Character

The character in improv theater is the represented fictional being that does not exist in reality. This being can be a human or animal or belong to a category that does not exist in reality: Aliens, ghosts, gods, monsters, etc.

The difference to other elements of the fictional stage scene is that the character is capable of an inner life, i. e. thinking, feeling, wanting and most of the time also being able to act. The "other elements" include in particular the pure props, which - as long as they are not "animated" (a suddenly speaking tree, for example) - have no inner life.

The concept of the character can also be understood as a generic term for various possibilities of categorisation.

• Characters can be only short-term depicted beings as well as differentiated characters in a longform.
• From the dramaturgical function there are again different order possibilities: The Protagonist and Antagonist or the main, secondary and the Passenger. In the Hero's Journey, the characters can be distinguished by archetypes, each of which has a specific dramaturgical function: For example, the hero is encouraged and supported by the character of the "mentor".
• Clichés. They are characterised by a strong and uniform typing.
• Persons (groups) borrowed from reality and history, from literature, theater, film and television, or beings which as such exhibit predetermined characteristics: Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, Sherlock Holmes, Kasperle, Indiana Jones, Klingon, Little Red Riding Hood, Dr. House, Daily Speaker, Orpheus, Wilhelm Tell, Napoleon, Cowboys, etc.