Character actor

Character roles (as well as character compartment tray) were in the theater practice of 18-19. Century roles for the slightly older actor from about 30 years. Character roles have traits of a character up for typing or oversubscription emerge, such as the rumble of the old soldier. They deviate from the ideal of beauty and level moderating. In ( serious ) character roles specialized actor is called a character actor. Specializing in comic roles were the character comedian. Sometimes a distinction is made between " comic " and " serious " or " light " and " heavy " character roles.

Heroes, male and female roles and villains are the most common character roles. A lover is generally not a character role, but rather the schemer. Problematic, "difficult" characters that stand between good and evil, are also character roles.

Among the younger character roles include, for example, the title role in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the older Philip II in Schiller's Don Carlos and the set Bolingbroke in Shakespeare's Henry IV

Newer uses

Since naturalism in the theater from the end of the 19th century, the term is rare. With respect to the naturalistic acting, and sometimes referred to a figure whose mental state is studied with great sophistication and presented as Martha in Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Sometimes the term character role is still used today (especially in the film) used in the original meaning: a role with striking behavioral features for no longer quite young performer - or exclusively in the positive sense: a role that requires great personality of the performer. The today cited " changes in character roles " with increasing age (from major to minor roles) imply an appreciation ( change from comic to serious roles or outward to inward benefits ) or a devaluation.

Music Theatre

In the opera, which was not so far away in the 19th century by the spectacle, as now, the character roles of the lyric, the dramatic and coloratura roles distinguished (see voice type ) are. Lyrical votes received over the years often have a dramatic impact or to develop a more dramatic technique. Thus, there are the character tenor and character baritone. - In ballet, there are roles for mimics that no technical perfection, but require great expression.