Stick your tongue out
Pick a body anchor to stay in character

Whether it’s being a flamboyant Elvis or an ordinary guy, character play is a huge part of improv. But while it’s easy enough to riff a few lines in an Irish accent, it’s hard to remain in character for long scenes. There’s a lot in a Character ’s image— build, posture, accent, ticks, clothes, gear, attitude, dreams, fears, wants. That’s a loong mental note to keep track while your brain is making up stuff. People inevitably lose their character in the thick of scenes.
Make a physical note. I find it easier to anchor my Character by focusing on one physical part of the body. A few examples of my own (not great, but useful) tweaks:
- When I play a pirate, I stiffen one leg.
- When I play a country folk, I like to be chewing my left gum.
- When I play a pompous nobleman, I would stretch my mouth down and wide.
- When I play a mischievous character (devil/conman/trickster), I keep rubbing my palms together.
- When I play a racist (sometimes you need to), I focus on the tip of my tongue and taste everything as unsavory.
Pick one thing and whatever you do, hold/repeat that physical trait throughout the entire play. It doesn’t have to make sense. Michael Jordan sticks out his tongue helps him focus in basketball. One little physical tweak helps you to stay in character.
What’s amazing is it takes only one cue to trigger a set of other things. As a cartoonish pirate you only need to stiffen your wooden leg and the rest of the character (the beard, the yarrr, the parrot, the bloodthirst, and most importantly the desire for gold) will complete themselves.
Notes:
- The most common character object is the old man’s cane, but people use it simply as a show prop. Try using it as an anchor, an extension, of your character. Feel the cane as a rigid object. Hold it dearly when you’re recovering a memory. Twirl it against the ground when you feel insecure. An object is a great anchor for your character, so tap into it more. As a bonus, you will make less “disappearing objects” during scene.
- Don’t go for accents that you can’t hold for entire scenes, like raspy throaty voices (unless you’re Dutch). You’ll end up breaking character or distracted by your own caricature. A softer accent is more effective.