Very often directors will insist their cast writes
biographies of their characters -- asking themselves
many of the same questions you describe. Many
actors do this out of habit -- or neccessity -- to flush
out their characters, making up answers that seem
plausible.
We were doing a production of "Social Security," a
light-weight farce written by Andrew Bergman ("The
In-Laws" and "Fletch" are two of his film scripts.)
Creating these biographies made the characters
more three-dimensional, the cast found new
motivations for their behavior and the situations
carried more weight.
I daresay it's a great exercise that improves any
production. It forces the actors to think about their
characters as more than just a collection of lines or
a costume.
Good luck!

This excercise is all well and good (I agree with the last two comments), but you had better make sure that as a director, you've given adequate thought to their character development as well (at least for the major characters). If they've concieved a character that works against your vision for the show, you need to be prepared to help them interpret their character differently.  You have the final say as the director, but you will really chafe an actor if your blocking and notes keep implicitly telling him/her to do things against their character choice. If you go through the trouble to find out what their character is, use that for your good as a director.

Oh, and make sure you've worked out more important things first (vision, blocking, cuts, schedule, etc.). I know it sounds obvious, but I've been in a production (as an actor) where the director spent a lot of time doing character development excercises, bios, blah, blah, blah... . However, when it came to blocking a scene, she was continually surprised by things she hadn't thought through. She was eventually fired for gross incompetence.

Don't get too zealous about doing this. It's a great idea for new actors, more experienced actors (usually) will do this on their own. It's a good idea to do this type of excercise in the first week of the production, if at all. Beyond that, you're wasting rehearsal time.

-Tom

It's my "role-scoring" exercise.  It's 100 questions about you and your character.  (So 200 answers in all.)  I hand it out on the first day of rehearsal.  I make them answer all the questions about themselves first, because an actor needs to know himself before he can start being someone else.  They have until they have to be off-book to finish it.  (3 weeks, usually) It is a graded assignment (usually takes 2 weeks of grading during lunch).  If a student leaves something blank or does not answer a question completely, it's wrong.  I've had some students fail the assignment.  I usually weigh it to be 1/4 of the overall participation grade.

My next assignment is also worth 1/4 of the participation, and it's the subtext.  The students have to write down what their character is thinking throughout the entire time they are on-stage.  I also make them write down where they are, what they are thinking/doing/feeling, while they are off-stage.  This is usually due right before we get to run-throughs.

Dear Green Room Comrads-

Wow... 200 questions Now that's a full assignment. I only wonder if the information you and your actor gain from this exercise is worth the time and effort. I believe that exercises such as the one mentioned in this Post are usefull tools in an acting class or in a workshop situation as an imagination builder but does little to really help build a character.

We need to remember that the script is our guide. Regardless to what happens before Act 1 or after curtain in a particular show, the performance is the moment of reality created in the script. The actor needs to be in the moment based on the information and the situation in the script. Who cares if my character was a Pinko Commie during the 60's and hates Chineese food it it has nothing to do with the scripted moment. Even if this information did have something to do with the current reality on stage, then the circumstances of that knowledge would be brought to light in the script.

I feel it is better to work with actors on objectives and goals. It is better to look at "who" your character is,"what" your character has to do, "Who is helping/Preventing your character in achieving their goa within the given set of circumstances. True, the "why" my character is in the given situation is important...but that again is in the script and would have little to do with who this characters imaginary 6th grade teacher was. 

The next thing that I feel is important in building a character is the relationship between Actor and his character. If our goal is honesty in performance, we need to accept that the actor and the character are connected and the actor can only relate to his or her characters scripted situation based upon his or her own real life experiences. Have your actors answer the "Magic If" when a situation arises. "It is like when I..." is also great character building tool. What this exercise does is bring out the honest experience of the actor and allows it to easily and honestly accessed by the character.

I know this was long but I hope it is helpful.  

 

In response to WSCT (Sorry, I haven't figured out how to do a quote yet).

I feel it is very important for my actors to discover items about their character.  That is why I do the role scoring assignment.  But you make it seem like the questions have nothing to do with the play and that the answers are not based on the script.  The goal of the assignment is to identify a) how the character differs from the actor and b) how the character is similar to the actor.  Once they know, their reactions are their character's, not their personal ones. 

I work with very young actors, and unless you make them go to the script for information they won't.  It is wonderful to teach them that their characters are different from them, but it is also fun to let them see how their characters are similar.  It also teaches them that it is OK for your character to react the same way you would in a certain situation if you can base that reaction on information you have gleaned from the script.

As for nonsense questions like "who was your sixth-grade teacher?"--who has the time?  There are enough questions that make a difference like the following:

Who was the monarch/president at the time of the play? Do you have any siblings?  What have you read recently? If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I hope this reply sheds some light on the assignment.