B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Drama: The Inner and Outer Life of a Character

B1.2 B2.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can build a character's outer life (how they look, move and speak) and inner life (thoughts, feelings, wants and fears).
I can show how a character changes depending on their relationships with other characters.
I can use simple objects and props to show the time and place of a drama.
I can play a variety of different roles.
I can use drama words to explain how my choices communicate a message.

Words to know

outer life
Everything the audience can see and hear: how a character looks, moves, speaks and what they do.

inner life
What goes on inside a character: thoughts, feelings, wants, fears and memories.

motivation
The reason a character does something; what they want.

obstacle
What stands in the way of what a character wants.

status
How much power or importance a character seems to have in a scene.

relationship
How characters feel about and act toward each other.

setting
The time and place of a drama.

prop
An object an actor uses in a drama, like a cup, a book or a cane.

inner voice
A drama convention: a second actor stands behind a character and speaks the character's hidden thoughts out loud.

Remember from Grade 4

You built belief in a role by choosing character traits, body, gestures and voice, and you used time and place and relationship to make a role believable. You also drew role on the wall: thoughts and feelings inside the outline, what others see outside.

In Grade 5, you will play many different roles, dig deeper into a character's inner life, and use simple objects to build a whole setting.

The iceberg

An iceberg floats in cold Arctic water. You can see the tip above the water, but most of the iceberg is hidden underneath.

Characters are like icebergs. The audience sees the outer life: how the character walks, talks and dresses. But underneath is the inner life: secret worries, hopes and memories. Great actors know the hidden part, and it changes how they act on the outside.

A white iceberg floats in deep blue water, with a small peak above the surface and a huge mass of ice below. — Only the tip of the iceberg shows above the water. A character is the same: the audience sees the outer life, but the hidden inner life underneath is much bigger. AI-generated image

A character is like an iceberg. Above the water line: the outer life, what others see and hear (how the character looks, moves and what they say). Below the water: the inner life, hidden underneath (thoughts, feelings, wants, fears and memories).

Outer life and inner life

Outer life (you can see and hear it):

clothes and objects (work boots, a backpack, a phone that keeps buzzing)
posture, walk and gestures
voice and the words the character says
actions: what the character does

Inner life (hidden, but it shapes everything):

thoughts and feelings
motivation: what does the character want most?
obstacles: what is in the way?
fears and secrets
memories from the past

Here's the magic: the inner life leaks out into the outer life. A character who is secretly worried might smile and say "I'm fine!" but tap her foot and check the clock. The audience notices and believes.

Relationships change a character

You are not exactly the same person with your coach, your baby cousin and your best friend. Characters are the same!

When you build a role, ask:

Who is this character with right now?
How do they feel about that person? (love, fear, respect, jealousy, trust)
Who has more status (power) in this scene? A character might stand tall and speak firmly with someone they boss around, but look down and speak quietly with someone they are afraid of.

Analysing these relationships helps you see why a character acts the way they do.

The same character, Ms. Kowalski, in two relationships. With the council she has high status and stands tall; with her company's owner her status is lower, so her body gets smaller and quieter.

Building a setting with simple objects

You don't need a big set to show time and place. A few simple objects can do it, if you use them with belief:

A chair turned backwards becomes a bus seat, a canoe or a throne.
A blue scarf spread on the floor becomes a river or a pond.
A mug held in both hands and blown on shows a cold morning and a hot drink.
A flashlight shows night time.
A broom becomes a hockey stick, an oar or a cane.

How you treat the object matters most. If you step carefully over the "river" scarf every time, the audience believes it is water.

Character from Birch Bay	Outer life	Inner life (want, fear)	Relationship
Mira, Grade 5 student	rubber boots, a jar for tadpoles, talks fast when excited	wants to save the marsh; fears letting her dad down	close to Dad; nervous around the mayor
Luis, Mira's dad	work boots, checks his phone for job emails, rubs the back of his neck	wants a steady job; worried about paying the bills; loved fishing at the marsh as a boy	gentle and proud with Mira; polite but tense with the company boss
Ms. Kowalski, the builder	hard hat, rolled-up plans under her arm, firm handshake	wants to build homes for families; secretly worried the project will fail	confident with the town council; kind to Mira

Outer life, inner life and relationships for three Birch Bay characters

Worked example

Example: Building Luis, inside and out

Let's build the role of Luis, Mira's dad, using his inner life and outer life.

Motivation (want): a steady job so his family is safe. Obstacle: the job means helping fill in the marsh, and Mira is upset.
Memory: he fished at Heron Marsh with his own father when he was a boy. (Nobody in the scene knows this yet!)
Outer life: he sits at the kitchen table in work boots, reading the job letter. He keeps folding and unfolding it (a gesture that shows his inner worry).
Setting with simple objects: a chair and a table, a mug of coffee, and a folded paper for the letter. Blowing on the mug shows it is early morning.
Relationship: with Mira, his voice is soft and warm. When the phone rings and it's the company boss, he stands up straighter and speaks quickly and politely. His status feels lower with the boss.
Inner voice: a partner stands behind Luis and speaks his hidden thoughts while he reads: "Dad and I caught our first fish right there..."

Knowing Luis's inner life (his want, obstacle and memory) shaped his outer life (the folding gesture, his voice). His relationships changed how he spoke. The audience believes him because the inside and outside fit together.

Worked example

Example: Explaining choices with drama words

After playing Luis, explain how your choices communicated the message that the decision is hard for him.

Name the element or convention: role (inner and outer life), relationship, time and place, inner voice.
Say what you did: "I kept folding and unfolding the letter."
Say what it communicated: "That showed he is unsure, even though he needs the job."
Put it together: "I used outer life (folding the letter) to show his inner life (he is torn). The inner voice told the audience about his memory, which explains why the choice is hard. I changed his voice and posture for each relationship to show his family matters most to him."

A good explanation names a drama element or convention, says what you did, and explains the effect on the audience.

Playing a variety of roles

Challenge yourself to play characters who are not like you: older or younger, bossy or shy, from a different time or place. For each new role, change at least three things: your posture, your walk, your voice, a gesture or how you use a prop.

Remember: playing a person from another culture or community is about understanding them, never about making fun. Avoid fake accents and stereotypes.

Just for fun

The iceberg idea is true in real life too: about nine-tenths of an iceberg hides under the water. Characters and icebergs both keep most of their secrets below the surface! 🧊

Hands-on activity

Same character, three relationships

You need: a chair, a table, 2 or 3 everyday objects (a mug, a scarf, a broom, a book, a flashlight), and one or two family members.

Create a character. Use a character from Birch Bay, or invent one (a hockey coach, a bus driver, a grandparent, a lighthouse keeper long ago).
On paper, draw an iceberg. Above the line, write the outer life. Below, write the inner life: want, obstacle, fear, a secret memory.
Build a setting with your objects. Decide the time and place, and show it by how you use the objects.
Play three short scenes (one minute each), meeting three different characters played by your family: someone your character loves, someone they are afraid of, and someone they boss around.
In one scene, a family member stands behind you as your inner voice and says your hidden thoughts.
Out of role, ask your audience: "How did my character change with each person? What did you guess about my inner life?"

Then switch: play a character who is completely different from the first.

Your turn

What is the difference between a character's outer life and inner life?

What is a character's motivation?

A character keeps smiling and saying "Everything's fine!" but taps her foot and keeps looking at the door. What might her inner life be?

How could you show a cold winter morning using only a mug?

Show how a character changes when talking to (a) a little sister and (b) a strict principal.

What does a partner do in the inner voice convention?

Name two simple objects and what setting each could represent.

More practice: warm-up

Is a character's secret fear part of their inner or outer life?

Is the way a character walks part of their inner or outer life?

What is an obstacle?

What is a prop?

True or false: How you treat a simple object can make the audience believe in the setting.

More practice: on your own

Write a want, an obstacle and a secret for Mira.

Explain how status could change for Ms. Kowalski when she talks to the town council compared with her company's owner.

A character is an old fisher who is secretly very lonely. Give two outer-life choices that let the loneliness "leak out."

Use drama words to explain this choice: "I spoke quickly and stood very straight when the boss called."

Why is it important to avoid fake accents and stereotypes when playing someone from another culture?

Challenge

Build a character for a canoe guide on a northern Ontario lake during a sudden storm. Give the outer life, inner life (want, obstacle, fear) and one simple object that builds the setting.

Explain how a character's memory can change the way an actor plays a scene, using Luis as an example.

Plan a short scene where the same character meets two people and the audience sees two very different sides of them. Explain what you want the audience to learn.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is part of a character's inner life?

A character's motivation is ___.

A blue scarf laid on the floor and stepped over carefully can show ___.

A character stands tall and speaks firmly to some people but looks down and whispers with others. This shows how ___ change a character.

In the inner voice convention, a second actor ___.

Which explanation uses drama words best?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 5 students show understanding of role by selectively using other elements of drama, such as time and place and relationship, to build belief and establish the dramatic context (B1.2). For Grade 5, the curriculum's focus for character is adopting a variety of roles and considering both the inner and outer life of a character; for relationship, it is analysing a character in terms of relationships with other characters; for time and place, using simple objects and props to establish a clear setting. Students explain, using drama terminology, how elements are used to communicate a message (B2.2).

How to help:

While watching a show or reading, pause and ask: "What does this character want? What's stopping them? What might they be feeling but not saying?"
Play "object transformation": pass around a wooden spoon and take turns using it as something else (a microphone, a fishing rod, a paintbrush) without speaking.
Encourage your child to play roles very different from themselves.

Common difficulties:

Only showing the outer life (a costume and a voice). Ask, "What does your character want most? Show me how that feeling leaks out."
Forgetting the setting. Remind them that how they treat an object (the "hot" mug, the "deep" river) is what makes the audience believe.
Stereotypes. If your child slips into a fake accent or a cartoon version of a group of people, talk about respect and help them find a real, specific person instead.