Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:23 pm
Electric Dj wrote:Musicals should be even easier, because you got the music to help you along with the lyrics.
Yes, exactly.
Just make sure you know the words really well and are comfortable with them so as to minimize the chance of you blanking out (which I'm sure you won't do, but just incase) 
. Practise every night if need be...of course it depends, have you got a lot of lines to learn? :?
Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:26 pm
After a while of listening to a song, I know the words, and I'm not even a good actor. I know this is a little more songs and lines, but just be confident and practice and you'll get there.
Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:52 pm
Read all of your lines.
Have someone read the lines with you.
Read everyone else's lines.
When you're at rehearsal, see if there's a way that you can look away from your script and remember the lines, even if you're still technically on book.
Remember that every line has a reason for being there - editing lines is one of the most work-intensive parts of writing a play. The character has a reason for saying what he or she is saying. Try to judge, for yourself, what that reason is. Why does Juliet, for example, cry out "Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?" She must have a reason for saying it. Because she has a reason, the lines come out as an action associated with that reason.
So go through your lines like that as well. Write down one verb next to every line, in its most basic form. Don't use boring verbs like "ask," use more complex verbs like "inquire" and "probe." If you have to use two-word phrases, that's fine too.
Combining what you know about the reasons behind a line or speech, along with the words that make up that line or monologue, not only help you to remember the line; they also help to reinforce the words, since they have weight behind them, instead of just being words.
Also, remember one thing: Acting is about listening, not about saying or doing. Everything you do has that reason, and every reason has a root cause - and it's almost always what the person before you says. That should help you to formulate those reason verbs that I suggested two paragraphs up, as well as your physical gestures - hands, facial expressions, et cetera. Above all, above everything else, remember to listen on stage.
Congratulations, you've just taken College Acting 202.
Have someone read the lines with you.
Read everyone else's lines.
When you're at rehearsal, see if there's a way that you can look away from your script and remember the lines, even if you're still technically on book.
Remember that every line has a reason for being there - editing lines is one of the most work-intensive parts of writing a play. The character has a reason for saying what he or she is saying. Try to judge, for yourself, what that reason is. Why does Juliet, for example, cry out "Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?" She must have a reason for saying it. Because she has a reason, the lines come out as an action associated with that reason.
So go through your lines like that as well. Write down one verb next to every line, in its most basic form. Don't use boring verbs like "ask," use more complex verbs like "inquire" and "probe." If you have to use two-word phrases, that's fine too.
Combining what you know about the reasons behind a line or speech, along with the words that make up that line or monologue, not only help you to remember the line; they also help to reinforce the words, since they have weight behind them, instead of just being words.
Also, remember one thing: Acting is about listening, not about saying or doing. Everything you do has that reason, and every reason has a root cause - and it's almost always what the person before you says. That should help you to formulate those reason verbs that I suggested two paragraphs up, as well as your physical gestures - hands, facial expressions, et cetera. Above all, above everything else, remember to listen on stage.
Congratulations, you've just taken College Acting 202.
Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:37 pm
Sometimes I say it out loud or I just write it untill I memorize it. But, writting really helps.