Every action by a character in a story can be thought of as an act of survival. From menial tasks to huge events, characters are always doing something that propels them through the story. Comedy or drama, the greater the need the greater the act of survival. It is the actor's job to ensure that the strongest choice is being made. Of course there are times in a story where a character might be doing something that seems fairly innocuous and these are the exceptions to this principle. But in most cases everything that is happening is motivated by need - in other words - survival. If we take an example from a scenestation scene, we see in the comic scene Dr Charles is Late, two very different characters. Melissa is a highly strung actress and for her, getting in to see the doctor is a matter of life and death. The more the actor playing Melissa treats everything that happens as an Act of Survival - the funnier it gets.Philip on the other hand appears laid back and is clearly a comic foil for Melissa. Although Philip is not going over the top, the actor playing him could explore the reasons why he is waiting for the doctor - finding the strongest act of survival might lead to some interesting choices being made in the scene. | 