Adapting characters
Remember you don鈥檛 have to keep the characters that are already in the script. You might create new characters in fresh settings by improvising work around a chosen theme of the piece. The script has still provided stimulus for exploration. Look at Script and improvisation for more information.
Using existing characters to create work
If you do choose to keep the original characters from a script, there are many ways you can create new content by developing them in rehearsal and exploring their relationships in depth. Hot-seating is an example of a rehearsal technique or explorative strategy which helps you discover more about a character.
The actor is questioned in role and forced to think about aspects of a character鈥檚 life or personality which may not be in the text. It helps an actor get to know the character they are playing and can throw up new ideas to explore in rehearsal. You can pose questions about their childhood and relationship with their parents, their greatest fears, proudest moments and the other characters. Use the script as a basis, so if your character seems a very angry person, hot-seating would be a way to determine why this might be. What is it that might have happened to make them that way? You may wish to change the facts of the play if you鈥檙e adapting ideas from the original source but you do need to discuss this as a group.