best tactics to memorize monologue?

Question

what are some things you can do to make memorization easier?

Answer 1

Understand the story, tell the story, break down the speech into "beats", know where the speech is going,know how the speech begins and ends.

Playwrights have very specific reasons for having each word on the page. You should have very specific reasons for reciting those words. Once you understand the story behind the speech, the mechanics of specific word order are dead simple.

Never, ever, EVER paraphrase. By doing so, you are not only making yourself risible, you are hurling the deadliest insult possible at the playwright.

Answer 2

try to diagram the monologue logically in your mind (or on paper). Find out exactly what the character is saying, and if it's not already, "translate" it into language you would use ordinarily.

Knowing what the character is saying will help in memorization, along with repetition. It will also help with intonation and the flow of the monologue.

Answer 3

Rehearse it, have someone read the parts that are not yours, then you do yours from memory. It has also been known to happen that little notes can be left on a set out of the camera view or the audience view, or even on a sleeve, just a word or two that start a line or two, but if using such props one should be very un-obvious about it.

Answer 4

Copy it down on a piece of paper first. This doesn't work for some actors, but I have been using it with excellent results for years. It would definitely be worth a try.

Answer 5

first ill read it over a bunch of times, then i just memorize it one sentence at a time.

Answer 6

read one line, say it, read it say it read it say, until u have it memorized, and go to the next line, say your first line, then ur new one, and keep going like that : ) : ) .