. 6 |
| 5 | Scene 7, the phone call | Asking is not the same as losing | She tells their mother he is here, with Teo in the room | R, from sc. 7 |
Every belief in that table is an R, and that is not a failure of the reading: a belief is an interpretation by definition, unless the character states it outright. The facts sit in the other two columns — the scene it happens in, and what it visibly costs. If you find yourself marking a belief F, check whether you are quoting the character or explaining them.
Open question for the director: does Nadia know Teo is not planning to stay, or does she find out in scene 6?
What to fill in, and when
You do not need the whole worksheet before your first rehearsal, and filling it in one sitting tends to produce answers you cannot defend later.
- Before the first rehearsal. The relationship map, the want, and the contradiction. These three are enough to make choices in the room rather than watch for them.
- Before you are on your feet. The obstacle, the first tactic, the drop signal, and the limit. A tactic written before you have met your partner is a proposal, not a decision.
- After the first run-through. The arc, and a revision pass on the tactic. You now know which beliefs the production actually supports.
Then the rules that keep the page usable:
- Fill the relationship map first. A want that does not come from a person stays abstract. "To be respected" is unplayable; "to have Teo choose to stay" gives you someone to play it at.
- Write verbs, not adjectives. "Lonely" cannot be played. "Hands him a key before he asks for one" can.
- Mark it F, R or Q rather than leaving it empty. A row marked R is a choice you can trade in rehearsal without losing the role. A row marked Q is the shortest possible note to bring the director.
- Try the arc backwards if forwards stalls. Starting from the last turn and asking what had to be true one step earlier can break a summary into changes of belief. If forwards is producing turns, keep going.
- Check the tactic before the want. Your partner responds to what you do, not to what you want, so the tactic is the part a run-through gives you direct evidence about. If you have changed it twice and the scene still fails in the same way, question the want.
Watch for a worksheet that reads well and changes nothing. If you can fill every row and still play the scene exactly as before, the fields are describing the character rather than committing you to an action.
For how this fits with beat marking, objectives and full script analysis, the Script Analysis & Character Breakdown hub covers each stage in order.
Related reading
- Character Breakdown Template — the scene-level version, with given circumstances, objective and tactics for a single scene
- Script Analysis for Actors — how to read the whole text before you commit to choices
- Acting Objectives and Tactics — turning a want into something you can actually play
How to start
Fill the relationship map and the contradiction tonight, marking each row F, R or Q. Then take the tactic row into your next rehearsal as something to test: play it at your partner and watch for the response you wrote in the drop-signal row. Whether it holds or collapses, you will have one answer the text alone could not give you.