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Arc

An element to be aware of and pay attention to in a play is character arc.

The character arc refers to the changing views and opinions of characters as they progress through the play.

Character arc is different from character development. Character development is something the writer and the actor do. Character arc is the result of character development.

An example would be Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Over the course of the show, she goes from a cockney flower peddler to a proper lady; or as Henry Higgins puts it, “A consort battleship.”

The arc covers all the episodes in between those two points. The peak of the arc is the point where the character reaches the end of her initial trajectory and begins a new one. For Eliza, that might be going to the horse race or perhaps later, going to the ball.

When we first meet a character, she is usually dissatisfied in some way and missing a key personality component.

As conflict enters the story, often times the character is forced to develop that missing aspect.

As an audience, we love to see this process. We are enthralled as Eliza transforms from a dirty, loud, obnoxious, gutter snipe to a beautiful, well spoken, proper lady.

Next time you go to a show, take note of where the characters begin the show and where they end up. You may even get carried away and try to debate their arc past the end of the show.

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An element to be aware of and pay attention to in a play is character arc.

The character arc refers to the changing views and opinions of characters as they progress through the play.

Character arc is different from character development. Character development is something the writer and the actor do. Character arc is the result of character development.

An example would be Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Over the course of the show, she goes from a cockney flower peddler to a proper lady; or as Henry Higgins puts it, “A consort battleship.”

The arc covers all the episodes in between those two points. The peak of the arc is the point where the character reaches the end of her initial trajectory and begins a new one. For Eliza, that might be going to the horse race or perhaps later, going to the ball.

When we first meet a character, she is usually dissatisfied in some way and missing a key personality component.

As conflict enters the story, often times the character is forced to develop that missing aspect.

As an audience, we love to see this process. We are enthralled as Eliza transforms from a dirty, loud, obnoxious, gutter snipe to a beautiful, well spoken, proper lady.

Next time you go to a show, take note of where the characters begin the show and where they end up. You may even get carried away and try to debate their arc past the end of the show.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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