Learning Lines

[Morphius]

Well I've just seen the cast list for a play I've auditioned for and I've been given one of two main roles. I have never done anything like this before and I have no idea how to learn lines, all the acting I've done before has been done on improvisations and manipulation of texts.

Anyone got any ideas how best to learn lines?

Morph.

 

[Lamp]

Read them over and over again. Then put the script to one side and try to read the lines back to yourself. Go as far as you can. Go back to the bits you can't remember. From personal experience of having to memorise large amounts of text / information parrot fashion, there's no short cut.

Hint: Record the lines onto MP3, and play in the car, when you're in the gym, and before you go to sleep.

 

[Bugz]

I was main role in a play once & it required a ridiculous amount of lines (prob ~10 A4 pages worth). The best way I found to learn them was interaction. Don't learn them on your own. Get your friend to play one part and you play yours and do it as you act out any movements etc. too.

 

[Ezteq]

aye best thing is repetition, just think of all your fave movies and how many times you saw them before you knew them line for line, read them out loud too (you may feel a bit of a dick but it works)

 

[Elkie]

In my old performances I had many techniques for learning lines:

'Singing the lines' - Helps remember believe it or not.
'Saying lines over and over then put script down and repeat' - Basic technique.
'Make them fun' - I always made my lines fun because then they stick in your head more.

Need more tips just private message me.

 

[Serbitar]

ask for an autocue \o/

 

[old.Tohtori]

CAn't believe people haven't suggested it yet but, get a friend, GF, wife...momeek7 to read the line with you while in between you practise. This way you get some feedback also on your acting.

Acting isn't about remembering the lines that much as it's about knowing how to act when you forget the lines.

 

[Gamah]

CAn't believe people haven't suggested it yet but, get a friend, GF, wife...momeek7 to read the line with you while in between you practise. This way you get some feedback also on your acting.

Acting isn't about remembering the lines that much as it's about knowing how to act when you forget the lines.

The best way I found to learn them was interaction. Don't learn them on your own. Get your friend to play one part and you play yours and do it as you act out any movements etc. too.

THE POWAH OF READING COMPELLS YOU MY SON!

 

[old.Tohtori]

THE POWAH OF READING COMPELLS YOU MY SON!

Yeah but it's bugz, i doze off after the first line he writeszzzzzz....zzzzz....

 

[Huntingtons]

I was main role in a play once & it required a ridiculous amount of lines (prob ~10 A4 pages worth). The best way I found to learn them was interaction. Don't learn them on your own. Get your friend to play one part and you play yours and do it as you act out any movements etc. too.

bugz is right, what good is it to remember what you gotta say when you cant remember when - you need the keywords for your lines and they will come alot more instinctively

 

[Mey]

Blag the play imo!

 

[Wonk]

Practice in front of your teddybear.

 

[confused]

As somebody else said, after learning most of the UK's law, the best way is to read it out aloud multiple times, record it onto MP3 (we all know how easy it is to sing along to songs when listening to them) play them to youself over. After a while you'll learn different parts of it better than others, then read through it again by reading the 1st few words of the sentance and seeing if you can say the rest of it to youself. Highlight different parts that you don't remember in different highlighters and eventually you'll get it.

 

[Gamah]

Blag the play imo!

Woot I am mentioned in a custom title!

 

[Sparx]

burn the script and leave it to the night and improv

 

[Zenith]

The best thing I ever tested for learning something out 100% is to record it on your MP3.. Play it while you are focusing on something else ( as someone alrdy said, in the gym, car, before you sleep etc ).. It works.

 

[Morphius]

cheers guys, many useful tips rep has been awarded respectively

will defo try the MP3 one. but I dunno about at the gym, the sounds of drum/bass usually keep the tempo but lines, i think it'd kill me.

 

[Ezteq]

rofl morph watch a few eps of whos line is it anyway and improv it!!!

 

[Lamp]

Josie Lawrence was brilliant on WLIIA

 

[Ezteq]

i always had a crush on ryan styles *swoon*

 

[Golena]

Make sure you don't just learn the lines parrot fashion but understand what's actually going on.

Getting the lines 100% probably isn't as important as you might think word for word (although there will be bits where it's vital).
It's much easier to remember what words you should use to say this, rather than what's the sentance that comes after that one?!? It's also got the advantage that when you get that brain freeze, you can adlib a line without it being completely out of place.