Imagine a baking class where a student says, “This bread would have been better if I had used flour and water.” Or a student in a pottery class saying, “This vase would have been better if I had used some clay.” Yet time and again, in my acting class, students begin their self-evaluation after a scene presentation by telling me that it would have been better if they knew their lines. It happens so frequently that I often address it beforehand by telling the entire class that we don’t need to ever say that. It is a waste of time for the entire class. Trying to perform a scene without knowing your lines stone cold is, as Peter O’Toole said in an interview with Charlie Rose, “. . . like painting without using a brush. How can you?”
The difficulty that many people experience learning lines stems, I believe, from a problem with approach. So often we get an audition and have just a couple of days to submit it. We look at the sides, and immediately think, “Okay, I have to learn these lines and get this down on tape by the day after tomorrow.” And so we start trying to memorize them, by whatever means necessary. But this skips a fundamental step: Understanding. In class I will stop a student after a particular line and ask, “What does that mean?” or “Why is your character saying that?” Too often, the student doesn’t know. That means they have tried to learn the “what” of the line before understanding the “why.”
To the student asking for advice on how to learn lines, I would say that everyone is going to have to find the method that works best for them, and that there is no magic answer, no one-size-fits-all approach. But underpinning whatever approach you use, there must first be the deepest understanding of what it is that your character wants, and the reasons they have for saying the things they are saying. Without that understanding, the words become just a random assortment of sounds that you’re trying to learn by rote. They might as well be a series of numbers or a random shopping list. But understanding leads to an internal monologue that can fuel an impulse towards the next line.
After you have done the fundamental work of understanding, then the following tips and tricks may ease your path.
Tip #1: Listen. Much of the time, simply focusing on the other character and listening to what they are saying will help to make your response obvious.
Tip #2: Break the script into logical beats. These can be defined either by emotional or topical shifts. Then focus on each of these by themselves. Each one of these that you tackle will signal progress to yourself and boost your confidence.
Tip #3: Use mnemonic devices. These are ways to associate a line with a thought or pattern that is memorable to you, such as using Roy G. Biv to remember the colors of the rainbow. Another is GOYAKOD, which is a term used in law enforcement to describe a crucial investigative technique. It stands for Get Off Your Ass and Knock on Doors. Silly, right? But that’s why it works. If you’re having difficulty remembering a particular line, come up with a silly or interesting association or acronym, and it will be right there in your mind when you need it.
Tip #4: Write them out. Sometimes the simple act of writing the lines activates a different part of your brain that aids in the memorization process. I don’t know anything about the science behind this, but there are some who say it’s very helpful.
Tip #5: Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there.
One final observation: Memory is a muscle, and acting class is where you train. Whatever shape you’re in for class, that’s the shape you’ll be in when you go to an audition. If you’ve gotten yourself into peak performance condition, it will be that much easier to master your lines when it matters most. Moreover, being completely on top of your lines time and again for class will go a long way towards calming any nerves you may have for your auditions. You’ll discover a little voice in your head saying, louder and louder, “C’mon. You got this.”
After you have done the fundamental work of understanding, then the following tips and tricks may ease your path.
Tip #1: Listen. Much of the time, simply focusing on the other character and listening to what they are saying will help to make your response obvious.
Tip #2: Break the script into logical beats. These can be defined either by emotional or topical shifts. Then focus on each of these by themselves. Each one of these that you tackle will signal progress to yourself and boost your confidence.
Tip #3: Use mnemonic devices. These are ways to associate a line with a thought or pattern that is memorable to you, such as using Roy G. Biv to remember the colors of the rainbow. Another is GOYAKOD, which is a term used in law enforcement to describe a crucial investigative technique. It stands for Get Off Your Ass and Knock on Doors. Silly, right? But that’s why it works. If you’re having difficulty remembering a particular line, come up with a silly or interesting association or acronym, and it will be right there in your mind when you need it.
Tip #4: Write them out. Sometimes the simple act of writing the lines activates a different part of your brain that aids in the memorization process. I don’t know anything about the science behind this, but there are some who say it’s very helpful.
Tip #5: Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there. Here’s the boring one: Repetition. I know. It’s not interesting. It’s just hard work. But it gets you there.
One final observation: Memory is a muscle, and acting class is where you train. Whatever shape you’re in for class, that’s the shape you’ll be in when you go to an audition. If you’ve gotten yourself into peak performance condition, it will be that much easier to master your lines when it matters most. Moreover, being completely on top of your lines time and again for class will go a long way towards calming any nerves you may have for your auditions. You’ll discover a little voice in your head saying, louder and louder, “C’mon. You got this.”
RSS Feed