Actors are asked by audience members all the time "How do you learn all of those lines?" Sometimes you're asked to memorize pieces that were written hundreds of years ago that use a different form of English and other times you're the star of the show and might have to learn pages of dialogue without any cues from other characters. But this is all part of the job. It's like how someone working in a veterinarian clinic London Ontario needs to learn the anatomy of many different animals. It's a skill that needs to be mastered before you can really call yourself a professional. Here are some techniques that you may want to try when learning lines.
The best method for learning lines is simple repetition. Many actors early in their career get panicked about being off book and spend all kinds of time worrying about how they will get through it. Instead, you could spend that time running your lines out loud or in your head. Say them while you're on your way to your part time job at a Toronto printing company. Recite one monologue every morning while you're in the shower. Set yourself a goal of how much time you will spend on your lines every day and stick to it. Before you know it that book will be out of your hand for good.
Listen to what is said before you speak. Lines in a play rarely come out of nowhere. If you're trying to think of what you say next there's a good chance that it is a response to the line that comes before. Many people when they're early in the memorization process will know most of their lines but won't be sure of where they all go. This is the time to get out of your own head and start listening. If the scene is talking about the stock market and platinum bullion than you're likely not going to be on that line about getting groceries.
Organize all of your scenes into sections. When you're starting the memorizing process it can all seem a little overwhelming. Divide up longer scenes by changes of emotion or when a character enters or exits, for example. SR&ED research tells us that our brain works more efficiently when it is dealing with smaller amounts of data at one time.
Finally, look for patterns in the text. Any good playwright is going to create a style of speech for each of the characters. If you're playing a blue collar worker who makes tamper evident seals on an assembly line than they are likely to speak differently than the wealthy owner of the company. Finding a pattern can really help all of your lines flow together more easily.
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