A ‘Given Circumstance’ is the information provided to you by the source, for instance in Noughts and Crosses Sephy states ‘It must have been 2 o’clock in the morning…’ which infers that the time must have been 2 am, therefore the fact that it was 2 am is a given circumstance, as it had been provided by the source.

Just a bit of information and a couple of given circumstances. 

By knowing the given circumstances I can then infer new ideas which eventually help me to create a background story/character profile from which I can develop my character, making her three-dimensional.

This task really helped me to complete other tasks on my blog as I could use the information to add to later/previous blogs. For instance in one blog I wrote two short diary entries that gave the reader a taste of Sephys life/ emotions, and in one of them I use ‘November 26^th’ as a the date of Sephy seeing/imagining Callum, however if it was not for the scene that I perform in, then I would not know that Sephy was leaving for boarding school on September 13^th and therefore I would have chosen a random date that could have conflicted with another important event in the play.

The given circumstances are really important because they can determine your characters choices throughout the play and can give you inspiration for how to play your character. 

Stanislavsky, the man who believed in naturalism and using a forth wall (the idea of the audience not existing, no audience communication) once said:

"sometimes the inspiration for your character may not be obvious, but hidden within the line of someone else's character"

This quote is one that all actors should remember as it key to know your characters objectives, given circumstances and background information in order to really connect with your character on a more personal level. Then you will naturally pick up certain things like habits, maybe an accent if your character has lived in a certain part of the country, they may be tired depending on what time of day it is etc.