5-24-2012 My brain hurts

Memorizing is not fun.  I mean, I guess it's a little fun, but it hurts my head.  Some people memorize very quickly with very little effort.  I am not one of those people. haha

When I teach acting, I often have students coming to me asking me if I have any tricks for memorizing.  Not really.  There's no secret shortcut to learning lines... at least not that I've learned.  Later, when some students get in front of the class for the first time and unsuccessfully try to say their lines without their script, I hear this:

"I was memorized when I said it in my dorm!"

I believe them.  It's real easy to remember lines when you are all comfy in the confines of your own room.

I ask them if they were saying their lines out loud when the worked on the memorization...

Nope.

I ask if they were moving around when they were working on their lines...

Nope.

So, if they could do this in their room, and didn't have to move, and didn't have to speak out loud, they'd be memorized.  To be fair, this doesn't just happen in classrooms.  I don't suspect there are too many theatres in the country that haven't hear a frustrated actor say something like:

"I knew these lines at home!"

The fact of the matter is that every time we add a new stimuli to the acting experience, it temporarily becomes harder to remember lines.  A classic example of this is the first day actors wear costumes.  Often, during first dress, you'll see actors struggle with lines that they hadn't had problems with for weeks.  Why?  Because all of the sudden there is a new thing to deal with... the clothes.  If it's not the clothes, it's the mics, or the move from the rehearsal space to the performance space or the rehearsal where the producers come to watch.  I remember when I was in grad school, when one of my professors came to watch a rehearsal I had a harder time holding on to my lines.  Heaven forbid it happens when that new stimuli is the first actual audience!

So as I start learning lines, I immediately try to add performance values and outside stimuli to my memorization process.  I'm not trying to craft my performance but I am trying to add performance values.  Here's what I mean...

First, I always memorize while saying lines out loud.  Saying lines in your head doesn't work for most people.  I've got to be saying these lines out loud.  It is very hard to memorize lines silently and then expect to be able to say them successfully out loud.

Second, I encorporate a lot of movement into my memorization.  I won't be standing still throughout the show saying my lines so why should I learn them in stillness?

Third, I have a focal point when I work lines.  I will be delivering many of my lines while looking at someone, so why should I let myself practice my lines while starring at the ceiling or while aimlessly looking down at the floor.  I say my lines to something specific.  Today a wooden elephant was Desdemona.  A cupboard door handle was Iago.  (The actor playing Iago is definitely taller than I am so I often place focal points a little higher up when I am working on lines to him.)

Here are a few of my favorite ways to learn lines.  I mix it up depending on the day.

1)  The reward system -  If I have to learn lines I am going to doing something fun or relaxing or rewarding while I do it.  So, perhaps I'll get some great food and spend an hour working on lines while I eat.  I love hot baths... especially after I work out or run.  So I'll sometimes learn lines while I do that (not too often because I can't move around much.)  Sometimes I'll work lines while enjoying my favorite adult beverage however, I'm not doing that this time around (more on that on a later day.)  If I were rich, I'd hire a massage therapist and drink 30 year tawny port while I worked lines.

2)  Cardio line learning - Learning lines while working out is one of my favorite ways to memorize.  Hopping on an elliptical or stationary bike with your script in front of you is a great way to "get your lines in your body."  The only downside to this is you can't usually go full voice while you are at the gym... but you can use a soft voice... and when people look strangely at you, flash the script... they'll get it.

3)  Walk across the room -  Sometimes I'll put the script on one end of the room and I'll work lines on the other end.  Every time I need to look at the script it means I have to walk across the room to get the script... look at it... think about the line... walk back to the other side of the room... and then start working lines again.  Sometimes it's too easy to hold the script in my hand and steal quick glances every time I am unsure of a line.  Then, I don't really think about it before plowing on to the next line.  The walk across the room technique really forces me to think about my stumbling points before I move on to the next line.

4)  Dropping in -  Sometimes I'll find that I have a section of text that I just can't seem to memorize for the life of me or a section of text where I really don't feel like I have a good grasp of it.  Here's where dropping in really helps.  I lay on the ground with the script in hand so that I can see it.  I look at the very first word of the line and then inhale the word in.  As I exhale, I say the word in an elongated fashion.  With a lone inhane and a long exhale, that cycle may take 20 seconds.  Then I look at the second word and inhale it in.  Then I say the first and second word in an elongated fashion.  I continue in this fashion until I can say the entire sentence.  Then I move on to the next sentence.  This technique really forces me to linger with every single word of a line for an extended period of time. 

Today was a "walk across the room" day.  I worked Act 3 today and, with the exception of a monologue in scene 4, things are looking pretty good.  I should have the whole thing pretty solid by tomorrow.

I'd love to hear from others... have any great line learning techniques?  Also, if anyone has questions about anything, feel free to ask away!