What am I fighting for? How am I going to get it & win?

One thing that I have been particularly mindful of with the latest show, "A Tomb With the View" is the idea of "tactics".   The principle of this is that every human has basic needs they are fighting for and these tactics are the tools used to obtain that need.  There are also underlying reasons why these need to be met, be it physical, emotional, or mental.  It is my job as an actress to become the character in so much that I understand completely her reason for that need and, as all of my acting coaches plus all the multitude of books for actors say, to "raise the stakes' in obtaining that goal in a believable and realistic fashion based on the given circumstances.

In fact, the main emphasis of an actor or an actress should be to completely invest oneself in the story-line of the play or film and the relationships their character has within the play/film so that it appears to mirror that of real-life, no matter how fantastical it may be.  Furthermore, tactics and needs of the character should also be individualized based on a real relationship unique with the other characters.

In a sense, the questions must be more than just "Who am I?" but "What do I need in this scene?" and "What are the ways i am going to obtain it?"

This will then make not only the character more believable and more relate-able but so to will make the story of the play or film more powerful to the audience and the other cast-members.