Learn die convincingly -- onstage .
Learning to perform a death scene properly is standard for actors because death scenes are plentiful in theater. Dying onstage can capture the hearts of the audience if performed effectively. Death scenes are challenging for any actor. Each death scene has its own difficulties based on the characters and the circumstances surrounding the stage death. Study and practice of the script, scene, death and character will allow actors to die onstage in such a way that the audience will be touched.
Instructions
1. Watch successful death scenes in plays and movies. Learn from great actors portray an effective death. Study the movements of actors when depicting a character's final moments. Write down notes of what you observe. Use what you learn from watching actors portray death scenes when acting out your character's dramatic death.
2. Use your script to study your character's personality thoroughly. Based on your character's traits, decide what your character is thinking and feeling at the time of his or her death. Assess whether your character is scared, heroic, preoccupied, in pain, stunned, in shock, proud, worried about another person, peaceful, etc. Think the thoughts of your character when you are portraying his death.
3. Practice acting out your character's death. Practice in private and in front of friends or family members who can give you feedback. Also ask your director for input on act out the role and an evaluation of your death scene in rehearsals. Use any constructive criticism you receive to adjust and refine your death scene.
4. Depict your character's death effectively by grabbing the wound if your character is being killed by a gunshot or stabbing, grabbing your neck if your character is being killed by poison or strangling and grabbing your arm or heart if your character is dying of a heart attack. Don't overdramatize this -- think in your head about the pain that your character feels and grab the area of the body as a natural reaction to try to stop the pain and protect the body. Think about stopping the pain instead of just doing melodramatic actions.
5. Adjust from tense and fighting for life to limp and lifeless in order to demonstrate the contrast between your character as live and then dead. Being completely relaxed is difficult so practice releasing tension completely. Have someone lift your arms, legs and head to check if you are indeed relaxed. We have a tendency to help the person lift our body, but you should refrain from this and remain limp. You should make the person lifting carry the entire weight of the body part.
6. Practice breathing the character's last breaths and speaking the character's last words. Gasping is appropriate in some death scenes, but be careful not to overdo it. Last words need to be imparted as if the information is important, not melodramatic.
