Breaking character

"Break character" redirects here. For characters which break lines in text processing, see Line wrap and word wrap. For characters used to escape text formatting, see Escape character.
"Corpsing" redirects here. For the band, see Corpsing (band). For the novel, see Corpsing (novel).

In theatre (especially in the illusionistic Western tradition), breaking character occurs when an actor fails to maintain the illusion that they are the character they are supposedly portraying. This is considered unprofessional while performing in front of an audience or camera (except when the act is a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall). British English uses a slang term, corpsing, to specifically describe one of the most common ways of breaking character—when an actor loses their composure and laughs or giggles inappropriately during a scene.[1][2][3][4] The British slang term is derived from an actor laughing when their character is supposed to be a corpse.[4] If the breaking of character is particularly serious, it normally results in an abandonment of a take in recorded or filmed drama.

  1. ^ Kohl, Herbert R. (1988). Making Theater: Developing Plays with Young People. New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative. p. 25. ISBN 9780915924172.
  2. ^ Clayton, Alex (2020). Funny How?: Sketch Comedy and the Art of Humor. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 132. ISBN 9781438478296.
  3. ^ Stewart, Patrick (2023). Making It So: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 327. ISBN 9781982167752.
  4. ^ a b Tropiano, Stephen; Ginsberg, Steven (2024). The SNL Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Seasons, Sketches, and Stars of Saturday Night Live. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 148. ISBN 9781493072613.