If you’re an actor like me, one of the hardest things about our hobby/passion (as you probably know by now) is getting off book and staying off book. Right now I’m in two shows, a straight play set in Ireland in the 1930s and a musical set in the 20s. In both of my shows I’m playing very different characters with different motivations. So on top of learning how to do an Irish accent, I have to learn all of my lines by a certain date. After doing countless performances, vocal concerts, and monologue competitions, I think I have a good game plan for getting those lines memorized cold. Here are some tips I thought I’d share:
- Read the show before you start rehearsing. Even if there is a read through with your cast, buy the script or find it online and read it actively before rehearsals even begin. Actively meaning that you have to be tuned in to the setting, possible blocking, and trying to get more information about the characters you are interested in.
- Once you start rehearsing take line memorization one step at a time. With something like a straight play that can seem like the lines never end, you have to take memorization one step at a time. What I like to do is block the scene with my script in hand and again actively reading my lines. Then when we run it again, I can still have my script in my hand but I try to keep my head up as much as possible, only looking down if I honestly have no clue what is next. The next time I run it, I try it without a script. This way, you don’t feel like you’re memorizing ten pages of scene work but before you know it, you realize that you can say your lines no problem.
- Don’t be afraid to put your script down. When I was first starting out with theater, I was always petrified to put my script down and make one tiny mistake. To be an actor you have to take risks, one of which includes messing up your lines every so often. The faster you can get that script out of your hands, the more acting comes into play and that’s when your character really starts to grow. Also if you forget a line, just call “line” and a director or stage manager will prompt you and then you can keep going. This can also help you identify which scenes you’re not as comfortable with and then you can go back and look over those specific areas.
- Move when you’re memorizing. It’s a lot easier to memorize something if you connect it with a movement or a gesture. Once you get your blocking, always practice your lines with those movements. Not only will it help you remember your blocking, but when you’re searching for your next line on stage your muscle memory will connect words with the movement you’re making and the line will come much easier.
- Practice a little everyday. Memorization takes time, so if you don’t spend at least five minutes a day looking over your script, you’re never going to make any progress. Looking at a huge script with highlighting all over it can be daunting but once you get going, it will become so much easier.