Is it hard to remember a characters lines?

Question

For instance, when one gets a part in a play or movie. How does one go about remembering his/her lines. I was wondering if anybody had a technique or something i could use.

Answer 1

Charly's right--if you figure out the motives of your character and the logic of a particular conversation, then usually that helps you remember the lines. It also helps you ad lib if someone else forgets a line :-)

However, that technique is pretty useless if you're doing an absurdist play, an Anthony Newley musical, or some other post-19th-century stuff that doesn't pretend to follow naturalistic patterns of discourse.

Once, playing Hamm in Beckett's "Endgame" (and burdened by a director who didn't understand that over-rehearsal can lead to diminishing returns) I resorted to hiding a cheat sheet on the tray of my wheelchair that reminded me of the topics of lines I was prone to forget.

But to memorize lines--first, do it one at a time. Get a couple of lines in your head, then get the next couple of lines, then close the book and recite them, then check to see if you got it right. Once those lines are burned into memory, get the next couple of lines.

Practicing with a friend who will read the other lines of dialogue to you is a good thing.

Once you know the blocking, try walking through the scene as you recite the lines. That creates a physical association.

Many short practices yield better results than one long one. If you must memorize a large role, break the task up into many 10-minute sessions throughout the day; if you do 9 ten-minute sessions, you'll make much more progress than if you did 2 forty-five minute ones.

In rehearsal, be off-book early--go without the book as soon as you think there's any chance at all you can make it through the scene. If you're in an amateur show, alert the stage manager in advance that you'll be off book and you may need a line (even in a professional show, that's a nice courtesy). If you need a line during the scene, ask for it professionally; don't break character (and don't throw a hissy fit if you can control yourself); simply say "line" loudly and clearly so the SM crew can hear you--then they should read the line in a loud, clear, flat tone until it jogs your memory enough, at which point you jump right in and pick it up. (Note; if you're so far from script that they can't give you the next line, then the SM instead gets to explain how the scene got off the rails.)

Of course, you need to memorize or pseudo-memorize all the other characters' lines in your scene as well.

Memory is like any other capacity, it gets stronger with exercise. Many top hollywood stars are able to learn a day's worth of script by having an assistant read it to them during make-up in the morning. So it will get easier with experience.

Answer 2

You have several right answers with the exceptin of MAG -- do not improvise unless absolutely necessary. Yes, practice, practice, practice. Yes, practice with a partner. It does you no good to memorize your lines without knowing the cue line for each. Yes, conversation should follow naturally, and yes, except in the event of theattre of the absurd. But think in terms of a playwright -- if you spend hours laboring over a script, choosing the exact right word, hearing it in a staged reading, making changes, etc., you are not going to want someone to get up there and improvise a part you've written to say very specific words unless they've just "gone up" on their lines.

As for a technique, if you have a long monologue, write it on a blackboard or dry erase board. Say it. Erase one word. Say it again. Erase another word. Say it again. etc. Soon you'll be saying the monologue to a blank board.

Then once you get in character, it should be fairly easy to remember your lines. There are actors who perform Twelfth Night on Friday night, Julius Caesar on Saturday afternoon, and Richard III on Saturday night without all of a sudden saying lines from Hamlet.

Answer 3

Usually, if it is a good script, the reply of your character to another character's line is natural. Something that makes sense. For instance, if two sane characters are having a dicussion about Broadway, the conversation is not going to go like this:

Jane: So, did you see Spring Awakening last night with Bob?
Sally: OMG, look, asparagus!
Jane: I heard Jonathan Groff got nominated for a Tony Award.
Sally: I know, my toenails are bright purple, maybe I should paint them black.
Jane: Tonight Matt Doyle goes on as Melchior in Spring Awakening. I'm going to rush. I hope I get seats.
Sally: Frog.

So, once you get in the mindset of the character, try just thinking of what he/she would say in response to someone. Eventually reviewing the script and thinking about natural responses, you'll get those lines memorized. Good luck!

Answer 4

It would be better if you practice with someone else, it's better than practicing alone.

When you practice with someone, it's more fun! You get to have fun plus remember the lines.

Try using this technique! Well, I haven't tried it but it should work.

Answer 5

You see there are all kinds of tricks to learning your lines. That is what you have to do as soon as you get a script.

If you understand what acting is and do that it will help you remember your lines which are just reactions to the stimuli in the scene.

Answer 6

Well I go scene by scene and read the line aloud and say it in my head Sometimes I write it down. I do this several times and I've got it. Just remember to take your time and really make sure you've got it.

Answer 7

One of the things I do is I look over my script every chance I get, from the moment it hits my hands till I have to turn it in, its always with me.

I also know some people will tape their lines on cassette and listen to it over and over.

But you need to do what your comfortable with. Also never be afraid to ask someone to run lines with you, it'll keep your memory fresh as well as the person reading with you.

Answer 8

I can tell you what I used to do: improvisation.
You read the lines, you learn WHAT THEY MEAN, and you don't have to say it exactly the way they are (expect for the key parts that allow someone to talk you back).

You'll find yourself then doing it pretty much the same as in the script.

Answer 9

Read it , read it, read it
Say it, say it, say it
Write it, write it, write it.

If you can write your lines out, you know your lines.

NEVER paraphrase. It is an insult to the author.

Work on your cues next, then put it on its feet.

Answer 10

Practice, or you memorize what is being done that day if it's a movie.